Other Courses and Workshops

Start the Recorder

This course ran in autumn 2016 for complete beginners and those who had played a bit in the past. Recorders were borrowed, found in drawers and bought. With course members choosing recorders in different sizes - descants, trebles and tenors, we had from the start a less shrill sound to work with than comes from descants in large herds.

The course was planned to meet the needs and skills of adult beginners. While being able to read music is handy, it's not necessary for playing. We started by looking at how the recorder works as a piece of technology – how the sound is made and the notes are altered. This enables adults to make much faster and more satisfying progress than a note by note approach. We also worked on establishing good practising patterns.

There were 3 sessions lasting 2 hours each, spread over a couple of months to allow for practice. The cost was very low as we met in members' houses. 

Most members of the course continue to meet and play together, enjoying using their skills. Their continues to be at least as much laughter as music making.

Tin Whistle Workshop

We held our first tin whistle workshop on May 16, 2017 in the Village Hall. Fifteen people came along to give it a go, most of whom had not played before. In just two hours, everyone could play something and some could play lots.

Tin whistles are friendly, forgiving instruments, and you don't need to learn lots of skills to get going. The hardest thing is organising your fingers, which can be a bit frustrating at first, but with some time and patience they fall into line. Whistles are inexpensive and you don't need to be able to read music.

The first workshop was so well received that we followed it up with an Irish Evening on July 11 2017. This event was open to anyone who wanted to play or sing. It gave the whistlers something to aim for and all of us a lot of fun. It was enjoyed so much we will repeat it, or something similar, from time to time.

Another starter session for whistle can be arranged – log your interest. Two hours long, materials provided, and you can order a whistle too. Cost depends on whether we meet in the Village Hall or a house.

Seminars

In August 2016 we had a day long seminar exploring Mozart's Jupiter Symphony. If there is time, and interest, it would be interesting to have more seminars, perhaps just a couple of hours long, learning how a particular piece of music works and sharing ideas about the feelings it evokes.

Help make one happen! Contact Alison by email: felton4music@gmail.com to register your ideas and interest.