We are very excited to welcome you to Jackdaws 2021-22 Season, whether you’ve visited us before or have only just discovered us. Our weekend courses are known for their high-quality tuition in beautiful rural surroundings, with a welcoming atmosphere and delicious home-cooked meals.
An Experiment for the new season…
It seems highly possible that there will be continuing restrictions imposed during the Autumn and Winter with regard to social distancing. We have been giving a lot of thought to how we can best continue our courses (short of a total lockdown) in a financially viable way and without having to cancel places or courses at short notice, as we had to this year and which has been so frustrating for all our participants, course leaders, and for us. We also know, from feedback over the years, that many of you would prefer to work in a smaller group, which would enable more individual attention, in return for paying a higher participation fee.
We have therefore decided to experiment this season by limiting the number of people attending non-ensemble courses to a maximum of eight, as we will be able to cater for this number whilst observing likely social distancing requirements. This will involve an increase in the fees payable for each course in order to cover the cost of delivery, but it will also mean that we are less likely to have to cancel a course or move it online. We hope that you understand why we are doing this and would welcome your feedback as we will review the system in early 2022.
We know many people have suffered hardship during this period. If the new fees will cause you extreme difficulties, please do get in touch with us to discuss.
We are excited to offer Remote Observer places on many of our courses. This is something we have tried on several courses already with great success. As a Remote Observer, you will be able to watch all the tutorial sessions from the weekend live from your home, with the advantage of being able to try things out on your own instrument at the same time. The price you see listed on course pages is the full price to watch the whole weekend. There will only be five Remote Observer places per course where available and we anticipate they will be very much in demand.
Remember; your booking is not guaranteed until you have paid your deposit. The easiest way to do this is to pay online via PayPal; no need for an account, simply check out as a Guest.
Let’s take a look at some of the seasons highlights.
Singers have a selection of repertoire and technical based foci to choose from including a new course from Mary Nelson – the Summer Pick and Mix – and opportunities to sing in French with Robin Bowman, interpreting text with Amanda Roocroft and Joan Rodgers, tackling opera with Mary Plazas and a new theme from Evelyn Tubb and Michael Fields testing the boundaries of dynamic expressiveness. There is something for all songbirds.
We welcome new piano tutors Charlotte Tomlinson (Freedom in Piano Playing) and William Westney (The Perfect Wrong Note) to our team, whose expertese is highly saught after; eminent in their fields, we know they will be a positive musical force when we welcome them into our studio.
Pianists can look forward to some wonderfully varied themes including Schubert with James Lisney, and Julian Jacobson explores the wider Romantic repertoire. Of course, we couldn’t be without our staple courses from Graham Fitch and Mark Tanner’s Intermediate and Advanced Piano Summer Schools, and many more to choose from.
Our beloved Guitar Ensemble Weekend led by the Eden Stell Duo returns to it’s regular spot in January, and at the other end of the year Nic Fallowfield leads Strings and Things.
Our Wind courses encompass dedicated weekends for Recorders, Clarinets, Oboes and Bassoons with opportunities to play solo and in ensembles. Be sure to take a look at our Ensemble Courses for other opportunities to play in groups.
The busiest weekend of our Ensemble calendar is undoubtedly the Chamber Music Weekend, led by Stephen Gutman. We are also delighted that William Lyons and Richard Thomas give an extra opportunity to make music as an ensemble by running two weekends of their early music ensemble weekend The City Musick (February & September 2022)
Along with the ever popular Stylish Baroque, there are some wonderful opportunities for making music with others.
Our ever popular One Day Courses offer the ideal way to try something new, whether it is the chance to Sing for health or try out some crafts with our new Art Day with Nicky Knowles, or Make a Christmas Wreath.
