BENEDETTI FOUNDATION

MINI SESSIONS

Music Students (Conservatoire and University) and Recent Graduates

June

April

May

April

Teaching Vibrato for Lower Strings (Cello and Double Bass)

Tuesday 20 April

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

Join us as we explore a range of teaching ideas and exercises for introducing and developing vibrato for lower strings.

Alice Kent

David Munn

More Mindfulness with Music

Thursday 22 April

7.30- 8.30pm UK TIME

Lee Holland

Orchestral Careers

Monday 26 April

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

Join Co-Principal of the RSNO, Sharon Roffman, Co-Principal Cellist of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Hetty Snell and Claire Whitson, Principal Double Bass with Orchestra of the Swan and double bassist with BBC National Orchestra of Wales for a discussion on orchestral careers. We’ll be talking auditions, excerpts, orchestral life and leaving plenty of time for questions.

Sharon Roffman

Claire Whitson

Hetty Snell

Musicians’ Warm Ups with Elena Urioste

Tuesday 27 April

6.30 - 7pm UK TIME

Join violinist and yogi, Elena Urioste, co-founder of Intermission, as she shares with you some of her favourite and most effective warm ups for musicians.

Elena Urioste

Teaching Vibrato for Upper Strings (Violin and Viola)

Tuesday 27 April

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

Join us as we explore a range of teaching ideas and exercises for introducing and developing vibrato for upper strings.

Andrea Gajic

Julia Bushkova

Exploring Violin Concertos - Mozart G Major & Coleridge-Taylor

Wednesday 28 April and 5 May

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

Join violinists Elena Urioste and Melissa White for an exploration of two great violin concertos – Mozart’s G major Violin Concerto and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto. In these two sessions, we’ll be discussing in depth the relationship between soloist and orchestra, sharing advice, tips and tricks for these particular works and considering interpretation and how we go about learning a concerto from scratch.

Melissa White

Elena Urioste

Musical Games and Group Warm Ups for Young Musicians

Thursday 29 April

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

Join Rachel Cooper and Stewart Wilson for an hour packed full of fun games and activities for young musicians. We’ll be sharing ideas for warm ups and group classes, with and without instruments.

Stewart Wilson

Rachel Cooper

May

Finding Your Musical Voice: A Positive Social Media Presence (Age 15+)

Monday 3 May

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

Join organist, conductor and broadcaster Anna Lapwood for a discussion on positive use of social media as musicians. We’ll be discussing how to find and grow your audience and her incredible use of # led campaigns. Having spent some years being encouraged to “play like a man” and with a dedication to her art and mission that belied her years, Anna is now humbled to find that she is an inspiration to many young women and amused that they have adopted her hashtag, #playlikeagirl.

Anna Lapwood

Engaging Your Students with Scales and Studies

Thursday 6 May

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

Join Amy Beth Horman, the founder of Violin Breakfast and Andrea Gajic for an inspirational evening exploring creative ways of teaching scales and studies to your students. In these sessions, Amy Beth and Andrea will work through some of the techniques and methods they will be sharing with the young people in their sessions later in May. A unique chance to hear from two of the most passionate teachers. Although these sessions are led by violinists, many of the ideas will be applicable to all instruments.

Andrea Gajic

Amy Beth Horman

Interpretation and Analysis – Violin

Monday 10 and 17 May

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

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We are bringing the Interpretation and Analysis sessions back this month. For violinists, Alex Laing will be exploring Haydn’s G major Violin Concerto, 1st movement and parts of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. You don’t need to have played these pieces in order to attend.

Alex Laing

Interpretation and Analysis – Cello

Monday 10 and 17 May

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

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We are bringing the Interpretation and Analysis sessions back this month. For cellists, Robin Michael will be exploring Beethoven’s Cello and Piano Sonata in A major op.69, 1st movement and Saint Säens Cello Concerto No.1. You don’t need to have played these pieces in order to attend.

Robin Micheal

The Entrepreneurial Musician

Wednesday 12 May

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

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Join Elena Urioste and Melissa White, violinists, yogis and entrepreneurs as we discuss paving your own way in the music world. Alongside their careers as concert violinists, they co-founded Intermission, a program that combines music, movement, and mindfulness, aiming to make music-making a healthier, more holistic practice for students and professionals alike through yoga and meditation. In this session, we’ll be discussing how to find your own path and developing an entrepreneurial spirit within your career.

Elena Urioste

Melissa White

Joining the Unfinished Journey: Questioning our Values as String Teachers

Thursday 13 May

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK Time

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Join Rachel Cooper and Koen Rens for a discussion about the journey of a teacher. We’ll be considering some of the bigger questions - why we teach, why do we choose to teach certain things, at certain points and what are our goals, aspirations and wishes for our students and us as teachers on our journey.

Rachel Cooper

Koen Rens

Inheriting Students – Upper Strings

Thursday 27 May and 3 June

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK TIME

Join us as we share ideas surrounding the topic of inheriting students. We’ll be looking at ways of readdressing technique, fostering a smooth transition from one teacher to another as a natural part of the learning journey and working with parents and carers.

Amy Beth Horman

Rachel Cooper

June

Orchestral Excerpts

Tuesday 8 June

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK Time

Join Philadelphia Orchestra’s Assistant Principal Double Bassist, Joseph Conyers for an in-depth discussion, exploration and demonstration of how to approach orchestral excerpts. Joseph recently founded a YouTube series called, ‘Play me an Excerpt’, focused on understanding the tools required to succeed at orchestral excerpts. This session will feature some live master class style excerpt coaching and is open to all instruments.

Joseph Conyers

Performance Psychology – What is it and how can I use it?

Thursday 10 June

7.30 - 8.30 pm UK Time

This session will be led by specialist in performance psychology and mindfulness, Lee Holland and is designed for university/conservatoire students and teachers. Adult players and young people aged 16+ are also welcome to attend. In this session, we will be learning to understand how we can start to think about training our mind and mindset for optimal practice and performance, and for teachers, in turn how this can be used to support younger students.

Lee Holland