BENEDETTI FOUNDATION

Developing a String Curriculum with Francis Cummings

Tuesday 28 September

6-7pm UK Time

In this session, violinist Francis Cummings will lead a discussion on the topic of developing a curriculum for teaching strings.

A passionate and committed educator, Francis holds teaching posts at the University of Huddersfield, Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He was Director of Music at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh before taking up post as Director of Music for Sistema Scotland where he designed and shaped the curriculum and was instrumental in the founding of children’s orchestras in four Scottish cities.

Francis Cummings

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

The First Lesson for Lower Strings with David Munn

Tuesday 28 September

7.30-8.30pm UK Time

Join cellist David Munn as we discuss and explore content, activities and strategies for the first lesson on cello or bass.

David Munn

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Scaffolding: Helping Students to Meet Their Goals with Amy Beth Horman

Wednesday 29 September

6-7pm UK Time

Join violinist Amy Beth Horman for an in-depth discussion on the scaffolding of learning and the collaborative process that takes place between student, teacher and family in helping students to set and meet their goals.

Amy Beth Horman

​Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Working with Young People with Additional Needs with Pete Sparkes, Drake Music Scotland

Wednesday 29 September

7.30-8.30pm UK Time

Pete Sparkes is the Artistic Director of Drake Music Scotland - the nation’s leading arts organisation providing music making opportunities for people with disabilities. Their expertise in inclusive music technology and specialist teaching methods support people of all ages and a wide range of disabilities to play, learn and compose music independently.

Pete will provide support and guidance on working with young people with additional needs in instrumental lessons. In this session, we will specifically be focusing on working with young people with ADHD and Autism (ASD) and helping you to explore how to create inclusive music provision in instrumental lessons.

Pete Sparkes

​Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Recorded Exams: Tips and Tricks to Support Students with Arlene Macfarlane

Thursday 30 September

6-7pm UK Time

In this session, Arlene will be discussing tips and tricks for successful recorded exam experiences including:

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• equipment

• preparation

• recording set up

• support for parents/carers with the recording process

Arlene Macfarlane

​Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Freedom: Helping Young Players to Take Charge with Amy Beth Horman

Thursday 30 September

7.30-8.30pm UK Time

From practice tips to motivational tools, this session aims to leave you with a toolkit of strategies to encourage your young players to take charge of their learning and development.

Amy Beth Horman

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Preparing Your Students for Conservatoire

Thursday 30 September

7.30-8.30pm UK Time

This panel discussion is hosted by musicians who are both orchestral and chamber musicians as well as teachers at the UK’s conservatoires. The main focus of this discussion will be preparing your students for auditions and the transition to conservatoire both practically, technically and psychologically.

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Developing Note Reading with Beginners with Joelle Broad

Saturday 2 October

1.30-2.30pm UK Time

In this session, we will be discussing approaches, activities and strategies to introduce note reading to beginner pupils (any instruments) with Joelle Broad. Joëlle is the Curriculum Specialist for Beginner to Elementary Strings in Sistema Scotland.

Joelle Broad

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Creative Teaching: Improvisation in the Instrumental Lesson with Richard Michael

Saturday 2 October

3-4pm UK Time

Richard Michael occupies a unique place in the musical life of his native Scotland, as he has the versatility to improvise on any theme, in any key and in any given style. In this session, Richard will share some ideas and activities for including improvisation within your instrumental lessons.

Richard Michael

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Coaching String Ensembles with Juan-Miguel Hernandez

Saturday 2 October

4.30-5.30pm UK Time

Chamber music is at the forefront of Juan-Miguel’s career. He was a founder and member of the Harlem Quartet from 2006 to 2012 after which he joined the legendary Fine Arts Quartet from 2013 until 2018. He is a also founder and member of the "Trio Virado" (Flute, Viola, Guitar) as well as the "Boreal Trio" (Clarinet, Viola, Piano), both specializing in the creation of new repertoire. In this session, we will be discussing key techniques for coaching young string ensembles.

Juan-Miguel Hernandez

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Supporting Students with Auditions and Performances with Francis Cummings

Sunday 3 October

1.30-2.30pm UK Time

In this session, Francis will lead a discussion on preparation for auditions and performance both practically and psychologically. This session aims to be a space for teachers to share ideas and ask questions to build a toolkit of strategies to support pupils with these moments in their learning journeys.

Francis Cummings

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

The First Lesson – Brass with Arlene Macfarlane

Saturday 2 October

4.30-5.30pm UK Time

With a passion for music education, Arlene has held teaching posts for all of the Ayrshire Music Services and currently works for East Ayrshire Music Service.

In this session, Arlene will be working with brass teachers on getting started with new students, including a discussion on the first lesson, setting up for success and utilising a range of resources to support new starters.

Arlene Macfarlane

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Choosing Repertoire by Composers of Colour with Clifton Harrison

Sunday 3 October

12-1pm UK Time

As a researcher, one of the areas Clifton focuses on is Black, Asian and ethnically diverse classical and contemporary composers/sound artists. In this talk, Clifton will be exploring how we select repertoire for our students and how we can diversify and expand these choices.

Clifton Harrison

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Understanding How Young People Learn - the Bigger Picture with Naveed Idrees OBE and Shakira Afzal

Sunday 3 October

3-4pm UK Time

Join Naveed Idrees and Shakira Afzal, Head and Deputy Head Teacher of Feversham Primary Academy, for a discussion on the many ways young people learn and the learning we as instrumental teachers can take from our classroom teaching colleagues.

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We’ll be looking and and discussing how different ways of learning can be applied in individual or small group instrumental tuition.

Shakira Afzal

Naveed Idrees

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Why Teach Scales with Andrea Gajic

Sunday 3 October

4.30-5.30pm UK Time

Join violin professor Andrea Gajic as we delve into the world of scales and their role in the development of young musicians.

Andrea Gajic

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Working with Young People with Dyslexia

Thursday 14 October

7 - 8.30 pm UK Time

A 90-minute interactive session led by the Chair of the British Dyslexia Association Music Committee, Sally Daunt. 

Topics to be covered will include recognition of the dyslexic individual; the impact of dyslexia on musical activities; strategies and reasonable adjustments within exams. There will be opportunity for questions. A substantial booklet will be available by email to accompany this.

Sally Daunt

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Conducting and Directing Rehearsals with Natalia Luis-Bass

Saturday 16 October

12-1pm UK Time

Conductor Natalia Luis-Bassa has worked with many youth organisations including National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland Junior Orchestra and was conductor of the Advanced Orchestra on our inaugural Benedetti Sessions in 2020. In this session, Natalia will work with instrumental teachers on understanding the basics of conducting and leading rehearsals including discussions on score preparation and rehearsal technique.

Natalia Luis-Bassa

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Why Teach? A Discussion on Philosophies, Pedagogy & Methodology with Koen Rens

Saturday 16 October

12-1pm UK Time

Koen has a thriving violin studio, is a leading pedagogue and expert in the Suzuki method (he is the current Chair of the European Suzuki Association). He teaches violin and conducts the Symphony Orchestra at the Academy of Music in Turnhout, Belgium.

In this session, we’ll be looking at various philosophies and pedagogies, considering why we teach, why we choose to teach certain repertoire or techniques at certain points and what are our goals, aspirations and wishes for our students.

Koen Rens

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Buzzing and Breathing (Brass) with Arlene Macfarlane

Saturday 16 October

1.30-2.30pm UK Time

In this session, Arlene will be working with brass teachers on ways to develop buzzing and breathing with students from beginners to more advanced players.

Arlene Macfarlane

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Teaching Tone Production (Flute Teachers) with Katherine Bryan

Saturday 16 October

1.30-2.30pm UK Time

Katherine is Principal Flute of the RSNO and lecturer in flute at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Chetham's School of Music in Manchester. In this session, we’ll be sharing ideas on how to develop tone production in young flautists from beginners to more advanced players.

Katherine Bryan

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Developing Rhythm Skills in Beginners with Elsa Bradley

Saturday 16 October

3-4pm UK Time

Percussionist Elsa Bradley will lead an active session sharing a bank of activities for developing rhythm skills in beginner students of any instrument.

Elsa Bradley

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Education for Happiness with Gabriel Bolkosky

Saturday 16 October

4.30-5.30pm UK Time

“Connection was the ultimate goal and one that would lead to happiness in my music making, and by extension, my life.”

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In this session, Gabriel Bolkosky, violinist, teacher and founder of Education for Happiness will talk with us about serving the community through warm hearted and compassionate music education.

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The approach of Education for Happiness focuses on the character and well-being of the teacher and learner, leading to a better educated and happier society. Gabriel will talk about following the traditions of great educational systems with influence from multiple philosophies of education.

Gabriel Bolkosky

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Creative Teaching: Developing Aural Skills in Young Musicians with Jo Bradley

Sunday 17 October

12-1pm UK Time

In this session, we will be exploring ways to develop aural skills in young musicians with double bassists, primary music teacher and Kodaly specialist, Jo Bradley.

Jo Bradley

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Group Teaching with Arlene Macfarlane and Stewart Wilson

Sunday 17 October

1.30 - 2.30 pm UK Time

Arlene spends much of her working life teaching group lessons in local authority, charity and independent settings. In this session, we’ll be looking both the positives and negatives of group teaching. We’ll be covering strategies for teaching groups (all instruments), developing healthy habits in the early stages, the first 6 weeks in practice, ensemble playing, motivating beginners and the power of praise.

Arlene Macfarlane

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Performance Psychology with Lee Holland

Sunday 17 October

3-4pm UK Time

Founder of Mental Note, Lee Holland has been fascinated by performance psychology throughout her career. Combining her experience of performance as a performing musician, training in mental skills, coaching and mindfulness, Lee has a unique perspective to make connections between her experiences as a performer and the experiences of those who she works with.

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In this session, we’ll be focusing on exploring what is performance psychology and beginning to look at developing a psychological tool-kit that you can use to support your students to perform more consistently in pressurised situations. The main aim of this session is to equip you, as an instrumental teacher, to support your young students with performance.

Lee Holland

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​

Inheriting Students & Readdressing Technique (Upper Strings) with Andrea Gajic

Sunday 17 October

4.30-5.30pm UK Time

In this session, violinist Andrea Gajic will lead a discussion focused on inheriting students. We’ll be looking at fostering a smooth transition process between teachers at all levels of learning, the relationship between teacher, pupil and their family and how to approach the readdressing of technique in inherited students in a supportive, positive and proactive way.

Andrea Gajic

Registration Fee: £6 (financial support is available - please select this on the registration form)​