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GENERAL MUSICIANSHIP - BEGINNER STRINGS TO GRADE 2, NON STRING-PLAYERS AND NON-INSTRUMENTALISTS

All ages and stages

  • Through a combination of daily activities and live lessons, you will work on:​

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  • singing and rhythmic activities with percussionists and Kodaly specialists

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  • producing creative responses through other mediums (e.g. artwork, story writing)

What will we play?

  • Arrangement based on Caprice No. 24 by Paganini – a unique and inclusive construction, with all participants of the Virtual Sessions and an open invite to parents, siblings and anyone else hanging around that can bang a pot or a pan.

  • Improvisation segue for Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis – Vaughan Williams

When will our sessions be?

To help you fit these lessons into the school or working week, each week will follow the same schedule. There will be  a combination of live and pre-recorded lessons which can be watched at any time.

Daily (Monday – Friday)

 

  • 8.45-9.00am – Warm Ups – these are released each day at 8.45am on a YouTube playlist which you can then access at any time. We encourage you to choose three 5 minute warm ups from the playlists: rhythm, wellbeing, instrumental

 

  • 10.00am – Nicky’s Message of the Day & Daily Tutorials released

 

  • 12-12.30pm UK / 7-7.30am ET – Creative Team Take Over – Live lesson on Facebook – this will then be available later in the day.

 

  • Monday and Friday will be based on the Paganini with Richard Michael, Patrick King and Elsa Bradley

  • Tuesday  and Thursday will be based on the Vaughan Williams with Robin Michael and Lucy Drever

  • Wednesday is all about wellbeing with Elena Urioste

What happens on the final weekend?

  • Over the weekend of 30-31st May, we will run continuous activity from 10am -5pm

 

  • Saturday 30 May will begin with an opening concert at 10am

 

  • Tutorials will run though out the day interspersed with live chats at 12pm, 3pm and 4pm

 

  • Look out for some very special guests joining us on this weekend

 

  • To close the Virtual Sessions, we will invite the music loving world to join us for a celebratory concert

 

  • We will premiere a collation of videos which share the story of the coming together of the music community through unprecedented times

 

  • OUR CLOSING CONCERT WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY 31 MAY AT 4PM UK / 11AM ET 

WE HOPE FOR A COLLECTIVE MOMENT OF NOT JUST MUSIC APPRECIATION, BUT A SORT OF MEDITATION AND REFLECTION OF THESE UNPARALLELED TIMES – WHILST, OF COURSE, CELEBRATING THE WONDERFUL AND COLLECTIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUNG MUSICIANS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

How do I gain a place on the final recordings?

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  • During the workshops, we will be encouraging you to send in your videos and clips of you practicing and preparing

 

  • These videos will form part of the final Vaughan Williams and Paganini arrangements

 

  • You will receive all the information about this as the workshops begin

Who are our tutors?
Patrick King
Richard Michael
Robin Michael
Jo Bradley
Lucy Drever

The Sessions will be delivered by an incredibly diverse and experienced team of Tutors and Ambassadors. Each and every one of them are not only extraordinary instrumentalists and teachers, but are also the most wonderfully joyous, yet serious individuals. You will work with the General Musicianship team above.

How do I sign up?

You will need to acknowledge you have read the following policies

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You will need to fill out our online code of conduct agreement on the application form. This should be read and completed by the child and their parent/guardian/carer

Is there a fee to take part?

  • No! There is no fee to participate in the Sessions

 

  • All the Foundation’s online work is free to access. However, we are deeply committed to supporting our musicians through this very tough time

 

  • Therefore, we are asking all participants who are able to, to make a donation to these Sessions: 

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  • On average these Sessions will cost approximately £30 per participant for three weeks of tuition and the final weekend. However, please give what you feel you are able to and remember that no matter what your circumstances, we’re dedicated to giving you the best experience

 

  • If you are unable to donate at this time, please do not worry at all - we want you all to be a part of our inaugural event

What happens next?

  • Once you have signed up, you will receive an automated email to confirm your place

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  • Between Friday 8 and Saturday 9 May you will receive a welcome pack including schedule to bring preparation 

FAQ

How do I know which workshop to sign up to?

Please read through the information on each workshop, have a look at the parts and choose the music you feel most comfortable with.



Who can take part?

Anyone can take part. We have workshops for children (or adults) who are non-instrumentalists, string players of all ages, conservatoire students, university music students, adult learners, amateur musicians, instrumental teachers and parents. Please read through the information sheets.



What happens if I miss a live session?

Everything will be available online and so if you miss a live session, you’ll still be able to watch it later.



Are there any restrictions on any live sessions?

Yes – there are a few restrictions on who can access certain sessions. Restrictions are only on:

  • children’s sectional rehearsals – under 18s only
  • instrumental teachers session – you should be an active instrumental teacher to attend this session
  • conservatoire / university students session – you must be currently studying to attend this session



Where can I find the music and the tracks to start practising?

Music and play along tracks will be made available on the website during the period from the 4-11 May.

There will be YouTube playlists with all the music and tutorials which will begin on 11 May.



I don’t have Facebook or Instagram – is this a problem?

Children under the age of 13 are not recommended to be on Facebook or Instagram. We ask parents to supervise and support to enable their children to watch these live sessions. You will be able to watch these back later and most will be uploaded to our website pages too.

The Benedetti Foundation’s Facebook page is public – you do not need a Facebook account to access the page.



Will there be one place with all the tutorials?

We will be updating our website regularly with the tutorials and live video recordings.



How will you contact us?

Participants will always be contacted by email. We will send you a weekly schedule. In this schedule, you will receive links and passwords for the following week. Please note passwords for children’s sectionals will ONLY be sent on the day of your sectional.



What days are the sectionals?

Violin 1 – Monday, Violin 2 – Tuesday, Viola – Wednesday, Cello – Thursday, Double Bass -Friday



What happens after I sign up?

You will receive a confirmation email. Then we will write to you on EITHER Friday 7 or Saturday 8 May with all the information and complete schedule for week 1.

If you have not heard from us by the end of Saturday 8 May, please contact us and also please check your junk mail boxes.

If you still have a question, please contact info@benedettifoundation.org



I have more than one child, can I sign up using the same email address?

Yes. If your children are signing up to different workshops and/or play different instruments, this is no problem - you will receive separate emails for each child. If they are in the same workshop and play the same instrument, you will only receive one email with schedules each week.



Do I need multiple devices for my siblings?

For all live activities where siblings are in the same group (e.g. Advanced Violin 1 sectional), they can share the screen. Live sectionals take place on different times and different days so a viola player and a cello player are able to use the same device.



Do I still need my instrumental lessons during this time?

YES! If you are in the fortunate position to be able to still have individual lessons, the Virtual Sessions should not be in place of these. Your instrumental teachers are so valuable and we would encourage you to ask your teacher for their support on this repertoire if you can.



I’m in a time zone which means I can’t access the live instrumental sectionals - can I catch up later?

Yes! If you are signed up, we will send all participants a link to an unlisted YouTube video of the live sectional after it has happened. This will remain on YouTube for 24 hours to give all time zones the chance to access it.



I’m an adult learner / non-professional musician, can I access the live sectionals?

Yes! We will make the live sectionals available for 24 hours after they have taken place. These will be accessed via an unlisted YouTube link which will be emailed to participants. You will need to have signed up as an adult learner / non-professional music to receive these. We will send both Intermediate and Advanced links, so you can choose the most appropriate to your playing level.



I’m an instrumental teacher, conservatoire or university music student, can I watch the live sectionals for the children?

Yes! We will make the live sectionals available for 24 hours after they have taken place. These will be accessed via an unlisted YouTube link which will be emailed to participants. You will need to have signed up as a string teacher. We will send the links each day as they may be interesting to those who teach multiple instruments.



I’m in a different time zone, can I access all the sessions at any time?

Yes! All our sessions follow UK time, but you can start at any point in your day. The only fixed times are the live sessions, but you can catch up on those at any time. See the FAQ about live sectionals.



Can I find the whole day’s lessons in one place?

Yes. A summary of each day’s lessons will appear on our website during the day. This means you can easily find something we covered on a particular day and work your way through videos at your own pace.



I don’t play a string instrument, what can I do?

If you don’t play a string instrument, that’s no problem! You can join in the General Musicianship workshop. Here, you’ll be focused on the 12pm lessons and tutorials for the Vaughan Williams and Paganini creative projects. We hope that you will be able to access this at the level you are working at, so a higher level wind player would access the Vaughan Williams improvisation at your stage. For the younger ones, you can join in all the percussion work on the Paganini and will be able to join in with the creative tasks for the Vaughan Williams.



I’m interested in becoming an instrumental teacher, but don’t have students yet, can I still join the instrumental teaches workshop?

Of course! We hope these live sessions will provide the opportunity for professional development and a sharing of ideas amongst all participants. If you are thinking of instrumental teaching, please join us.



If I can’t yet play an instrument, will these workshops teach me to play it?

No. We strongly recommend anyone starting an instrument to see lessons from a teacher. You are able to access the general musicianship non-instrumentalists. Adults, please sign up as adult learner.



As an adult, non-string player, what can I access?

You can access the harmony and improvisation creative work and any percussion and rhythmic work within the Paganini and Tallis repertoire.



I made a mistake on the form, can I edit it?

No, you will need to contact us info@benedettifoundation.org to make any changes to your form.



The Benedetti Foundation is a Scottish company limited by guarantee with charitable status. Company number: SC636675. Charity number: SC049688

© 2021 The Benedetti Foundation 

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