Timetable of Events !
- Brief intro to the week
- Sat 7th Aug
- Sun 8th Aug
- Mon 9th Aug
- Tues 10th Aug
- Wed 11th Aug
- Thurs 12th Aug
- Fri 13th Aug
How this week will work
Welcome to the M4P Online Summer School.
The week will begin on Saturday with six sessions of 90 minutes duration, followed by the obligatory Quiz, these are then continued on the Sunday with the continuing 6 sessions of 90 minutes duration followed by a World Music lecture.
Mon, Tues, and Wed is a course on the Blues consisting of 3 x 60 minute sessions. The rest of the time is taken with a mix of Lectures, Student and Tutor Concerts.
Each course is 180 mins in duration and each of the Lectures is 60 mins.
| Saturday 7th | Sunday 8th | Monday 9th | Tuesday 10th | Wednesday 11th | Thursday 12th | Friday 13th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brass | Brass | |||||
| 09.30 - 11.00 | 09.30 - 11.00 | |||||
| Folk/Ukulele | Folk/Ukulele | |||||
| 11.15 - 12.45 | 11.15 - 12.45 | |||||
| Woodwind | Woodwind | |||||
| 13.00 - 14.30 | 13.00 - 14.30 | |||||
| Songwriting | Songwriting | |||||
| 14.45 - 16.15 | 14.45 - 16.15 | |||||
| Strings | Strings | |||||
| 16.30 - 18.00 | 16.30 - 18.00 | CANCELLED | ||||
| Voice | Voice | The Blues | The Blues | The Blues | Rhythm Lecture | Jazz Lecture |
| 18.15 - 19.45 | 18.15 - 19.45 | 18.30 - 19.30 | 18.30 - 19.30 | 18.30 - 19.30 | 18.30 - 19.30 | 18.30 - 19.30 |
| The Quiz | World Music Lecture | Student Concert | Tutor Concert | Organ Lecture | Student Concert | Final Fling |
| 20.30 - 21.30 | 20.30 - 21.30 | 20.30 - 21.30 | 20.30 - 21.30 | 20.30 - 21.30 | 20.30 - 21.30 | 20.30 - 21.30 |
Saturday 7th August
09.30 - 11.00
Brass
Chris Parsons & Shelley Thomas
Click here for Bio's
Capped at 25
An inclusive, fun and diverse programme of brass music for all levels of ability including music from 17th century Italy through to the present day. We'll work on larger scale brass ensemble music across the two workshops, working as a full ensemble and in smaller sectional groups in Zoom break out rooms. There will also be time spent on warm ups to further develop stamina, ensemble playing and musicianship.
11.15 - 12.45
Folk/Ukulele
Chris McShane & John Fuller
Click to see bio.
The Folk and ukulele students will be combining for these workshops This will be a workshop for all musicians and singers. We will be learning some popular Sea Shanties as well as a Hornpipe to keep with the nautical theme. The workshop will suit all levels of playing ability and there will be breakout sessions to focus on different parts and techniques where required.
13.00 - 14.30
Woodwind
Steph Reeve & George Sleightholme.
Click to see bios.
Capped at 22
The woodwind ensemble course will offer two sessions covering a short warm-up piece, a large-scale original work for woodwind ensemble, and a soundscape piece to be played live within Zoom. Steph and George will lead the sessions which will include whole group playing for ensemble and general musicianship, and sectionals for working on general technique and for passages within the larger piece. All music will be sent out in advance. All sizes of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and saxophone, and all levels are catered for in this inclusive course.
14.45 - 16.15
Songwriting
Chris McShane & John Fuller.
Click to see bio
Keeping with the idea of Sea songs, we will be writing a modern version of a popular call & response shanty based on current social issues or work-based themes. There will be group work and break out rooms to help the process move along smoothly.
16.30 - 18.00
CANCELLED
Strings
Mark Lee & Fiona McNicoll.
Click here for Bio's
During this course we shall be exploring elements of string playing technique that we could all do with reminding from time to time! I aim to cover such things as gesture and body language with instruments, being unified as a string section in sound, how to prepare a part for an ensemble on your own etc. We shall have repertoire that will help us target these specific techniques and skills so that we are ready to apply these skills for when we can all return to live performances with others. Please feel free to also prepare any short sections of pieces/parts that you would like advice on, as we may also have an opportunity to partake in a digital strings performance platform.
18.15 - 19.45
Voice
Darren Everhart & Rob Gildon.
Click here for Bio's
Rob and Darren will run a singing course which will include fun warm-up exercises, songs for everyone to enjoy, and plenty of opportunities for individual coaching on solo songs of your choice.
20.30 - 21.30
THE QUIZ
Charge your glasses on Saturday 7th August at 8.30pm and join us by Zoom for our annual musicfest of weird and wonderful questions on the great world of music. Unbelievable prizes!!!!
Sunday 8th August
09.30 - 11.00
Brass
Chris Parsons & Shelley Thomas
Click here for Bio's
Capped at 25
An inclusive, fun and diverse programme of brass music for all levels of ability including music from 17th century Italy through to the present day. We'll work on larger scale brass ensemble music across the two workshops, working as a full ensemble and in smaller sectional groups in Zoom break out rooms. There will also be time spent on warm ups to further develop stamina, ensemble playing and musicianship.
11.15 - 12.45
Folk/Ukulele
Chris McShane & John Fuller
Click to see bio.
The Folk and ukulele students will be combining for these workshops This will be a workshop for all musicians and singers. We will be learning some popular Sea Shanties as well as a Hornpipe to keep with the nautical theme. The workshop will suit all levels of playing ability and there will be breakout sessions to focus on different parts and techniques where required.
13.00 - 14.30
Woodwind
Steph Reeve & George Sleightholme.
Click to see bios.
Capped at 22
The woodwind ensemble course will offer two sessions covering a short warm-up piece, a large-scale original work for woodwind ensemble, and a soundscape piece to be played live within Zoom. Steph and George will lead the sessions which will include whole group playing for ensemble and general musicianship, and sectionals for working on general technique and for passages within the larger piece. All music will be sent out in advance. All sizes of flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and saxophone, and all levels are catered for in this inclusive course.
14.45 - 16.15
Songwriting
Chris McShane & John Fuller.
Click to see bio
Keeping with the idea of Sea songs, we will be writing a modern version of a popular call & response shanty based on current social issues or work-based themes. There will be group work and break out rooms to help the process move along smoothly.
16.30 - 18.00
CANCELLED
Strings
Mark Lee & Fiona McNicoll.
Click here for Bio's
During this course we shall be exploring elements of string playing technique that we could all do with reminding from time to time! I aim to cover such things as gesture and body language with instruments, being unified as a string section in sound, how to prepare a part for an ensemble on your own etc. We shall have repertoire that will help us target these specific techniques and skills so that we are ready to apply these skills for when we can all return to live performances with others. Please feel free to also prepare any short sections of pieces/parts that you would like advice on, as we may also have an opportunity to partake in a digital strings performance platform.
18.15 - 19.45
Voice
Darren Everhart & Rob Gildon.
Click here for Bio's
Rob and Darren will run a singing course which will include fun warm-up exercises, songs for everyone to enjoy, and plenty of opportunities for individual coaching on solo songs of your choice.
20.30 - 21.30
World Music Lecture - Sounds of Brazil
Richard Ormrod.
Click here for Bio
Last year, I created a course of South African tunes that came with parts for all instruments, as well as recordings of different ensembles to play your part to. This year I’m offering the same package, but the theme is the history of Brazilian music. I’ll be giving a lecture on the history of the main styles of music and regions of the country, along with examples of the rhythms, melodies and songs. This will be a taster for the course - seven tunes recorded with all parts available to play - which will be available to buy shortly after the lecture. For all instruments and singers.
Monday 9th August
18.30 - 19.30
Blues
Julian Martin
Click here for Bio
Capped at 16 students
This is a three-hour course over three days aimed at musicians who are new to improvising and blues but may well have skills in other areas musically. All instruments are welcome, including vocals, although the main emphasis will be on learning to improvise rather than interpreting songs.
Course members will get plenty of opportunity to play using backing tracks provided and also to play live with the tutor in the session, although, given the constraints of zoom, participants will not be able to hear each other during group exercises. Over the three nights we will aim to cover the basic 12 bar blues form, minor blues and modal blues, first be listening to classic examples of each genre and then by playing them.
Participants will also receive a resource pack with music charts, examples, scales and audio play-a-longs to help them continue developing their skills in the future.
20.30 - 21.30
Student Concert
Performers by pre-arrangement.
Audience all welcome - Free
[Click here to perform or just watch]
Tuesday 10th August
18.30 - 19.30
Blues
Julian Martin
Click here for Bio
Capped at 16 students
This is a three-hour course over three days aimed at musicians who are new to improvising and blues but may well have skills in other areas musically. All instruments are welcome, including vocals, although the main emphasis will be on learning to improvise rather than interpreting songs.
Course members will get plenty of opportunity to play using backing tracks provided and also to play live with the tutor in the session, although, given the constraints of zoom, participants will not be able to hear each other during group exercises. Over the three nights we will aim to cover the basic 12 bar blues form, minor blues and modal blues, first be listening to classic examples of each genre and then by playing them.
Participants will also receive a resource pack with music charts, examples, scales and audio play-a-longs to help them continue developing their skills in the future.
20.30 - 21.30
Tutor Concert
Sign up here to attend the Tutors concert, numbers will be limited to a first come first served basis
Wednesday 11th August
18.30 - 19.30
Blues
Julian Martin
Click here for Bio
Capped at 16 students
This is a three-hour course over three days aimed at musicians who are new to improvising and blues but may well have skills in other areas musically. All instruments are welcome, including vocals, although the main emphasis will be on learning to improvise rather than interpreting songs.
Course members will get plenty of opportunity to play using backing tracks provided and also to play live with the tutor in the session, although, given the constraints of zoom, participants will not be able to hear each other during group exercises. Over the three nights we will aim to cover the basic 12 bar blues form, minor blues and modal blues, first be listening to classic examples of each genre and then by playing them.
Participants will also receive a resource pack with music charts, examples, scales and audio play-a-longs to help them continue developing their skills in the future.
20.30 - 21.30
The Organ: How it works and how to compose for it
Darren Everard
Click here for Bio
Darren will give a basic introduction to how the organ works, looking at the mechanics of how the sound is produced and the various roles of the different manuals, pedals and stops. We will then explore how the different sounds can be blended together. Finally, we will consider ways in which all of this information might be useful to a budding composer writing for the organ for the first time.
Thursday12th August
18.30 - 19.30
Rhythm, Pulse & Phrasing
Richard Ormrod
Click here for Bio
This session is designed to help you feel more connected to the pulses that music is built on - from beats and bars to more musical phrasing. I will be demonstrating ideas and exercises throughout, which everyone is welcome to join in with at home. Beginning with fundamentals of time, accent and tempo we will move on to syncopation and tuplets before looking at ways of making your phrasing more committed, varied and engaging! Support materials included.
20.30 - 21.30
Student Concert
Performers by pre-arrangement.
Audience all welcome - Free
[Click here to perform or just watch]
Friday 13th August
18.30 - 19.30
Jazz - The Funny Notes
Richard Ormrod
Click here for Bio
We improvise on tunes and we learn how chords fit together etc, but somehow our jazz idols manage to do it differently - they play ‘other’ things, and generally sound more interesting. There is a broad - but not unlimited - palette of tonal colours and this (partly participatory) lecture will talk through the variety of sounds, giving you an opportunity to hear and play with them in context, and introduce you to some new ways of thinking about alternate sounds. Every participant will receive supporting printed material to enjoy and experiment with at your leisure.
20.30 - 21.30
Final Fling
Click here to sign up
Join us for our final get together during summer school week. A whole of hour of ‘This time chiefly yourselves’ You can perform that special piece you’ve been practicing, or learned during the week. We also need an audience too so why not log on with a glass of wine and make a night of it!
Chris Parsons
Chris Parsons is a conductor, trumpeter and teacher based in the UK. He read Music at the University of York before completing a Masters in Historical Performance Practice at the Royal College of Music in 2014. He now leads a professional career as a Trumpeter and Conductor, and has performed across the UK and Europe including tours in Germany, Denmark and Estonia. His time at York culminated in being awarded the University of York Concerto Competition prize, for which he performed Telemann’s Trumpet Concerto with the University Baroque Ensemble.
As a Trumpeter, he has performed across the UK and Europe, both as a soloist and as an orchestra player, including with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, International Baroque Players, Les Violons du Roy and Oxford Baroque. As a modern trumpet player, he has appeared with the Brandenburg Sinfonia and Ukrainian National Opera (UK Tour). Chris has performed in prestigious venues and festivals such as St John’s Smith Square, London and the Palace of Versailles. He performed as part of the BBC Proms live on BBC Radio 3 and as an orchestral trumpeter in the London Handel Festival. He has been fortunate enough to work with conductors including Sir Roger Norrington and Laurence Cummings.
As a specialist baroque conductor he has directed a number of major works including operas and oratorios by Handel (Semele/Acis and Galatea/Messiah/Samson), Purcell (The Fairy Queen, King Arthur, Dido and Aeneas) and many works by Bach, Vivaldi and lesser known English contemporaries of Purcell and Handel.
He conducts all eras of music and has directed many major orchestral and choral works.
In December 2021 Chris was appointed Artistic Director of the Ely Arts Festival.
Shelley Thomas
Shelley has been playing brass instruments for nearly 40 years, since starting to learn to play the cornet at primary school. Having switched to being a lower brass player shortly afterwards- playing baritone, euphonium and bass trombone- she has performed in wind bands and small groups, and in brass bands contesting at all levels, including for Shepherd Group and Wardle Anderson in the Championship section.
Chris McShane
Chris plays classical and folk guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo and ukulele and has been an active musician and instrumental teacher for over 25 years. He studied music at Huddersfield University and is now a freelance teacher and musician. He formally worked for Barnsley Music Service as Curriculum Development Officer for Guitar, Keyboard, Vocal studies and Music ICT. Chris has had a long involvement in Folk music both as a member of the Rhythm Chaps Ceilidh Band and as musical director of The Tender Roots Project, Whitby Folk Week Children’s Orchestra and the Barnsley Folk Ensemble.
John Fuller
John Fuller currently works for Barnsley Music Service as a Guitar/Ukelele teacher in Primary and Secondary schools.He has played guitar at home and abroad, has appeared on TV and radio, and has recorded with various bands and musicians since 1982. He has led the Guitar and The Folk Ensembles for BMS and has been a tutor on the Tender Roots project to introduce children to Folk Music.
He worked within the Record Business for 11 years with different Record Companies before returning to the live music scene. He still performs regularly with 3 different bands, and recently performed at the 40th anniversary of 'Porridge' as the house band in a recreated set from the comedy series.
He has been writing songs since he could play 4 chords - and hopes one day to be paid for it:)
Stephanie Reeve
Stephanie studied clarinet at Trinity College of Music. As well as giving recitals and leading workshops with numerous chamber ensembles across the UK she has also given solo recitals, worked as a session musician and played for many theatre productions. Stephanie now works as a freelance musician and teacher and is based in Cambridgeshire. In 2008 she took over as Principal Conductor of the Palace Band having been Assistant Conductor since 2002. She also coaches Walden Winds and the Ermine Street Band, and runs courses and playdays for the Clarinet & Saxophone Society, Benslow Music Trust, and Stapleford Granary. She also directs the Stapleford Clarinet Choir and is woodwind coach for the Saffron Walden Children’s Orchestra. Stephanie is an Executive Officer of the Clarinet & Saxophone Society of Great Britain and is a regular reviewer and contributor to the magazine. She also runs the Clarinet & Saxophone Society library.
Stephanie completed an MA in Psychology for Musicians in 2007 at the University of Sheffield and as part of a final year dissertation compared the ways in which adults and children learn musical instruments. She continues to take an interest in the ways in which all ages learn musical instruments.
George Sleightholme
George graduated with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music (MA Performance, 2010), where he received the Paton Award. As a Live Music Now artist from 2010 – 2014 with The Davis Clarinet Quartet, he performed and led workshops in care homes and special schools around the country. He is a member of Kidenza Orchestra, performing classical orchestral music to young audiences. George regularly plays in other London orchestras including Brandenburg Sinfonia and Multistory Orchestra. As a committed performer of new music George has given many premieres, including pieces for the LSO's Soundhub scheme and for the Tete-a-Tete Opera Festival. George also writes music and improvises on the clarinet and bass clarinet, performing regularly at Club Inegales with Peter Wiegold and Notes Inegales with invited guests from around the world. He has released an album with his group iyatra Quartet, to critical acclaim, which uses inspiration from a range of music from around the globe to create its own unique sound. George has recorded music for adverts, theatre, websites, composers and rock albums, including for Rick Wakeman at Abbey Road Studios.
George teaches music privately and at City Lit, an adult education college in London's Covent Garden. He also conducts Surbiton Royal British Legion Marching Band and coaches chamber music for Palace Band in Alexandra Palace and at Benslow Music.
Mark Lee
Mark Lee is a South Korean born violinist/violist. He studied at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on a scholarship entry and graduated in 2020 with first class honours, having studied under Susanne Stanzeleit. Alongside leading various orchestras and projects at college, he also received masterclasses from various international artists including Linus Roth, Tamsin Waley-Cohen, Garth Knox, Robin Ireland and Dmitri Sitkovetsky. Freelance work has taken him across the country and perform in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall, Bridgewater Hall and Symphony Hall. As well as having worked under prominent international classical musicians, he has also been involved in a wide range of music of other genres and has worked with performers such as Rick Wakeman and Jason Manford. He is also passionate about musical education ranging from individual instrumental pedagogy to chamber music coaching and classroom music teaching. Having started on gaining pedagogy experience from the age of 16, he constantly looks to challenge students on their perception of music and evolving teaching methods as a result. In addition to performing and education, he is also a keen arranger and editor, having completed his own edition of Ysaye’s incomplete and previously lost solo violin sonata in C, as well as working as a freelance transcriber for String Virtuoso.
Flora McNicholl
London-born cellist Flora McNicoll studied at the junior Royal Academy of Music
for five years before gaining a scholarship at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
where she completed her BMus (Hons) degree under the tutelage of Matthew
Sharp and Peggy Nolan. Flora has been invited to perform in masterclasses with
leading cellists such as Raphael Wallfisch, Andrés Diaz, Andrew Schulman, Jian
Wang and Hannah Roberts. As an avid chamber musician Flora has been
recognised by winning the Dame Ruth Railton Chamber Prize, and as a finalist in
the Sylvia Clever Prize, and most recently performed with the Hestia Quartet at
the Wigmore Hall in May 2021. She has performed in chamber ensembles with
musicians such as Dimitry Sitkovetsky, Daniel Rowland, Timothy Ridout and
David Adams.
Flora is a keen orchestral cellist, having won tuition with City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra after playing in the orchestra on their orchestral training
scheme. She has worked with orchestras across the country such as Manchester
Concert Orchestra and also gained places on the training schemes of Birmingham
Royal Ballet, Welsh National Opera and Orchestra of the Swan. Flora is now on a
scholarship for Postgraduate study at RBC under the tutelage of Eduardo Vassallo
and Matthew Sharp, before going on to study for a year with the CBSO in 2021.
Robert Gildon
Baritone Robert Gildon studied at Manhattan School of Music in New York and Aspen and Tanglewood Music Festivals in America and the Britten/Pears School in the UK, He has performed roles for Garsington Opera, Grange Park Opera and London Symphony Orchestra amongst many others.
He is passionate about educational and community work and regular works for ENO, Royal Opera House, Snape Maltings and Streetwise Opera. Rob says he is excited to be returning. www.robertgildon.com
Darren Everhart
Born in Brooklyn, Darren was educated at the King’s School, Canterbury, studying composition with Alan Ridout. At the same time he started his conducting training with Harry Newstone at the University of Kent.
Darren read music at Cambridge University, conducting the Girton College Choir and many choral and orchestral concerts for the Music Society. He won the Rima Alamuddin prize for composition, awarded by Girton College in memory of the Lebanese author. His post-graduate studies were in orchestral conducting at the University of Florence with maestro Piero Belugi.
Following similar positions at Cranford House School in Oxfordshire and Pangbourne College in Berkshire, Darren is now the Director of Music at a school in Rome. For over ten years, he also worked as the Organist and Choirmaster at Wallingford Parish Church, undertaking many additional overseas tours and numerous concerts. Darren’s conducting roles have included Didcot Choral Society, Pangbourne Choral Society, Cranford Choral Society and Opera Exchange. He was also founder and conductor of the Chameleon Chamber Orchestra, which was committed to the promotion of 20th century orchestral works.
Julian Martin
Julian is a teacher, performer and composer. He runs regular Jazz workshops in his home town of Cardiff and performs in a number of bands on both piano and trumpet. As a pianist he has worked with many leading lights of the British Jazz scene such as Guy Barker, Jim Mullen, Peter King and others, but now spends most of his time composing music for Television and Film.
Richard Ormrod
A prize-winning saxophonist and arranger, Richard has been religiously teaching at the community level for almost twenty years; his early training was with ensemble wizard and mentor Steve Berry, and he has graduated to leading his own groups across the North, drawing in players from Morecambe to Humberside and from Newcastle to Nottingham. Insatiably curious about music and sound, Richard plays a panoply of instruments and records and performs with artists from Durban to Dhaka to Dakhar to Manchester Deansgate, in a world- spanning range of styles, and he is still the co-author of ‘Elvis Costello and Thatcherism: a Psycho-social Exploration’
Darren Everhart
Born in Brooklyn, Darren was educated at the King’s School, Canterbury, studying composition with Alan Ridout. At the same time he started his conducting training with Harry Newstone at the University of Kent.
Darren read music at Cambridge University, conducting the Girton College Choir and many choral and orchestral concerts for the Music Society. He won the Rima Alamuddin prize for composition, awarded by Girton College in memory of the Lebanese author. His post-graduate studies were in orchestral conducting at the University of Florence with maestro Piero Belugi.
Following similar positions at Cranford House School in Oxfordshire and Pangbourne College in Berkshire, Darren is now the Director of Music at a school in Rome. For over ten years, he also worked as the Organist and Choirmaster at Wallingford Parish Church, undertaking many additional overseas tours and numerous concerts. Darren’s conducting roles have included Didcot Choral Society, Pangbourne Choral Society, Cranford Choral Society and Opera Exchange. He was also founder and conductor of the Chameleon Chamber Orchestra, which was committed to the promotion of 20th century orchestral works.
