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Here are the best water-resistant Bluetooth speakers

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 polk boom swimmer jr

Amazon

 Bluetooth speakers are a simple solution to a simple problem: You like listening to things, but the mobile devices you use to listen to those things sound bad. One of these makes it sound better, yet keeps it portable. Easy enough.

 Sometimes, though, you like listening to things around water, and not every speaker can handle that. But some very much can. With spring coming into shape, it’s those options we’re here to highlight today.

 Below we’ve put together a few of our favorite water-resistant, and in most cases waterproof, Bluetooth speakers. The usual caveats about these things apply — namely, they won’t sound as good as a larger, usually wired solution — but if you want serviceable sound in the shower, by the pool, or at the beach, they’ll serve you well.

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  Polk Boom Swimmer Jr.

For those on the tightest of budgets, the IPX7-rated Polk Boom Swimmer Jr. plays fuller and louder than its diminutive size would suggest, and has a flexible tail that lets it easily wrap around a showerhead. It’ll distort at higher volumes, unsurprisingly, and you more or less have to use that tail to keep it from rolling all over the place, but this is as affordable as it gets for a competent-sounding, fully waterproof speaker.

 Polk Boom Swimmer Jr., $34.99

     DivoomVoomboxOngo

The DivoomVoomboxOngo is only IPX4 water-resistant, so it can’t survive a complete dunking, but its rugged design and integrated bike mount make it a good, cheap option for the outdoors. It has a pleasantly natural sound on top of that, with little bass, naturally, but also little distortion, which isn’t common at this price.

 DivoomVoomboxOngo, $59

 Braven BRV-Pro

If you can afford a step up from this idea, we’ll also make a quick note of the Braven BRV-Pro. It’s another speaker explicitly designed for the woods, but it’s built like a tank, fully waterproof, and fitted with a number of ports and accessory holders. It also has better battery life (15 hours, compared to about 7-8 on the Divoom).

 Its sound is impressively strong and detailed, too, at least relative to its size. It’s a great choice for outdoorsy types today, but we do have to add the caveat that Braven has a successor, the $200 BRV-Blade LE, coming later this year. We’ll update this suggestion if it’s a worthwhile upgrade.

 Braven BRV-Pro, $145.95

 UE Roll

The UE Roll is probably the best choice for most people looking for a waterproof speaker. Its flying saucer design is tough, compact, and uncomplicated, with a built-in elastic loop that makes it easy to hang from wherever. It’s also unique. We’d say the fuller JBL Flip 3 is still the best-sounding portable speaker in this price range, but the Roll’s clear, punchy profile is very solid for $70. And again, it’s IPX7 rated, whereas the Flip 3 is only splashproof.

 UE Roll, $69.99

  UE Boom 2

Per usual, though, it lacks a little body. If you want the benefits of the Roll in a louder, lusher-sounding package, consider moving up to the UE Boom 2. It’s more traditionally shaped, but it’s still tough, colorful, and fully waterproof. You generally get more volume and fullness as you go up the price bracket, and while there are clearer, more accurate speakers around the $200 mark, the Boom 2’s powerful sound still makes for good fun at, say, a pool party.

 UE Boom 2, $179.98

Riva Turbo X

The Riva Turbo X isn’t really designed for the outdoors, but it’s technically water-resistant, which is enough for it to get a spot here. That’s because it sounds superlative, besting most portable, Bluetooth-reliant speakers with a clear, articulate, and natural signature that still pumps out healthy bass. There simply aren’t many portable speakers that are both waterproof and this high-end, so you have to figure out what you’re willing to compromise. If you’re a stickler for sound, and you know you won’t beat it up, the Turbo X should be worth the premium.

Resource

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FAIRMOUNT Bathroom Wall Mounted Mirror With LED Lighting

LED Mirror, Super-bright - UL Certified - Dimensions: 27 1/2 x 28 3/4 Inches  - 100% Boxed High Quality Mirror - High Quality Crystal Clear Mirror - Energy Efficient White LED Lights - LED Light is 1" wide - Average LED Lifetime: 50,000 Hours - Easy On/Off Button for LED Strip on the Mirror - Polished edge Mirror - Top and Back Lacquers of the LED Mirror, Moisture Proof - Perfect Lighting for Make Up and Hair - Invisible Rubber Trims Hanging for Water Proof Design - Right LED Light Glows through Frosted Stripes - Safety Packaging - Easy to Install DIY  - Guaranteed Delivery via FedEx - Gravity Décor is quality LED Mirror Seller in USA

 Branded by Gravity Decor LED Wall Mounted Lighted Vanity Bathroom Mirror 100% High Quality

When all you desire is a mirror and good lights, this bathroom wall mounted LED lit vanity mirror fits the bill every time. Look no further at mirrors and complicated light fixtures, the Fairmount is all that you need. Gravity Décor is quality LED Mirror Seller in the USA, Works on Home Décor Products Bathroom mirrors are an essential part of the modern bathroom. The bathroom mirrors with LED are not just for style, but they are also useful to illuminate your bathroom aesthetically. A LED mirror will give you the most accurate reflection. You can coordinate and design the theme of your bathroom with these LED mirrors. The LED bathroom mirrors have grown in popularity during the recent years. And LED bathroom mirrors change its appearance.  If you've been looking for a LED lighted wall bathroom mirror, look no further than Gravity Decor's Wall Mounted High Quality LED vanity mirrors with lights. This rectangular shaped, high-quality crystal clear mirror measures 27 1/2 x 28 3/4 inches and features a super bright LED light that lasts 50,000 hours on average, making it the perfect lighting for putting on makeup and hair styling, as well as shaving, while still being easy to clean. You'll have more than enough light to see everything you need to. This wall mounted makeup mirror led rivals almost any wall mount makeup mirrors you can find. The energy-efficient white LED lights turn on and off easily on the LED strip on the mirror, features that are highly popular on LED & Touch Light Mirrors. This stylish polished edge mirror arrives in safety packaging and has guaranteed delivery backed by FedEX and includes instructions and wall mount hardware for easy DIY assembly.

Specification

·         LED Mirror, Super-bright

·         UPC: 815855020239

·         UL Certified

·         100% Boxed High-Quality Mirror

·         High-Quality Crystal Clear Mirror

·         Energy Efficient White LED Lights

·         LED Light is 1" wide

·         Average LED Lifetime: 50,000 Hours

·         LED Mirror Vertical Shaped

·         Dimensions: 27 1/2 x 28 3/4 Inches

·         Easy On/Off Button for LED Strip on the Mirror

·         Crystal Clear Mirror with Polished edge

·         Mirror with Silvered Reflection Layer

·         Top and Back Lacquers of the LED Mirror, Moisture Proof

·         Perfect Lighting for Make Up and Hair

·         Shows Your True Colors

·         Women Love LED Mirror

·         Invisible Rubber Trims Hanging for Water Proof Design

·         Right LED Light Glows through Frosted Stripes Rectangle Frame to Brighten up your Room

·         Safety Packaging

·         Easy to Install DIY

·         Guaranteed Delivery via FedEx

·         Gravity Décor is quality LED Mirror Seller in the USA

Resource

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How To Pick A Modern Bathroom Mirror With Lights

Every room has its own must-haves. Every living room needs a sofa, every bedroom needs a bed and every bathroom needs a mirror. But it’s not just that. Each of these elements comes with a series of secondary features that increase their efficiency. In the case of the bathroom mirror it’s the accent lighting that completes the package.

  This bathroom has two stylish kinds of mirrors, both with back light.

 Both the frame and the wall behind this mirror glow in a really pleasant manner

 Some companies can create custom lighted mirrors to perfectly suit your bathroom

 Although size is important, it’s not this detail that makes this mirror stand out

 The best solution is to flank the mirror with side lighting for optimal results

It’s important to know how to pick a mirror with lights. Don’t focus on size or shape only. You must also pay attention to details such as the way the accent lighting interacts with the mirror itself but also with the surrounding décor. Always remember that having a bathroom mirror with accent lights placed directly above it is the worst kind of combination. The light has to flatter you, not create unpleasant shadows.

  The lighting behind the mirror is so subtle that the whole space feels like an oasis

 The entire wall here in a giant mirror with surround lighting and the vanity is mounted on it

 It’s common for contemporary bathrooms with large windows to opt for subtle artificial lighting

 Even though the light doesn’t come from the sides, the design is really interesting

 Bathroom mirrors with back lights eliminate the need for sconces

 Round lighted mirrors tend to look more harmonious simply because of the shape

 The accent lighting flanks the mirror on both sides, framing it at the same time

 These are mirrors with inset lights and their design is simple and eye-catching

 The way the accent lights act as separators between the two mirrors is really practical

 Sconces can be installed onto the mirrors and they’d create interesting visual effects

 Perhaps it would have been better to have those lights placed in between the mirrors

 If you can compensate for the shadows in some other way, this design could also work

A lot of modern mirrors take care of that problem for you. They come with integrated accent lighting that’s soft, pleasant and uniformly dispersed in order to be efficient and flattering. There are lots of different designs to choose from so pick wisely and take into consideration all the factors.

 Resource

led bathroom mirror light with motion sensor | boom swimmer waterproof bluetooth speaker uk

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What Is OLED Lighting: And How Is It Different from LEDs?

LED lighting has been a key factor in the energy-use revolution over the last decade. It’s amazing to think that something as innocuous as a light bulb has been at the forefront of educating consumers on how technology can cut our carbon footprint and improve our homes and businesses.

 In just a few years, LED lighting went from niche uses to mainstream. Helped in part by a significant drop in price, total installations of LED bulbs in American homes more than doubled from 77 million to 202 million in just one year. That figure is even more impressive when compared to the fewer than 400,000 installations in 2009.

 But will this dramatic shift from one technology to another repeat itself? Will our 25-year life span LED lightbulbs be obsolete in 10 years when another hot new green technology comes along? We won’t have to wait another decade to find out. That new technology is already here: organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs.

 Estimated to be a $1.3 billion market by 2023, OLED lighting works by using thin layers of organic compounds to emit light through electric currents. In contrast, LEDs predominantly use the chemical yellow phosphor. Score one for OLEDs on the green scale. OLEDs also have no UV rays, whereas LEDs have some.

 OLEDs differ significantly from LEDs in form. They are made in sheets that are incredibly thin and pliable, so they can be adapted to work in places LEDs can never go. They also emit light evenly, as opposed to the bright, concentrated light of LEDs—think the difference between a paintbrush and a pen.

 Does this mean OLEDs are going to replace LEDs as a greener, cleaner light source? In short, no. But they will augment and enhance the quest for ultimate lighting efficiency. Due to technical limitations, OLEDs are not, and likely won’t ever be, available in the traditional bulb style. They come as flat panels, which can be replaced as you would a light bulb. Here is an example of a consumer OLED lighting fixture:

Additionally, while OLEDs generate less heat than LEDs and are capable of a significantly higher color rendering index (CRI), they are currently much more expensive, have a shorter lumen life than LEDS and are not as bright—meaning you need up to twice as many to produce the same light as LEDs. They are also not yet able to produce color and are not as energy efficient as LEDs. When it comes to energy efficiency and longevity, LEDs are still in the lead.

 So what are OLEDs good for now? Anywhere a smooth, diffused light of reasonable brightness is needed. From under-cabinet lighting to panels wrapped around a bathroom mirror, OLEDs provide a smooth, shadow free, non-glaring light—in contrast to most LED bulbs, which need diffusers and other effects to reduce glare and dissipate heat. This also makes OLEDs a good choice for overhead lighting in commercial office buildings and schools.

 Where OLED won’t work is spotlighting, track or recessed lighting and anywhere you need point source light or long reach—LEDs will always win in those regards. What this means is that OLEDs are not a replacement for LEDs, but an enhancement. They fill in the gaps where LEDs don’t shine.

 OLEDs also give us a glimpse into how we will light our homes in the future. Think about the sci-fi movies you’ve watched. Did you ever see a light bulb on the Starship Enterprise? The form factor of OLEDs is essentially what you saw in those futuristic worlds: diffused, flat light that glows gently from walls, ceilings and even floors.

 Some companies have started to experiment with such futuristic uses, like using OLED panels in their display windows. Additionally, because of its flexibility, OLED lighting can be shaped into bold new designs far from your traditional light fixture.

 "OLEDs will present lighting products in a new form factor, which will expand the design possibilities and change the way we use light in many environments," Darice Liu, of Universal Display, told CNET.

 Switching America to LED lighting is still the holy grail that will generate enormous energy savings of 5.1 quads annually by 2035, according to energy.gov. While OLED technology is developing rapidly, it can’t outperform the dramatic reduction in electricity bills, enhanced energy security and significant environmental benefits LEDs provide.

 However, as the cost of OLED drops, as we saw it do with LEDs, it will surely be a significant lighting source for our future.

 Jennifer Tuohy is techie by heart and has a passion for seeing how tech can help with improving the environment. She provides great tips on how to use LEDs in your home. Click here to see some the LED light bulb options that The Home Depot has to offer. Read all of Jennifer's MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.

Resource

bathroom mirror with clock and radio | bathroom mirrors with led lights

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15 Greatest Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers, To Go

The world is more than 70% water. Even inside your house there’s multiple spigots where the life-giving juice of the land will spew forth, should you need something to dilute your evening whiskey. While this is great news for life, it’s terrible news for speakers, which tend to spark and then die when exposed to water. Thankfully, a few insightful brands out there have found a way to combat this problem and give you a way to enjoy your music, even when hiking in the rain, headed to the beach, scrubbing away the night before in the shower, or sitting poolside.

They’ve made the 15 best waterproof Bluetooth speakers for anyone who likes their audio all wet.

Short Note on Waterproofing

A speaker is, by nature, permeable and therefore capable of being damaged by water. While our first priority was to find those that could handle full-blown submergence, in some cases “waterproof” doesn’t always mean it can hitch a ride on your scuba gear, but rather resist splashes or rain; not keep you company in the bath.

VicTsing Wireless

Suck Up: An older speaker that only has 3.0 Bluetooth on board, we suggest snapping this up thanks to its solid build and ability to stick to your bathroom wall with just a push. The audio won’t blow your hair back, but the IPX5 rating allows it to play through a deluge or incoming blast from your shower massager.

Purchase: $17

Cambridge SoundWorksOontZ Angle 3

Straight Shooter: Most of the Bluetooth speaker choices tend to try to throw sound in every direction. The Angle 3 prefers to point its dual 10 watt drivers right at you, for sound where you need it. That isn’t to say it can’t project should you decide to pop it into a cup holder, but it’s better for keeping your audio personal on a crowded beach.

Purchase: $28

Omaker M4

Easy Listening: One of the easiest connections in the business, the M4 will sync up with just about any device you throw at it in a few seconds. Intended for personal listening on the go or in the shower, it can run for 12 hours with sound that’s impressive for the sticker price, and simple to operate if your phone is far from hand.

Purchase: $30

Trendwoo Music Tube

Near & Far: The IPX4 waterproof rating isn’t anything to write home about, but plenty good enough for resting poolside, getting caught in the rain, and keeping your kitchen sink company. A set of 5mm drivers manage to use the circular structure to enhance and improve the carry and quality of all but the most intricate tracks.

Purchase: $35+

Inateck Ultra-Portable Aluminum Wireless Speaker

Edge of Greatness: Pocket-sized and built for shower listening or pocketing for a few jams while you go, there’s quality IPX5 water-resistance that falls just shy of being able to stay submerged without fail. Paired 5-watt drivers do justice to simple sounds, complete with a little bass boost. Just avoid complex orchestral pieces, as it gets flummoxed.

Purchase: $40

G-Project G-DROP

Gearhead: The shrunken price and simple black body make this appear to be another budget ripoff, but don’t waste your cash just yet. The G-DROP serves up IPX7 waterproofing that allows it to sit for half an hour under the beautiful briny deep. Though not going to turn heads, the body is durable, with only the limited 6-hour battery life setting it apart from its more expensive brethren.

Purchase: $49

UE Roll

Bobbing Along: Rather than taking up size vertically, the Roll lays flat. It capitalizes on horizontal real estate to pack in sound that runs in every direction, along with a respectable bit of bass. Using the included floaties, the Roll can even drift along beside you in the pool; only losing connection or clarity if you invert it.

Purchase: $70+

Braven BRV-1

Tiny but Fierce: The BRV-1 can handle a quick dip without damage, though that’s just the beginning. It also has strong shock resistance and a construction that is meant to be kicked around. Mids and highs are clean, though not room-filling, and are backed by a 70mm passive sub to give your lows a Vader-esque rumble.

Purchase: $71

TDK Life on Record TREK Max A34

Black Box: A chunky choice that isn’t made to travel far, what you get with the A34 is a sealed body that resists harsh conditions while avoiding the sound tuning or distortion that goes along with most Bluetooth speakers. Audiophiles take note: you won’t get a better combination of clean sound and remarkable survival instincts without tripling the price.

Purchase: $82

JBL Flip 3

Turn the Beat Around: The Flip has previously been a “good enough” speaker with a devoted following. Their die-hard resiliency has finally paid off with the 3rd installment. Splashproof and able to shrug off atmospheric wetness, but not a river ride, the Flip has both good sound and a respectable speakerphone option for mixing business with your listening pleasure.

Purchase: $83+

ECOXGEAR Eco Stone

Size Matters: Available in three sizes, the Eco Stone can give you as much or as little portable power as you need. 100% fully waterproof no matter which bulk you choose, the ability of the dust, dirt, and debris-fighting body to capture vocals and keep them well above the instrumentals is truly engineering worth experiencing.

Purchase: $83-$138

Monster SuperStarBackFloat

Floatation Device: As the name states with its complete lack of entendre, the SuperStar is its own life preserver. Buoyant material on the rear allows it to rise to the top time and again. So you can keep it next to you as you drift along for listening or taking calls.

Purchase: $113

FUGOO Style

Pure Class: There’s a functional aesthetic that goes hand in glove with wireless speakers that are also geared toward battling the elements. The Style manages to make this work to its advantage, giving you an understated appeal that not only has full waterproofing, but manages to look as good as it sounds.

Purchase: $150

ScocheboomBOTTLE+

Road Tripper: While most speakers here can be dangled from a pack or slung over your shoulder, and all of them can stand and deliver, few bear the unique honor of being made specifically to fit into water bottle holders. Intended mostly for cyclists it can handle rain, jets, and splashes, but avoid dumping it in the drink, unless you long for a new one.

Purchase: $153+

UE Boom 2

Bump & Grind: Due to their small size, there isn’t much bass to be had among the waterproof Bluetooth crowd, but for the most hit for the money and size, the Boom 2 brings it. The tube design gives you circular sound for filling a room, and you can even pair it up with a buddy to expand and compound the reach and range.

Purchase: $177+

Resource

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Bestwater-resistan Bluetooth speakers

Choose a great water-resistant Bluetooth speaker and singing in the shower will sound better than ever!

 Bluetooth speakers are one of the most convenient ways to listen to music from pretty much any device. If you get yourself a water-resistant one, you don't have to worry about it getting wet. Enjoy a poolside singalong by getting yourself a quality, water-resistant Bluetooth speaker. We've rounded up some of our favorites!

 Braven BRV-X

Archeer

Monster Superstar Backfloat

Polk Audio BOOM Swimmer

UE Boom 2

JBL Flip 3

 Braven BRV-X

 The Braven BRV-X is built like a tank. It weighs about 1.5 pounds and is covered in a rubberized shockproof exterior that makes the BRV-X incredibly rugged.

 It has a certified IPX7 waterproof rating allowing it to be fully submerged in three feet of water for 30 minutes and function perfectly fine. The 'X' in the rating also means it's shock-proof. Plus, it's dust and dirt-resistant.

 It has a built-in microphone and speaker, which allows you to respond to phone calls without getting out of the pool. It boasts a 12 hour battery life, which is more than serviceable for a day lounging by the pool.

 This portable speaker is really great for people who want a speaker for camping, hiking, boating, or any other outdoor activities. It really embraces the portable side of things by being extremely light for being so rugged, meaning you can take it everywhere you go!

 While the Archeer can't be submerged in water, it's IP64 rating means it's extremely resistant to dust but still has splash protection.

 It offers 12 hours of playing time, a built-in microphone for taking phone calls, and even an LED flashlight on the side making it perfect for night time use.

 Monster's speaker is a pretty cool machine. It has an IPX6 rating which means it can handle getting sprayed by water jets, since it's water-resistant and shock-proof. If you were to take your garden hose and spray this speaker it would hold up just fine. Plus, it is also designed to float on it's back when it's in water, so it can chill in the pool with you.

 The Superstar Backfloat has a soft silicone outer shell, making it able to handle some bumps and bruises along the way.

This little speaker was conceived by the folks at Polk Audio to be as versatile as possible. The tail on the end of this tadpole-looking device is actually bendable to fit around shower curtain rods or swimming pool railings with ease.

 The great thing about the swimmer is its waterproof rating makes it able to be submerged in up to three feet of water without suffering any damage. Perfect for the kids to play with in the pool or to hang up in your shower, the Swimmer sure knows how to deliver.

 It is a little small compared to some of the other speakers we have featured in this round up; however, we all know size isn't everything.

 FUGOO made this speaker to withstand a nuclear war. It has an extremely high waterproof and dustproof rating making it as close to mudproof, snowproof, and shockproof as a portable speaker can get.

 It has a whopping 40 hours of battery life, meaning you can listen to your favorite tunes, podcasts, and audiobooks for as long as you need to between charges.

 It has impressive sound, sporting six drivers on all four sides, it offers truly deep sounding 360 degree sound no matter which way it's facing. On top of being able to take phone calls it also has Google Now compatibility, meaning all your questions can be answered with the tap of a button. Bluetooth not working so well? There's an AUX port on the back for wired playback.

 The UE Boom 2 does its best to live up to it's onomatopoeic name by offering impressive 360 degree sound in a small package. It's waterproof rating allows it to be submerged in three feet of water for 30 minutes and come out the other side working just fine. On top of being heavily water-resistant, it also is protected against dirt and mud and give you the ability to hand-wash the speaker with warm soapy water in order to clean it.

 It has a battery life of 15 hours, and a Bluetooth range of 100 feet giving you more than enough time and space to enjoy your favorite sounds. Plus, if you find yourself lacking the power you want from just one UE Boom 2, you can set up another Boom 2 to make a stereo pair and really blow the roof off. It can also be entirely controlled from an app so you don't need to even move to turn up the volume or skips songs.

 The JBL Flip 3 is a small, but powerful speaker that doesn't hurt the wallet as much as some of the other selections we have featured. It offers clear sound and a well-balanced mix of highs and lows in order to give you a great listening experience.

 The Flip 3 is able to accommodate non-Bluetooth playback with an AUX port and still has a very strong dust and water-resistant rating. You won't be able to fully submerge the Flip 3; however, it can withstand a decent drizzling of rain and some splashes from the pool.

 You even have the ability to pair Flip 3's together through the JBL connect app, meaning you can listening to your favorite jams even louder and in stereo!

 Overall, for the price of the JBL Flip 3, it's a very solid speaker that will work for all your indoor and outdoor sound needs.

Resource

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SPLASH ZONE: THE 10 BEST WATERPROOF BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS

The truth is that ancient man would have loved to have some waterproof speakers so that when they were camping, fishing, hiking, backpacking, hunting wild boar, or just spending a day at ye olde swimming hole they could have some music to set the mood. By grabbing yourself a rugged, portable, wireless sound pounder, you ensure that you’re the life of the party, even when that party is on top of the world, literally. So that you may become the master of funk, we’ve compiled the 10 best waterproof Bluetooth speakers for your listening pleasure. Please note that “waterproof” can sometimes just mean “extremely water-resistant” to certain manufacturers.

PHOTIVE HYDRA

Pro: Can survive full submergence

Con: Phone mic is pretty poor

 Water Wizard: Though it bears a rating of IP66, it isn’t as rough and rugged as some of its competition so it might not be the best to take camping and hiking, but for listening at the beach or while taking a soak this certainly performs. It handles dust and water like a champ and you can even give it a quick bath without worrying about long-term damage. It uses a dual set of 40mm drivers along with a passive subwoofer that creates a nice level of sound with just a hint of a bass bump. A shockingly good combo at a very reasonable price. All the on-board controls are easy to use and intuitive so once you’ve got it synced and ready for action, it’s usually easier to just work it right from the box. As far as connectivity range goes, the true 4.0 Bluetooth reaches up to the lower range of Airplay speakers without dropping a note, which is exceptional by most wireless standards. The HYDRA can be used as a speakerphone, but the mic is certainly one of the areas that the company cut costs. It’s better than a can on a string, but only just. [Purchase: $60]

BOOM SWIMMER

Pro: Flexible tail allows it to be hung anywhere

Con: Not loud enough for outdoor use

 The Insider: Don’t be put off by the fact that it looks like it is either a novelty-sized Hershey’s Kiss or is about to go get your girlfriend pregnant. That, let’s say “tadpole,” design is part of what makes this an incredible waterproof wireless speaker. The tail end is flexible allowing you to hang it in the kitchen, over the showerhead, or even through a belt loop. It also has a suction cup mounting capability which makes it one of the easiest speakers to tote around when you’re doing housework, out in the shop, or just giving yourself a refreshing straight razor shave since it can go anywhere without special mounting or taking up space. When it comes to fighting off moisture, the Swimmer can sit in water up to a meter in depth for up to 20 minutes without taking damage, so don’t sweat if it takes a quick dip. The sound is good for indoor use and relatively loud for the size of the speaker, but it won’t travel well in the open air and prefers rooms with good acoustics. [Purchase: $69]

ECOXGEAR ECOXBT

Pro: Floats

Con: Limited sound quality and range

 The Big Bobber: This goes beyond just being able to survive being submerged, if you want to drown it then you literally have to hold it underwater like you’re trying to kill Jason Voorhees because it is completely buoyant. It is the ideal waterproof speaker for taking your tunes out onto the lake, into fishing kayak, or along for the ride as you attack some whitewater rapids since if you drop it it can just be collected later. The battery will give you about 10 hours of life and it can take calls, though your caller will probably find your voice distorted as the microphone is not very sensitive and gets easily drowned out air currents. The overall sound quality isn’t stunning, so don’t expect it to bring tears to your eyes with its rendition of the Ave Maria, but you’ll get passable noise that works for a single person or small group. An included carabineer will allow it to clip to your belt or pack when you need a little travelling music. [Purchase: $90]

ALTEC LANSING LIFE JACKET

Pro: Vocal phone activation

Con: Machine’s voice can be annoying

 Hands Free: The first thing you’ll notice about the Life Jacket is it would be perfect for sitting by the pool if it weren’t so hideous that you would never sit anywhere public with it. The 80’s style goes great with your New Kids On The Block collection and the 2.5 inch drivers push good sound for their size that lets The Cure come through crystal clear. Though you might need to hide its looks under a bushel or at least a Rude Dog tee-shirt, the advantage is that it can be operated via simple voice confirmation that allows you to take calls without touching your phone. It also gives you audio updates, which are both convenient and obnoxious since you can’t turn them down or disable them. The NFC (Near Field Communication) lets it sync with up to 8 devices so you can travel with it or leave it out for the whole family to use. The battery life is exceptional for the overall size with 16 hours of playback possible so long as you keep the volume at half mast. [Purchase: $97]

KOHLER GPM MOXIE

Pro: Specifically made for the shower

Con: No on-board controls

 Shower Power: Kohler isn’t known for their great speakers, but they have made a name for themselves in the faucet and showerhead industry, which is why we had to give this item a look. If you’re one of those people who can’t resist doing a solo of “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” as you clean your bib and tucker, then you’ll enjoy this fresh, clean take on the bluetooth speaker. The speaker itself pops in and out of the showerhead so you can recharge it or carry it around, though the two really are meant to work in tandem for best effect. There aren’t any controls on the speaker itself, so that all has to be handled through your bluetooth device, but it does fill smaller spaces well and can easily overcome the sound of falling or splashing water. The actual showerhead itself is also well built and uses a 60 spigot system to give you a good spray with quality coverage even in larger showers. [Purchase: $110]

SCOSCHE BOOM BOTTLE

Pro: Fits in water bottle holders

Con: Can be drowned out by traffic noise

 Built for Bikes: This is a fascinating little piece of equipment that is geared directly to the cyclist crowd who want to take their music with them, but worry that a pair of over-ear headphones might interfere with their ability to navigate on busy streets or hear audio cues that could save their life. The Boom Bottle is a cylindrical waterproof speaker dedicated to fitting directly into the water bottle mount on a bicycle. The sound carries reasonably well, though high traffic areas or proximity to cars moving at higher speeds will drown it out, which is part of the point. The dual 40mm drivers are positioned internally to direct sound up and out for use exclusively in the outdoors and can add a nice accompaniment to a mountain biking group or be fit into the water bottle bag on a travel backpack to turn a hiking expedition into an impromptu dance party. While the actual sound needs work, the idea is clever and little else fills this niche effectively. [Purchase: $130]

BRAVEN BRV-X

Pro: Acts as a battery charger

Con: Bluetooth range is weak

 Most for the Money: This manages to take all the best bits and pieces from its competition and roll them into a single package. It can survive in water up to 1 meter so long as it isn’t there for more than a couple of minutes thanks to a tightly sealed rubber over molding. The molded exterior is also shock absorbent and keeps internal damage to a minimum should the BRV-X take a tumble. The 5200 mAh battery can be used as a charger for a couple of devices just in case your handheld GPS becomes more important than banging your head to your special thrash metal playlist. You’ll find it has two modes for indoor and outdoor use that make the most of the speaker’s power and clarity depending on your environment. A couple of BRV-X’s can be synced up to a single bluetooth device and assigned right and left roles for a stereo quality sound, even on the go. At a pound and a half with carrying strap, it’s easy to transport as well. [Purchase: $155]

LOGITECH UE BOOM

Pro: Multiple speakers can be paired with a single device

Con: Limited bass output

 Plenty of Power: The Boom is largely the go anywhere at any time choice these type of speakers. The cylindrical design is easy to just grab and go while the D-ring allows it to snap onto a bag or a bike in case you don’t feel like snagging your earbuds to take your music along. The sealed body is comprised of a 7.1 x 2.6-inch cylindrical speaker covered in mesh which surrounds two 1.5 inch drivers that are supported by a pair of passive sound radiators to help push out the bass. Despite the name, bass is actually where this seemed to fall the shortest as it hit highs and mids with clarity while lows tended to come out muffled and muddy. That aside, it can either be paired with two devices for easier music sharing or co-op playlists, or two Booms can be put with a single smartphone, tablet, or related device for stereo sound. This is one of those that can fight dust and a few splashes, but if it gets well and truly dunked, it’s dead. [Purchase: $170]

FUGOO TOUGH

 Pro: Resists all forms of damage

Con: Expensive

 The Warrior: This is the John Wayne of f the bunch. It boasts an IP67 rating that means it can handle more than just water but also mud, snow, and most anything short of gunfire, though low-caliber small arms might still find it tough to crack. Despite being tough as barbed wire, it also has a sensitive side with the ability to interface with Google Now and Siri so that you can operate it entirely by voice which works fairly well with the on-board microphone. 40 hours of battery life make it one of the longest running wireless speakers available, and the fact that it uses 6 drivers to create true 360 degree sound makes this feat all the more impressive. If using your smartphone isn’t enough, the Fugoo can also be bought with a nice little waterproof remote so that you can switch tracks without ever getting out of the Jacuzzi. Now if it could just fetch some cocktails… [Purchase: $200]

OUTDOOR TECH BIG TURTLE SHELL

 Pro: Works over a wide area

Con: Simple controls

 The Party Machine: It looks like a geometric rock in a post-modern Zen garden and the only claim it has to portability it has is yes, you can technically pick it up and carry it. In this case it isn’t meant to be a portable bluetooth speaker but a modular blaster that you can take with you to keep a patio party wailing. The increased size is a boon to battery life and can go all night with 7800 milliamps worth of power that let it run for 16 hours. The claim is that it can create 110 dB’s worth of sound, but it doesn’t quite hit that mark unless you’ve set it for directional blasting and are sitting directly in front of it. It does still generate plenty of clear music over a fair amount of space and the immense battery power also allows it to charge multiple devices simultaneously if so required. Navigation is pretty crude, but effective since you shouldn’t need to babysit it. [Purchase: $221]

Resource

boom swimmer waterproof bluetooth speaker review | waterproof bluetooth speaker best buy uk

[shaphillips04th-blog]

Top 10 Best Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers

Not all tech accessories are created equal. Some accessories, like selfie sticks, have a fairly limited range of useful applications. However, other accessories, like Bluetooth speakers, can be used for a wide range of activities. Waterproof Bluetooth speakers in particular can be quite useful in all kinds of places. You can use a waterproof Bluetooth speaker to listen to music by the pool, or to take calls on speakerphone. You can take these Bluetooth speakers in the shower, use them by the beach while working out. Some people even bring them camping. Even if you don’t plan to take them anywhere wet, a Bluetooth speaker with waterproofing is more likely to survive accidentally splashes of water than a regular Bluetooth speaker. If you’re buying a Bluetooth speaker, it just makes sense to buy one that’s made to be water-tight. There isn’t much of a cost difference in many cases, so why not buy the product that’s built a bit tougher? Here are five of our favorite waterproof and water resistant Bluetooth speakers. No matter what your budget, there’s a waterproof speaker on this list that will work for you.

1. SoundBot SB510 HD Water Resistant Bluetooth 3.0 Shower Speaker

Looking for a cheap waterproof speaker? This deeply discounted waterproof speaker from SoundBot is a great option if budget is your primary concern. It’s available in about a dozen different colors and prints, making it easy to find something that meshes with your decor and your personality.

This particular speaker offers easy controls and about six hours of audio playback. If you need a low-cost option, this well-reviewed speaker is a stellar option. If you are always singing in the shower, this is a must-have item for your bathroom.

Price: $14.99 (81 percent off MSRP)

Pros:

·  Tons of color options

·  Hours of playback

·  Universal compatibility

·  Listen to music or take calls

·  Lightweight

Cons:

·  Runs Bluetooth 3.0, not 4.0

·  Takes three hours to fully recharge

·  No wall charger included (only USB)

·  Limited connection range

·  Suction cup mount can be tricky to install on some surfaces

2. BOOM Swimmer Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

This little “swimmer” speaker is able to be immersed in shallow water for up to 20 minutes. As long as you don’t submerge it at depths over a meter, this speaker should hold up just fine. User reviews suggest that, despite its small size, this is a very loud speaker. If you want a waterproof speaker for use around the house, this is a great option that will survive being knocked accidentally into the tub or the kitchen sink.

Price: $59

Pros:

·  IPX7 waterproof rating

·  Eight-hour battery life

·  Flexible “tail” allows you to position speaker in different ways

·  Lightweight

·  Batteries included

Cons:

· Limitedcolor options

·  Speaker and clip connection could be stronger

·  Bluetooth connection may cut out if speaker moves during use

·  Control buttons could be more visible

·  Does not support “stereo syncing” with another Swimmer

3. Photive HYDRA Waterpoof Bluetooth Speaker

The Photive HYDRA is a larger speaker, ideal for being placed poolside on along the edge of a tub. It’s rated at IP66. While there are speakers out there that have higher IP ratings, this is still a nice speaker for people who want a deeper bass tone than those small speakers can provide.

There are on-device controls, making this easy to control even if your smartphone is some distance away. Confused about the IP rating system? Check out Trusted Reviews, which has a guide that breaks down the basics of the IP system for rating waterproofing and dustproofing. If you need an affordable-yet-rugged speaker, this is one of the best choices on the market today.

Price: $59.95 (57 percent off MSRP)

Pros:

· IP66 waterproof and dustproof rating

· Bluetooth 4.0 (uses less energy than 3.0)

· Eight hour battery life

· Passive subwoofer and two 40 mm drivers

· Lightweight and portable

Cons:

· Only available in three colors

· May be too large for some environments

· Annoying blue light

· At least one user has had issues with the USB port

· Some users have had Bluetooth connectivity issues

4. SpeakStick Bluetooth Shower Speaker

SpeakStick makes a Bluetooth speaker that is splashproof, compact, and easy to mount. While the retail price is a bit steep, you can find this speaker online at a nice discount.

The price is reasonable, and its hard to say no to a speaker with a lifetime, 100 percent money back guarantee. This is a solid bet for anyone who wants a speaker so they can sing in the shower. It would also be great for use at the beach or on a boat.

Price: $26.95 (46 percent off MSRP)

Pros:

· Lifetime, 100 percent money back guarantee

·  Six hours of play time

· Brightcolors make it easy to see in low-light conditions

· Good sound quality

· Relatively inexpensive

Cons:

· Battery takes two hours to recharge

· Only available in three colors

· Only IPX4 rated (okay to be splashed, but not submerged)

· Other speakers have better range

· Some users have reported issues with speaker’s suction cup

5. FUGOO Tough Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

FUGOO bills their Tough waterproof speaker as the “world’s most rugged bluetooth speaker.” It’s got a whopping 40 hours of battery life, and a cool design that will definitely make your friends jealous.

Internally, there are a number of drivers: two tweeters, two mid/woofer drivers, and two passive radiators for deep bass. This would be great for use at the beach, in the bathroom, or strapped on to the back of an ATV. Overall, this is an awesome option for people who love music, and want a rugged speaker so they can enjoy their music anywhere. That being said, the price tag may scare some people off.

Price: $229.99

Pros:

·  Awesome battery life

·  Six drivers

·  Big sound

·  Resilient end-caps take impacts well

·  Waterproof to 3 feet depth for 30 minutes

Cons:

·  May be too large for some

·  Expensive

· Interchangeable covers are cool, but not really necessary if you have the Tough cover

·  Some users find the speaker too quiet

·  Some users want even more bass

Read more….

boom swimmer waterproof bluetooth speaker uk | boom swimmer waterproof bluetooth speaker best buy

[shaphillips04th-blog]

FindOfTheWeek: A conveniently waterproof portable bluetooth speaker

I wouldn’t exactly refer to myself as a tech guru but I’m also not a complete dummy when it comes to gadgets and all.

I mean, I’m definitely not the person you’d think to call if you couldn’t figure out how to get your smart TV connected to wifi but it also doesn’t mean I couldn’t do it. It may take a bit of Googling and a solid 2 hours but eventually I’d figure out.

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts as I perform little tasks (like decluttering – see article here) and I would always be frustrated by the fact I had to carry my phone into every room in order to make sure I don’t miss a thing. Until I remembered that my dad had gifted my husband a portable Bluetooth speaker and then the world made sense again.

It’s so incredibly convenient that I knew I had to share it today!

a

The Speaker of Speakers

The JBL Charge 3 happens to have a really powerful sterio sound that can blast music so loud that in doing so can turn any scenario into a full blown disco. I had made a special playlist for a homemade Christmas brunch with my family and this little gadget made the day even more beautiful.

It also helps that it gives you up to 20 hours of playtime which means I don’t need to worry about charging it every couple of hours.

Best part? The speaker just so happens to be waterproof!

Now this may not seem like much but if you happen to love listening to podcasts in the shower and/or going to the beach and blasting some music, this is a gem of a detail.

I’d highly recommend this to anyone who loves listening to podcasts, music or hosts a lot of parties!

Item: JBL Charge 3 Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

Price: KES25,000 or $149.95 or $122.95 (see below)

Available at: Game Supermarket (Garden City), JBL.com and Amazon, respectively (when considering the prices mentioned above)

Resource

best waterproof bluetooth speaker 2017 | best waterproof bluetooth speaker under $50

[shaphillips04th-blog]

JBL Pulse 3 may be the coolest new Bluetooth speaker at CES 2017

JBL has taken its Pulse Bluetooth speaker and its built-in light show to the next level, making the speaker fully waterproof and improving the sound.

I got a chance play around with the upcoming Pulse 3 for a few minutes here at CES 2017 and while it's hard to tell how much better it sounds, it does look a lot different from its predecessor (the Pulse 2), which I liked a lot. The mesh grill is gone and the speaker has a tough semitransparent outer plastic shell. It looks even more like a digital lava lamp.

One of the key new features is that it's fully waterproof, which means you can drop it in the shallow end of a pool at night and get some really cool effects for a short period of time (an IPX7 certification means that you can submerge it in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes). You won't get any sound out of it if it's underwater -- Bluetooth doesn't transmit through water -- but you can't have everything.

The Pulse 3 carries a list price of $200 (which roughly converts to £160 or AU$275) and hits stores this spring. We'll have a full review as soon as we get our hands on a review sample.

BL Pulse 3 features

·     Wirelessly connect up to two phones or tablets to the speaker and take turns playing music (the speaker now has full 360-degree stereo sound, according to JBL)

·     Built-in rechargeable li-ion battery provides up to 12 hours of music and light show playtime

·     IPX7 waterproof design

·     Build your own party by connecting more than 100 JBL Connect+ enabled speakers together to amplify the listening experience

·     Customizable 360-degree light show sets the atmosphere, animating your favorite songs automatically by synchronizing its light show with your music

·     Noise and echo-cancelling speakerphone lets you take calls from your speaker

·     Customize your light show experience and configure your JBL Connect+ settings with the JBL Connect+ App for iOS and Android

Resource

bestbluetooth speakers under £50 | cheap bluetooth speakers with good bass

[shaphillips04th-blog]

JBL Charge 3 JBLCHARGE3BLKAM Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Black)

Bluetooth Audio Where You Want It:

 JBL Charge 3 is the ultimate, high-powered portable Bluetooth speaker with powerful stereo sound and a power bank all in one package. The Charge 3 takes the party everywhere, poolside or in the rain, thanks to the waterproof design, durable fabric and rugged housing. Its high-capacity 6,000mAh battery provides 20 hours of playtime and can charge your smartphones and tablets via its USB output. A built-in noise and echo-cancelling speakerphone gives you crystal clear calls with the press of a button. Wirelessly link multiple JBL Connect-enabled speakers to amplify the listening experience.

 Features:

  Wireless Bluetooth Streaming: Wirelessly connect up to 3 smartphones or tablets to the speaker and take turns playing powerful stereo sound. 

 6000mAH power bank: Built-in rechargeable Li-ion battery supports up to 20 hours of playtime and charges smartphones and tablets via USB. 

 Speakerphone: Take crystal clear calls from your speaker with the touch of a button thanks to the noise and echo-cancelling speakerphone. 

 IPX7 Waterproof: No more worrying about rain or spills; you can even submerge Charge 3 in water. JBL

 Connect: Build your own ecosystem by connecting multiple JBL Connect enabled speakers together to amplify the listening experience. 

 Lifestyle Materials: The durable fabric material and rugged rubber housing allows your speaker to outlast all of your adventures. 

 JBL Bass Radiator: Hear the bass, feel the bass, see the bass. Dual external passive radiators demonstrate just how powerful your speakers are.

  Specifications:

 §  Battery type: Lithium-ion Polymer (22.2Wh)

§  Music playing time: up to 20 hours (varies by volume level and content)

§  Frequency Response: 65Hz-20kHz

§  Battery charge time: 4.5 hrs

§  Dimensions (W × D × H): 213 x 87 x 88.5mm

Bluetooth – Wirelessly connect up to 3 smartphones or tablets to the speaker and take turns playing powerful stereo sound. Battery type : Lithium-ion Polymer (22.2Wh) 2) 20 hours of playtime(varies by volume level and content) IPX7 Waterproof

Take crystal clear calls from your speaker with the touch of a button thanks to the noise and echo-cancelling speakerphone.

Build your own ecosystem by connecting multiple JBL Connect enabled speakers together to amplify the listening experience.

Resource

waterproofbluetooth speaker best buy uk | waterproof bluetooth speaker best buy

[shaphillips04th-blog]

On Community

I will be updating the blog every month with some thoughts about the school and music education in general, please feel free to leave suggestions and ideas for future topics in the comments section.

 To start the ball rolling I will write a short series of articles focussing on teachers, students and prospective students respectively. This week, it being the first week, I will focus on the teacher.

For the teacher the question is: “How can the school help me to achieve the best possible teaching environment and what can I do to help other teachers?”

For me, the answer is in the question. A community of teachers is built on just that: A community. As a teacher myself, I recognize how defensive teachers are about their methods. The last thing any teacher wants is for an “administrator type” to interfere with techniques and methods honed over many hours of focussed attention.

Yet, we each bring our own talents and skills to the lesson environment and we can all stand to benefit from sharing ideas, even if that only involves sharing a wish-list. Even if your ideas are pie-in-the sky, you never know if there are other people with similar ideas or who know of ways to implement them. After all, some crazy schemes only require a critical mass of people to work and without a sharing of ideas that critical mass can never occur.

The idea is not so much to have a suggestion box as it is to open up some lines for discussion.

One thing that the school is planning for this year is to institute regular concerts as well as a combined year-end concert event. The regular concert series has in fact already kicked off and is being held in the large room of the Bukit Timah branch on some Sunday evenings at six, they have so far been a great success. So far, these have been limited to my own and Jaclyn’s students, but the idea is to open them up to other teachers as well to provide a regular performance platform for their students.

Given the size of the venue the concert is limited to five students (and their families) each performing two pieces. So it is a short, intimate programme on the order of 30mins. I would like to encourage and invite any teacher who wants to have their students benefit from this platform to let us know, so we can include them on the list for future concerts.

On a related note I can offer my own services for typesetting/transcription/transposition of any music you may need in your lessons. I use the LilyPond engraving programme and can assist you with most reasonable, timely requests in this regard.

Finally I would like to encourage anyone who would like to share some their ideas in the newsletter to let me know so I can include it in future editions.

 Resource

[shaphillips04th-blog]

What should I do to get the most out of my piano lessons?

How should I approach my music lessons?

The first edition of our newsletter focussed on the needs of the teachers in our musical community, now, as promised, this second edition of the newsletter will focus on the student.

For the student the question is: “What should I do to get the most out of my piano lessons?”

This question is not as simple as it first appears, each student will certainly get something unique from their lessons, be it simply the joy of playing an instrument, the discipline of working on highly technical material or even the self confidence gained from performing or participating successfully in examinations. Certainly, the reasons for studying an instrument are as many as there are students, or even more, because some students enjoy music lesson for more than one reason.

Whatever it is that brings you to music lessons, there are some things which you can do to get the most of your one-on-one time with your teacher. Playing music is only fun when you can successfully express yourself on your instrument, and gaining that expression requires the discipline to work on technical material. Success in music exam is a function of both, you need to be able to demonstrate technical proficiency and show that you are “having fun”, which in music means expressing yourself.

To achieve this state of affairs there are some simple things, universal things which you can do:

1) Practice. Yes unfortunately spending any amount of time with a teacher will require you to have something prepared to avoid having the lesson degenerate into a practice session. While “practice” lessons are not necessarily a bad thing, they are not the best way to spend your time with a teacher.

2) Pretend to have practiced. No matter how much self-disciplined we are, sometimes it is hard to find the time or motivation to practice. While this is normal, it is important to recognize that it is not something to be desired even if you are only playing an instrument for fun. Often though, we can for short periods of time get away with concentrating really hard in the lesson and trying to play as if we had practiced. While this may be stressful, it is a good habit, since the easy way to reduce this stress is simply to practice. This is not to say you should lie to your teacher, although they will more often than not know full well whether you have practiced or not, but simply that you play trying to sound as good as though you had practiced.

3) Be disciplined. Arriving on time, paying attention, preparing everything that needs to be ready beforehand, all these things help you get more value from your time with the teacher. Your teacher’s skills are best utilised by getting as much music in as possible. Also, learning from a teacher one-on-one has a lot to do with mutual respect, and respect for your teacher’s time is an integral part of this relationship.

Finally, lest this entire newsletter be filled with do’s and don’ts, don’t hesitate to contact the school with queries or suggestions either in person or through the e-mail address given at the top of this newsletter.   Everybody has unique reasons and expectations from music and by voicing them we can sometimes recognize those which may otherwise have gone unfulfilled. The school has many projects in the works for the future and your needs may be met by one of these already. We may not be able to assist in every request, but we will try our best to improve your musical journey where possible.

Resource

[shaphillips04th-blog]

Why music?

   Why should I, or my child, study music?

 As a music teacher it always strikes me that it is very difficult to come up with a coherent answer for this question and I suspect many music teachers feel the same or are unable to reach a consensus with one another.

  Sure enough, as music teachers we have gone through the work of mastering our instruments and understanding the inner workings of musicality, but what do we have to show for it? What benefit, if any, are we bestowing on our students?

 Some possible reasons that people may want to learn music include:

- For fun

- To become a competent singer or instrumentalist

- To improve marks in school

- To improve cognitive abilities in some area (i.e. math, memory or concentration)

- A need to express oneself

Each of these reasons can be problematic in isolation:

Why would one want to do music for fun? It is hard work to master an instrument and the technical demands are unforgiving in the extreme. Surely fun can be had at a much lower price at the cinema?

What does being a competent singer or instrumentalist bring? In today’s marketplace even a virtuoso is hard-pressed to make much of an impact without a substantial marketing budget, and some very incompetent musicians do make an impact mostly due to substantial marketing support.

Music is quite a difficult subject to undertake for school, in many ways it is by far the most difficult subject at this level, requiring not only individual teaching but hours of dedicated self-study, much more than is required for even “hard” subjects like math and science. It seems that a better way to improve marks would simply be to do some other subject instead of music.

As for cognitive abilities, it is certainly true that music does enhance cognitive ability by affecting moods, enhances brain mass in certain areas and indeed has a small but measurable effect on general intelligence as measured by I.Q. tests. But is this really enough, indeed other things (such as playing computer games and eating fish) have similar impacts.

Finally, the musicology profession is divided not just on what music expresses, but even on the issue of whether it expresses anything at all. Surely painting or drama is a better route to self-expression?

 The answer, I would venture, is that learning music is all of the above and more. Music is not something we do, it is something we are. It is a fundamental part of our humanity, so by studying it we are not so much learning a skill as learning about ourselves.

In music we can find every possible aspect of life reflected and related to one another: The visual logic of notation is connected to the language of a certain musical style and enhanced by social interaction and feedback as we play a piece for a teacher, and so we can continue. By mastering these skills we can learn what our strengths are, how to enhance them and how to use them to mitigate our weaknesses.

When we achieve this, music becomes fun, we become competent at our instrument, our confidence (and with it hopefully our marks) begin to improve, our cognitive abilities can be put to full effect and we can express ourselves not through music but by the very act of doing music.

 That is my answer, please feel free to add a comment to our blog page and say if you agree or disagree or if you have some other idea about why it is that we do music.

 Resource

cello teacher in Singapore | flute teacher in singapore

[shaphillips04th-blog]

On Exams

https://youtu.be/V2HYLN2JK9g

Practical exam season in upon us and we would like to wish all of our candidates for this session the best of luck in their final preparations. It may be worthwhile at this time to reflect on the nature and value of music exams in the Classical music education environment. The primary function that these exams fills is providing a framework of firm medium term goals without which the long time horizon of learning music may seem an endless expanse. As such these exams should be seen as a chance to look back at and apply what has been learnt and achieved rather than an end in itself. Secondly, playing exams offers an opportunity to showcase your skills in front of a genuinely independent third party who has no particular vested interest in reporting only the good. This unbiased opinion can be invaluable in establishing clear and meaningful milestones in the path of development. Finally, music exams offer the chance to focus on technical elements like scales and aural training that can very easily fall by the wayside in the absence of such structure and can be very difficult and disheartening to pick up at a later stage of development. These ancillary skills often make the difference between a mediocre and a good amateur musician. At the same time music exams are not without their flaws. Chief among these is the simple fact that the examiner has very little real time to examine the deep technical aspects of a student’s playing, so the testing is necessarily at a very superficial level both of musicality and technique. This can mean that a student who has an unusual (or indeed especially insightful) sense of phrasing or musicality, what separates the great from the good, can be severely penalised on occasion. From a technical point of view the superficial nature of examinations can result in technical “shortcuts” being rewarded because it sounds better now, even if it will result in a worse product later. From a teacher’s point of view this can be highly problematic because technical shortcuts cause enormous problems later on that may undo whatever was gained in musical training. Music exams should be seen as a minimum, not an end in itself. Although everyone loves receiving a shiny certificate to celebrate their achievements it is hard to say that having a distinction in grade 5 piano means anything much in the greater scheme of things. Even a grade 8 certificate only shows that one has successfully learnt the basic techniques of playing the instrument and not much besides. With this in mind it is very important that one approaches the music exam as theatre, and not as an exam. In a sense it is a show, much like a stage performance of a play, and part of that show is some scenes with pieces, some with scales and some with aural training. Examiners will almost invariably mark based on their enjoyment of the performance as a whole, despite the marks being sub-divided into categories. At the same time music lessons are not about putting on a good show in exam situations, they ultimately about learning to play and master music, which is at once a more specialised discipline and a much broader field of study. Resource music school in Singapore | violin teacher in singapore

[shaphillips04th-blog]

Gesture and expectation in music

https://youtu.be/JG0_ofr2P8c

One of the key features of my philosophy of music is the idea of gesture. The simplest way to understand a musical gesture is to think of the difference between a letter, phoneme and a morpheme in language: A letter being the smallest unit of written language, phoneme the smallest unit of sound and a morpheme the smallest unit of meaning. We can divide music up in a very similar fashion: Between notes, motives (figures) and gestures.   By explaining gestures in this way I am making a subtle but distinct statement about the nature of the fundamental unit of musical meaning, what Phillip Tagg calls “musemes”. You see, a gesture is not musical in the usual sense of the word, a gesture doesn’t sound like anything at all. Instead, it feels like going forward, pulling back or simply staying still. Gestures are, in the words of Robert Hatten, “the energetic, significant shaping of time”.   Beethoven is using the little note patterns to express gestures which in turn allows us to read meaning into the music. Each gesture being used here falls into one of the three basic categories (advancing, withdrawing or holding) and yet in the hands of a skilled composer an infinitely complex scene can be woven in the musical texture by using them.   The advantage of interpreting music in this way is that simple elements like gestures are perfect for doing logic with, and indeed gestures can be shown to perfectly logical in their interaction: When a musical phrase goes forward and is followed by another musical phrase that goes forward we cannot help but conclude that the combination of the two phrases will also go forward.  In fact the logic of gestures is a little more complicated than this, but not so much that we need to concern ourselves with it here. So instead of music being some amorphous lump of feeling, it suddenly becomes a clear and distinct concatenation of unambiguous motions which move us to emotion not by some mysterious and inexplicable force, but by analogy to motion which we experience in our daily lives. Something which does not move much reminds of sadness because that is how we feel (and move) when we are depressed.   Unfortunately the story is a little more complex than just gestures, because the problem with things that are perfectly logical is that they are also perfectly (in the strict sense) meaningless. We cannot learn anything new by doing logic; we can only learn something that was already implied (again in the strict sense of entailment) by what we already knew. So while gestures explain how we perceive music and why we are moved by it in the basest sense, they don’t really explain why we experience music as meaningful and important. To understand that aspect, we will need to investigate expectation and enculturation.   After listening to that one may simply dismiss it as a musical joke, the kind of thing Haydn was always fond of. But there is more than that going on. Why do we find that sudden chord a humorous but not frightening? Unsettling but not horrifying? Let us see what Haydn has done: He draws us in with the simplest of simple melodies, the kind of melody a child might sing, but when the resolution approaches he jars us in a very particular way. This is not some random loud chord; it is a chord we would have expected to be a forward gesture in any case, to signal the continuation of the melody. So the surprise is not that it is loud, but that it is VERY loud, completely inappropriately so. This forces us to re-evaluate everything we have heard before; suddenly it wasn’t a simple melody, but a ruse to lull us into a false complacency. What’s more, he could do it again! And he does. But not often, just once or twice more, because he is not trying to make us scared , just trying to get us to sit up and wait for the next shock, and by the end the joke is that it never comes again. We have sat on the edge of our seat listening to a banal children’s tune. The particular note to pay attention to is the last note of the very first little figure and the last note of the text which it is later set to, the “lis” of “quit tolis”. It feels like the note is too low, and indeed it is it “should” have been a D to fit into the harmony below. Bach plays with this “wrong note” figure throughout the piece, see if you can pick up each time he uses it in this form and when it becomes more insistent towards the end. Finally when Bach does resolve it properly at the end there can be no doubt what Bach meant by the piece, Bach is symbolizing the taking away of sin of that wrong note.   With Bach it is easy to read things into the music, but there can be little doubt that any careful listener can understand what is going here. What’s more, this is not a culturally specific affect either; one needs no knowledge of the Roman rite or the Christian context to understand the basic gesture of redemption that Bach is making. I use the word gesture here deliberately of course, because I wish to highlight the parallel between the simple museme gesture we discussed spoke about earlier and the complex abstract concept gesture made in this moment.   Bach has taken an utterly mundane resolution of dissonance, something which so commonplace it hardly bears mentioning, and literally imbued it with infinite meaningfulness, a meaningfulness which the mere word “redemption” could hope to grasp.   Resource used piano for sale | second hand piano for sale

[shaphillips04th-blog]

Music Exams (p.1)

https://youtu.be/0dJffVboIDE

The theme for the next couple of month’s newsletters will be: “How to prepare for and succeed in music exams”.     Music exams in general tend to employ a rubric system of marking, a system which can be effective in objectifying subjective subjects. A rubric, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring academic papers, projects, or tests”. For ABRSM exams, the specific criteria are as follows:   - Accuracy, control and fluency - Tonal awareness - Musical character and sense of performance As a rough guide, students who playing accurately with continuity and fluency can expect to at least pass the exams. Displaying some tonal awareness such as the ability to shape of phrases and control dynamics (loud and soft playing) is enough to earn a merit, but to earn a distinction one must also display the musical character and perform the music, rather than just play it.   On the surface this seems like a commonsense scheme, and it certainly does make marking more objective. Unfortunately there are also some unintended consequences which accompany the system.   Firstly, from a student’s perspective the progress is not as linear as it may appear. The first step in learning a piece of music is usually to establish the notes one hundred percent correctly and accurately. Next one can add the inflections and dynamics which make the piece so much more effective, however doing so makes playing all the notes correctly and accurately somewhat more difficult. Similarly, and to a much greater extent, adding drama and characteristic performance to a piece make it much harder to play every note correctly. The result is that the development process is not linear; the piece can often become worse with more practice, a not infrequently observed phenomenon. The best way to combat this is to stop playing the piece (or at least practicing it deliberately) a few months before the exam for a month or so, allowing the final steps of practicing to recommence afresh. The key here is that this means that it is all but impossible to “cram” for a music exam in the way one could do for something like a history exam. This is certainly a positive consequence of this type of rubric, but the next is not.   What happens in practice is that inevitably examiners bring their own set of prejudices on style to an examination, and one examiner may merely pass someone who may have received a distinction from a different examiner. This tendency forces a rather conservative style of exam candidates, conditions under which not candidates would perform equally well.   The third point is that one may observe that no mention is made of technical proficiency. This makes sense when one considers that there is no one correct technique for playing an instrument. However, it does open up the possibility of adopting technical shortcuts which are extremely effective in the short run but require large technical changes later on in the student’s development. One example of this is where pianists are taught music effectively off by heart, virtually foregoing the chance of a good mark in the sight reading section.   Unfortunately all such strategies have a very negative long term impact, using the above example it will become apparent at grade five or six level that the note reading is not up to par. In these cases it is virtually unheard of for a student to go back and correct fundamental errors, most just give up there and then, something which is completely unnecessary and avoidable.   It is unfortunately the case that many examiners, when faced with a candidate who can express the musical character well enough and deliver a successful performance with a minimum of obvious note mistakes can get the highest marks in a particular exam, even if technical deficiencies are so severe that further development is virtually entirely precluded, possibly on a permanent basis due to the motivational issues cited earlier.   It is important, therefore, to see music exams as processes and not goals in themselves. Achieving a distinction is certainly great feat and always the result of hard work, but ultimately if it is a question of getting a lower mark for being on a sounder technical footing or a higher one by ignoring fundamental technical and theoretical milestones one should always opt for the former. Similarly, one must have enough confidence in ones style and interpretation that a dissenting examiner giving an apparently wildly inaccurate mark does not have a hugely negative impact.   Ultimately, if there is a shortcut to long term success and maximum benefit from music examinations it is this: Practice, practice and more practice, but also practice with feeling and, most importantly, understanding.   Resource yamaha piano for sale | used piano for sale