Holiday Music Courses
2013 Programme

This non-residential three day course is specifically designed for young string players who come and develop important musical skills in a supportive and fun atmosphere.   Our young students are given the opportunity to play in small ensembles - thereby introducing them to chamber music - and to experience larger orchestral playing.   The emphasis is always on the fun of playing.

We make sure that we build recreation time into the three days.   Our highly experienced and very popular welfare team (who have all attended these courses themselves when younger) devise activities to keep students entertained when they are not being tutored.

A typical day...

10.00	Warm-up	12.30	Lunch
10.30	Sectionals/Orchestra	1.30	Chamber music/recreation
11.00	Break	3.00	Orchestra
11.30	Orchestra	4.00	Finish

Concert - Thursday, 4th April at 2.00pm

Please note that, depending on numbers, the concert venue may move to a nearby larger hall.

This concert for family and friends gives the students an opportunity to show off what they have learned.

What parents said about the 2011 "Bow It" & "Blow It" courses:

• Opportunity for child to meet others who have a similar interest.
• Good mix of music and other activities; excellent tuition.
• Letting children experience music in a fun environment; tuition has been fun and enjoyable.
• Opportunity to play with others.
• Meeting like-minded children, making friends out of schools, being part of an orchestra, learning how to ‘listen’ to others.
• My daughter enjoyed the opportunity to play music with a group.
• Very efficient booking, email reminders, etc. Flexibility with payment; my children have loved it so there must be lots of fun going on!   The drop-off/pick-up arrangements in the car parks were great - saved us time and money.
• A stunning amount is achieved in a very small spaced of time.   I love the excitement and enthusiastic way music is presented; we will be back next year.
• My son really enjoyed the chamber music sessions; he has been challenged by the repertoire and noticed improvements in his playing after only 2 days.
• My daughter was the only beginner flute player and the teacher took time to help her at break and adapted the music.
• Opportunity to play with others and be stretched in that environment - very positive.

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Students who come to our non-residential 'Blow It' course get three 'full on' days of exciting and creative musical fun.   As the title suggests, it is for students who play either a wind or brass instrument at Grade 1-4/5 standard.   The Director chooses repertoire that appeals to students, with an emphasis on the 'jazzy stuff' and the fun of playing.

We make sure that we build recreation time into the three days.  Our highly experienced and very popular welfare team (who have all attended these courses themselves when younger) devise activities to keep students entertained when they are not playing.

A typical day...

10.00	Session 1	12.30	Lunch
10.30	Session 2	1.30	Recreation / chamber groups
11.00	Break	3.00	Session 4
11.30	Session 3	4.00	Close for the day

Concert - Thursday 4th April, 2.00pm

Please note that, depending on numbers, the concert venue may move to a nearby larger hall.

This concert for family and friends gives the students an opportunity to show off what they have learned.

What parents said about the 2011 "Bow It" & "Blow It" courses:

• Opportunity for child to meet others who have a similar interest.
• Good mix of music and other activities; excellent tuition.
• Letting children experience music in a fun environment; tuition has been fun and enjoyable.
• Opportunity to play with others.
• Meeting like-minded children, making friends out of schools, being part of an orchestra, learning how to ‘listen’ to others.
• My daughter enjoyed the opportunity to play music with a group.
• Very efficient booking, email reminders, etc. Flexibility with payment; my children have loved it so there must be lots of fun going on!   The drop-off/pick-up arrangements in the car parks were great - saved us time and money.
• A stunning amount is achieved in a very small spaced of time.   I love the excitement and enthusiastic way music is presented; we will be back next year.
• My son really enjoyed the chamber music sessions; he has been challenged by the repertoire and noticed improvements in his playing after only 2 days.
• My daughter was the only beginner flute player and the teacher took time to help her at break and adapted the music.
• Opportunity to play with others and be stretched in that environment - very positive.

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Directed by Glyn Oxley, this is a very popular weekend course designed for wind, string and brass players of Grade 6 - Grade 8 standard.   We welcome pre-formed chamber groups.   The emphasis is primarily on small group chamber music, but there will also be an opportunity for ensemble sessions.

This is a very social course and the price includes a cold buffet on Friday evening, a sandwich buffet on Saturday evening and cooked lunches at a nearby restaurant on Saturday and Sunday.











The programme for the weekend is as follows:.  

Friday	5.00pm	Welcome and tea
	5.30 - 9.00pm	Session with break for cold buffet
Saturday	10.00am - 1.00pm	Session with break for coffee
	1.00 - 2.00pm	Lunch at nearby restaurant
	2.00 - 5.00pm	Free time.  Participants may arrange to play/practice informally amonst themselves
	5.00pm	Afternoon tea
	5.30 - 9.00pm	Session with break for sandwich buffet
Sunday	10.00am - 1.00pm	Session with break for coffee
	1.00 - 2.00pm	Lunch at nearby restaurant
	2.00 - 3.30pm	Final session
	3.30 - 4.00pm	Afternoon tea
	4.00pm	Informal concert for family and friends

The following are comments on being asked what they enjoyed most about the course in 2011:

• Good company and excellent music.
• The teaching was very good - helpful but non-threatening.  I particularly enjoyed the oboe duets.
• All of it!
• Variety of music; like-minded people; indulging myself!
• Smaller numbers enabled us to have more tutorial support and encouragement.   We were prompted to play more challenging music.   I enjoyed playing with different combinations of instruments.  Excellent tuition and great fun.
• Everything - including rhythm bank!

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This new weekend course is for adult string players of Grade 1-5 standard who would like to improve their ensemble playing and technique.   The emphasis will be on fun music-making - but you will be challenged!

This course will run alongside the Adult Chamber Weekend and there will be plenty of opportunity for socialising together.   The price includes a cold buffet on Friday evening, a sandwich buffet on Saturday evening and cooked lunches at a nearby restaurant on Saturday and Sunday.

The programme for the weekend is as follows:.  

Friday	5.00pm	Welcome and tea
	5.30 - 9.00pm	Session with break for cold buffet
Saturday	10.00am - 1.00pm	Session with break for coffee
	1.00 - 2.00pm	Lunch at nearby restaurant
	2.00 - 5.00pm	Free time.  Participants may arrange to play/practice informally amonst themselves. Sandwich buffet if staying on.
	5.00pm	Afternoon tea
	5.30 - 9.00pm	Session with break for sandwich buffet
Sunday	10.00am - 1.00pm	Session with break for coffee
	1.00 - 2.00pm	Lunch at nearby restaurant
	2.00 - 3.30pm	Final session
	3.30 - 4.00pm	Afternoon tea
	4.00pm	Informal concert for family and friends

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For over 20 years this course has been directed by John Jenkins, one of the country's leading choral directors who is extremely popular with our students and parents.  

The weekend programme provides an opportunity for exploring a wide repertoire together with general musicianship, including an introduction to sight singing.   Most importantly this weekend allows students to enjoy the sheer love of singing in an informal atmosphere.

Our singing weekend has a number of faithful followers who return year after year - and who also come on other courses later in the summer.
We make sure that there are plenty of opportunities for games, relaxation and socialising during the weekend.   Our highly experienced and very popular welfare team (who have all attended these courses themselves) make it a fun-packed weekend by organising a range of activities for recreation time - eg. team games, craft, treasure hunt, sporting activites in the field.   Camping just adds to the magic!

There is a non-residential option for the very young - please contact the Administrator if you wish to take up this option.   There is no fee reduction.

A typical day...

7.30	Wake Up	1.30	Recreation
8.00	Breakfast	4.00	Afternoon tea
9.00	Session 1	4.30	Session 4
9.45	Session 2	6.00	Dinner
10.30	Break	7.00	Session 5
11.00	Session 3	8.30	Cocoa
12.00	Lunch		After cocoa - fun, informal, optional performances by staff and students

Concert - Sunday 28th July at 2.00pm, finishing with refreshments.

This concert for family and friends gives the students an opportunity to perform the songs they have worked on over the course of the weekend.

Parent feedback from the 2011 Singing Weekend course:

• The musical tuition is superb; care of children and structured activities all excellent.
• Everything.
• Friendships, professionalism, welfare team, food, tuition.
• Incredibly high standard, breadth of repertoire and such fun - the impossible DONE!
• Camping and playing; the music and the cocoa.
• The welfare team are fantastic and overall my son had a great time and really enjoyed himself.
• I really find it difficult to find fault with the course!   It was fantastic; my child loved it; all the admin etc. beforehand was great; the concert was so enjoyable and a perfect length for small siblings to enjoy.   The welfare staff were brilliant.
• Great place and atmosphere.   Excellent structure and really pleased that my son learnt so much and enjoyed it greatly.
• The friendly atmosphere and level of dedicated support.   It’s excellent to have like-minded children being provided with this opportunity.
• Great singing, food; good breaks; good age range.

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The music of - Michael Praetorius

This course will take place in the grounds of Hope Brook Primary School, Longhope, 11 miles west of the city of Gloucester.   There will shower and toilet facilities on site and a kitchen/dining area inside the school building.

Most course participants will camp on the school grounds but, for those seeking greater comfort, there are many local bed and breakfast establishments or cottages to rent.   A list is available here.

The Early Music Course has been running for over 25 years, the last 12 of which have been under the direction of Philip Thorby and Alan Lumsden, with Clifford Bartlett offering a continuo course alongside.   This year the course welcomes David Hatcher, who is an equally dynamic and demanding tutor with a similar background as a professional performer.   One special feature is that nearly all the repertoire is specially prepared for each course.   These editions, sometimes the first practical performing material since the original prints, now number well over 500 works.   In almost all cases, they are available at the original written pitch as well as that implied by the original clef configurations.   As most of the repertoire would have been performed by a mixture of voices and instruments, fully texted instrumental parts are available.

The course is open to competent singers with good sight-reading skills.   Appropriate instruments for most of the repertoire are bowed and plucked strings, cornetts, sackbuts, curtals and all kinds of continuo instruments.   Other instruments may occasionally be required, but it is expected that instrumentalists be prepared to sing to help provide the best mixture of forces.   Pitch is A440.

For 2013, the course focuses on the music of - Michael Praetorius, Composer, Arranger and Teacher

Praetorius (1571–1621) is one of the most remarkable figures of early baroque music.   His teachings on performance-practice have been used by performers and academics alike since the C20th revival of early music, but it took longer for the quality of his compositions to be appreciated, even though they include some of the most powerful, vivid and imaginative examples of early baroque concertato writing.

We know from his writings that Praetorius studied and performed music by many other composers, old and new.   We, too, will explore not only his own compositions (from dances to large-scale motets) but also his "updated" versions of works by Lassus and de Wert - and instrumental music by Giovanni Gabrieli, a composer he much admired!

As well as voices, baroque strings, viols, cornetts, sackbuts, curtals and continuo, we would welcome this year recorders, windcaps, racketts, shawms - in short, most of the instruments described and illustrated by Praetorius in his great Syntagma Musicum (1614–20).   As always we will try to be as close as possible to the composer’s orchestration, so not all instruments may be involved at all times.   If you have more than one instrument, or are happy to join the choir for a session or two, you will be kept very busy: if you come as a dedicated sopranino shawm player, less so!   (If in doubt, please feel free to enquire.)

Many of those who attend are regulars.   The Adult Early Music week will continue under the direction of Philip Thorby, who has shared this role with Alan for over a decade.   By general consent, Philip is Britain's most inspiring leader of amateur early musicians.

A level of competence is required from participants. Voices don't have to be beautiful, but singers need to have some sight-reading fluency; players need to be able to hit the right notes on suitable instruments at the right time!   Appropriate instruments for most of the repertoire are bowed and plucked strings, cornets, sackbuts and curtals.   Pitch is A440.   Other instruments may occasionally be required, but it is expected that players are prepared to sing to help provide the best mixture of forces.   There is opportunity for continuo players to learn or improve their playing (in private or public).   The early afternoons and late evenings are free for any sort of music-making (tending to gravitate to a slightly later repertoire).

The music used comes from the publications of Beauchamp press and King’s Music, edited by Alan and Clifford, often in conjunction with the editor of Gabrieli’s Complete Works, Richard Charteris.   Our editions cover all Gabrieli’s instrumental music, his 1597 vocal music, plus some of his posthumous 1615 publication motets and various works from other sources.

Clifford Bartlett will again be in attendance to offer advice or instruction to any who wish to play continuo, whether a complete beginner or with some experience.   The notation of chords is uncomplicated, and the harmony easy to understand, so players can concentrate on their musical role rather than worry about working out quick-changing or complex chord patterns.   This is dovetailed into the other activities of the week and the formality of the instruction will depend on what suits each student.   While the course will provide basic electronic keyboards, adequate for teaching purposes, it is hoped that most participants will bring their own instruments.   Ideally, several organs are needed in the main rehearsal area for the large scale choral/instrumental works, with others placed in smaller teaching rooms.

Philip Thorby  is well known as a performer, teacher and conductor of Renaissance and Baroque music.   As a recorder and viol player he has performed, recorded and broadcast with many of London's early music groups, and in particular with Musica Antiqua of London, which he also directs.   He teaches on numerous summer schools and short courses, is Senior Fellow and Early Music Consultant at Trinity College of Music, London, and works frequently with other colleges in the UK and abroad.   Philip is a regular visitor to Israel, where he works with both adult and children's choirs.

David Hatcher was born in Warwick and upon attaining the LTCL diploma two years after taking up music, he went on to study viola da gamba with Charles Medlam and recorder with Philip Thorby at Trinity College of Music, London.   He began his career based in England, touring to America, Israel, France, Germany and the Netherlands.   He has broadcast for both the BBC and independent radio and television.   In 1987 he moved to Japan where he was to remain for the next nine years, taking an active part in that country’s flourishing early music scene.   He has recorded with Evelyn Tubb, The Consort of Musicke, I Fagiolini, Sprezzatura, and the Japanese ensembles Chelys, Ensemble Ecclesia and the Bach Collegium of Japan.   David now lives in Leominster on the Welsh Marches and has appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, The Globe Theatre, The Consort of Musicke, Muisca Antiqua of London, The Corelli Orchestra, The Harp Consort, Glyndebourne Opera and many other period orchestras and ensembles.   He regularly teaches on summer schools such as the Cambridge Early Music Summer School, the Easter Early Music Course at Ascot and Sastamala Gregoriana in Finland, and is in demand as a tutor for many weekend and day courses.   Recent projects include performing in Damon Albarn's opera "Dr Dee" and performing and recording I Fagiolini's hugely successful interpretation of Striggio's 40-voice mass.

Clifford Bartlett  has been a music publisher for the last 25 years, and his editions (The Early Music Company) are used throughout the world, especially for period-instrument ensembles.   His Monteverdi Vespers has become the standard for historically-aware performances and recordings and his editions of baroque operas are widely used.   Oxford University Press commissioned his edition of Handel's Messiah.   His magazine Early Music Review reviews new books, editions and CDs in alternate months.   He first discovered how to play organ continuo by being thrown in at the deep end and playing ten different concerts in a month.

To download full details of the course, including programme notes, daily timetable, etc., please click here.   For an Early Music Booking Form, please click here.

Comments received in 2012:

• Excellent as always!
• Brilliant all round.
• Tutors were fantastic!
• A wonderful opportunity to sing in Highnam church.
• It's all great - we loved it!

Here is a link to the National Early Music Association which you may find useful.

Also, one for the North West Early Music Forum, and one for the Welsh Early Music Information site.

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The Junior Orchestra course is a residential week designed specifically to help players up to Grades 5 standard develop their skills in a professional but fun environment.   The emphasis throughout is on quality tuition with an inspirational team of gifted tutors.

During the week, students will develop their sight reading and technique and get lots of opportunities to improve their ensemble playing during chamber music and full orchestral sessions.   Many music teachers comment on how well their students' playing has developed during their summer music week at Beauchamp.

Our highly experienced and very popular welfare teams (who have all attended these courses themselves) make it a fun-packed week.   Activities outside music-making time could be bouncy castle, visits to nearby activity centres, swimming, campfire, treasure hunt, obstacle race, mini-Olympics, etc.

Our welfare teams are skilled at dealing with all eventualities, from organising wet weather activities to supporting the very few students who are homesick.   Camping is part of the magic and we have found that some of our younger students, who were initially nervous about staying, did not want to leave at the end of the week!



A testimony to the success of this course is that the majority of our the students return year after year, progressing from Junior Orchestra to Senior Orchestra and Advanced Strings/Jazz courses.

A typical day...

7.30	Wake Up	1.30	Recreation / Excursion
8.00	Breakfast	4.00	Afternoon Tea
9.00	Session 1	4.30	Session 4
9.45	Session 2	6.00	Dinner
10.30	Break	7.00	Session 5
11.00	Session 3	8.30	Cocoa
12.30	Lunch		After cocoa - fun, informal, optional performances by staff and students

Sessions include:  warm-up / chamber groups / orchestra / sectionals (each instrument or group of instruments separately)

Mini Junior Orchestra Course
We offer beginner strings and very young students (under 8) the non-residential option of joining the course for the morning sessions and lunch (Monday - Saturday) and taking part in the Saturday concert.

Concerts

Concerts for family and friends are held at the end of each week, a chance for our students to show off what they have learned.

• Chamber concert - Friday 9th August at 7.30pm
• Full Orchestra  - Saturday 10th August at 2.30pm, finishing with refreshments.

Feedback from parents about the 2011 Junior Orchestra week:

• The lovely ‘holiday’ atmosphere for the children.   It’s not too serious but they still clearly work extremely hard and learn an enormous amount.   The concerts are such a special treat for the parents at the end.
• Fantastic course so great for music to come first, especially for boys. Thank you.
• Musical fun. Activities, excellent tuition and welfare. Can’t fault a thing.
• Combination of music learning, outdoor activities, possibility of making new friends.
• Our son looked forward to it and seemed completely at ease, having a great time when we came to collect him a week later.
• Becoming more independent; making new friends; excellent music tuition; fun.
• Great welfare team, very good director.
• The music, the pastoral care and the social life.
• We don’t hear anything from our daughters for the duration of the week but we know they’re having a great time,
working hard and that the finale will be wonderful.
• Friendliness, emphasis on fun.
• The social side of music; learning to play as part of an ensemble; fantastic tuition.
• Fabulous experience - independence and yet safe environment with very caring staff.   My son has felt, as last year, that he has improved instrumentally this week.
• The social elements, the welfare and staff friendliness and communication.
• Concentrated music for 6 days - incredible progression.   Chance to make new friends, become more independent.   Great welfare staff. The boys loved it.
• Opportunity for intensive instrumental tuition and practice; met new friends.
• Playing really good music which was above his normal standard; making new friends.
• Pretty much everything!
• Welfare staff good; camping; format, i.e. music in morning and activities in afternoon; opportunity to take part in ensemble and solo (after cocoa) sessions.

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This is a very popular residential week designed for string, wind and brass players of Grade 5 standard and above.   Like all our summer music weeks, the emphasis is on quality tuition with an inspirational and gifted teaching team.   This is a fantastic opportunity for young musicians to work closely with professional musicians.   The tutors always put together a varied, stimulating and often demanding musical programme for the students, taking into account the playing standard of the students and the instruments they will be playing.   During the week, as well as playing in an orchestra, students will take part in sessions to enhance their sight-reading and technique as well as small ensemble playing through chamber music.

  

We make sure that there are plenty of opportunities for relaxation and socialising.   One of the features of our courses is the life-long friendships that our students form with other young musicians from across the country and Europe.   We are also especially proud of how first timers to our courses feel really at home after only a couple of hours.   Our highly experienced and very popular welfare team (who have all attended these courses themselves when younger) make it a fun-packed week, organising a range of activities and trips.   Camping is a bonus!

A testimony to the success of these courses is that the majority or our students return year after year.

A typical day...

7.30	Wake Up	1.30	Recreation / Excursion
8.00	Breakfast	4.00	Afternoon tea
9.00	Session 1	4.30	Session 4
9.45	Session 2	6.00	Dinner
10.30	Break	7.00	Session 5
11.00	Session 3	9.00	Cocoa!
12.30	Lunch		After cocoa - fun performances by staff and students

Sessions include: warm-up / chamber groups / orchestra / sectionals (each instrument or group of instruments separately).

Concerts

Concerts for family and friends are held at the end of each week, giving our students chance to show off what they have learned.

• Chamber concert - Friday 16th August at 7.30pm
• Full Orchestra  - Saturday 17th August at 2.30pm, finishing with refreshments.

Sound Files

The following extracts were recorded during the 2011 Senior Orchestra course by Damian Kenny:

Tango in Congo - Joris Diels

Arabesque - Jacob de Haan

Ballet from the Petite Suite - Claude Debussy arr David Stone

Feedback from parents and students about the 2011 Senior Orchestra week:

• We don’t hear a dickie bird from our daughters for the duration of the week but we know they’re having a great time, working hard and that the finale will be wonderful!
• Brilliant course, thank you so much!
• Extends knowledge of repertoire; improves sight-reading.
• The children are enthusiastic about their music and all the social aspects of the week.   The first thing they said on meeting after the concert was "Can you book it for next year?"!
• Excellent welfare staff and support.
• That it’s not all about music - it’s about having fun as well; camping.
• 'Everything', my daughter says.
• The music, the social aspect and the welfare staff.
• Awesome teaching and great welfare.
• Thank you for the best week of my entire year.
• Awesome food, nice welfare, helpful tutors.
• Very nice, friendly, helpful, constructive criticism.
• Tutors are really helpful and friendly; Steve a great conductor; welfare great; food good.
• Highlight of my year.
• Tutors very patient and helpful; food good; welfare awesome.
• Yummy food; harsh but lovely tutors and BRILLIANT welfare.

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This residential week is specifically designed for string players of grade 7 and above.   This is a fantastic opportunity for young musicians to be coached in technique and ensemble playing by members of a leading professional quartet.   The tutors put together a varied, stimulating and often demanding musical programme for the students and a very high level of performance is achieved.   The chamber music sessions always prove to be a particular favourite with students.

We make sure that there are plenty of opportunities for relaxation and socialising.   One of the features of our courses is the life long friendships that our students form with other young musicians from across the country and Europe.   We are also especially proud of how first timers to our courses feel really at home after only a couple of hours.   Our highly experienced and very popular welfare team (who have all attended these courses themselves in the past) make the week a fun packed event, organising a range of activities and trips.   Camping is the icing on the cake!

A testimony to the success of these courses is that the majority of our students return year after year; two students on the Advanced course in 2011 celebrated their decade of attendance!

A typical day...

7.30	Wake Up	1.30	Recreation / Excursion
8.00	Breakfast	4.00	Tea
9.00	Session 1	4.30	Session 4
9.45	Session 2	6.00	Dinner
10.30	Break	7.00	Session 5
11.00	Session 3	9.00	Cocoa!
12.30	Lunch		After cocoa - fun performances by staff and students

Sessions include: warm-up / chamber groups / orchestra / sectionals (each instrument or group of instruments separately).

Concerts

Concerts for family and friends are held at the end of each week, giving our students a chance to show off what they have learned.

• Chamber concert - Friday 23rd August at 7.30pm
• Full String Ensemble - Saturday 24th August at 2.30pm, finishing with refreshments.

Feedback from students and parents about the 2011 Advanced Strings week:

• This week has been FAB! I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone by.   Made loads of good friends and had an amazing time.
• My son enjoys the sustained playing everyday for a week, the atmosphere created by the staff and just wants to keep coming back!
• Good musical standards; ability to motivate boys; my son was impressed and had a really good time and wants to return next year.
• I love Beauchamp.  Can’t wait for next time.
• Beauchamp rocks.  We love the welfarers.
• Another amazing year at Beauchamp and the decade completed!  Welfare and staff really good as always. Beauchamp forever!!
• Incredible!  I loved EVERYTHING about it and am desperate to come back.
• Wow!  The best!  Tutors were great and the welfare were amazing.   I am coming again next year.
• The GAM course was amazing.  The activities and the staff were great fun.   It is one of my favourite courses.
• Was amazing - like always.  Had loads of fun and the music was great.
• Beauchamp is perfect!
• Epic shenanigans!

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This course proves popular every year with students who are keen to achieve Grade 5 theory so that they can progress with their practical music examinations.   Our experienced tutors have an excellent reputation for being able to coach students with little knowledge of theory to a standard where they are able to take - and pass - their Grade 5 Theory examination.   Even those students who come to us with no background in music theory will make significant progress towards passing their Grade 5 Theory during the week.   Students are helped to make the connection between 'theory', aural and practical music-making, all done in a stimulating and fun way.   It is a very practical course so students will need their instruments for all kinds of music-making during the week.

We make sure that are plenty of opportunities for relaxation and socialising.   We are especially proud of how first timers to our courses feel really at home after only a couple of hours.   Our highly experienced and very popular welfare team (who have all attended these courses themselves) make it a fun packed week, organising a range of activities and trips e.g. mini-Olympics, treasure hunt, quiz, outdoor adventure centre, bouncy castle.   Camping is all part of the fun!


Some students who come to us for the theory week come back the following year for our orchestral, Advanced Strings or Jazz courses.

A typical day...

7.30	Wake Up	1.30	Recreation / Excursion
8.00	Breakfast	4.00	Afternoon tea
9.00	Session 1	4.30	Session 3
10.30	Break	6.00	Dinner
11.00	Session 2	7.00	Session 4
12.30	Lunch	9.00	Cocoa & 'After cocoa' - fun performances by staff and students

Concert - Saturday 24th August 1.30pm.

All family and friends welcome.   Students will demonstrate in practice what they have learnt and also play their own compositions within the context of the full ensemble.

(This concert is followed by that of the Advanced Strings course to which all are invited.)




Feedback from students and parents about the 2011 Grade 5 Theory week:

• Composing and free time with welfare.
• Really lovely people, getting better at theory.
• Making hard work appear fun.
• Going out on trips, mini-Olympics, sleeping in a tent.
• Excellent range of activities.   Useful boost to theory - will save months of lessons.  Food very good.
• Learning so much at the same time as having a blast!
• Food good, tutors awesome, welfare good.
• Everything was awesome! Loved it!
• All amazing.
• Love the welfare; love the enthusiasm.
• Everything!
• Being able to mix with people of like-minded interests.

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This popular residential week provides an opportunity for musicians to explore a whole range of jazz genres, styles and techniques (including ensemble, improvisation, and listening skills).

Under the direction of Pete Martin and his team of highly accomplished tutors (all professional musicians and educators), this 'busy and concentrated' week has students benefiting from small groups, playing as part of a big band and a whole range of specialist sessions.   Other interests catered for during the week in previous years have included composing, transcription skills / playing transcriptions, jazz chorus singing, sound recording, funk jazz, blues, New Orleans jazz, free jazz, jazz listening and history as well as percussion workshops (African / South American drumming).   Every year the tutors also showcase one session as a tutor concert - a la jazz club style.

The course is suitable for any musician of minimum Grade 3 standard (must have the ability to read music notation confidently).   Although it is predominantly for students who play wind, brass and rhythm section instruments, there are spaces available for string players and vocalists so it is best to apply early to avoid disappointment!   Singers typically get a three-day programme on the course with sessions ranging from solo / big band singing skills, vocal techniques, interpretation, improvising, scat singing and working with accompanists / small groups as well as microphone techniques.

There is plenty of opportunity for relaxing and socialising through participation in fun and crazy events and activities organised by our highly acclaimed welfare team (who have all attended these courses themselves)..... and the camping is very popular!   A testimony to the success of these courses is that the majority of our students return year after year, some also attend other Beauchamp courses during the summer.

A typical day...

7.30	Wake Up	1.30	Recreation / Excursion
8.00	Breakfast	4.00	Afternoon Tea
9.00	Tutor-led session	4.30	Big Band
10.30	Break	6.00	Dinner
11.00	Tutor / Free choice session	7.00	Rhythm / Harmony / Improvisation sessions
12.30	Lunch	8.30	Cocoa!
			After cocoa - fun performances by staff and students

If you are keen on jazz, then you might like to visit the following websites:

www.cheltenhamjazzarts.co.uk
www.secondwind.co.uk
www.jazzshed.co.uk/Jazz_Shed

Concert - Saturday 31st August 1.30pm, followed by refreshments.

This concert for family and friends is a fitting end to the week, giving the students an opportunity to demonstrate what they have been doing during the week.

               

Feedback comments from parents and students about the 2011 Jazz week:

• Social aspects, teaching, improvising.
• That it is not pretentious - good music - good fun.  Thank you.
• High standard of tuition.  Great value for money.
• Love, love, love it.
• Jazz course was brill - better than last year.  Learnt lots and can’t wait ‘til next year.   Welfare you are amazing as usual!
• Thank you for teaching me that Jazz is the most fun thing ever!  See you next year.
• This week was AMAZING!  Coming back next year.
• Thanks again for inspiring me to be more jazzy.  A quality jazz-filled week which indeed was very appropriate.   Next year I will be back for my 9th year of Beauchamp and I am sure it will be as jazzy as ever!
• Beauchamp is one of those places where no matter if you’re from Eton, home-schooled from the Shetlands or from the local comp., everyone accepts each other.   It has given me confidence to interact with new people which has been invaluable!   I started when I was 8; I am now 18 and I am still learning highly appropriate jazz!

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