Benedetti Sessions Saffron Walden

BENEDETTI SESSIONS: SAFFRON WALDEN Between 24-26 September 2021

We are thrilled to return to in-person sessions between 24-26 September 2021 in partnership with Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden, Essex.

During these sessions, we will be delving into the fundamental elements of Baroque music, focusing on our new arrangement of Geminiani’s La Folia. We will be approaching this music in a way that inspires fun and enjoyment, a greater sense of togetherness, a true abandonment of caution, and an embracing of scratches, scrapes and unapologetic flair, as well as connecting to dance and rhythm, to harmony, bass, and improvisation.

These Sessions will be delivered in line with the latest Covid-19 government guidance and will operate a blended or fully online option should restrictions prevent the sessions from going ahead as planned.

The Saffron Walden Sessions will have workshops for: Beginner String Players (Grade 1-3*) Intermediate String Players (Grade 4-6*) Advanced String Players (Grade 7+*) Instrumental Teachers Primary School Classes *approximate playing level – no grades need to have been taken These sessions are open to those living in the following counties: Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Essex Hertfordshire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Norfolk Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire Rutland Suffolk

A NOTE FROM NICKY Welcome to the Benedetti Sessions! We are so delighted this application page has found its way into your precious hands.

I have loved music and the violin since I was 4 years old. Nothing could stop me from wanting to play, but each time I experienced a mass-collective musical experience it deepened and strengthened my enjoyment and commitment to music.

There are no limits to your learning possibilities through music. You just have to be curious and open-minded enough to notice that this language is as rich as life itself, and we aspire to exposing this to you.

Our Sessions are designed for you. We want you to absorb as much as possible. We want you to leave any worries or nerves at the door. We want you to be relaxed yet focused, intense yet calm. I guarantee you, this environment will be welcoming, exciting and high energy.

Our sole intention is to inspire you. In order for us all to gain the most from the workshop, we will require a commitment from you to prepare well. Regardless of your level, we want every one of you to realise that to be good at something and therefore experience more enjoyment (trust me!), it takes consistent and intelligent work. It doesn't happen on its own.

By signing up for our workshops, you are also signing up to daily preparation. It doesn't have to take long, the consistency is key. We will support and guide you all the way through this process, via our online video series 'With Nicky' and through supporting your leaning environment.

We can’t wait to receive your application and meet you at a Benedetti Sessions near you soon Nicky

WHICH SESSSIONS TO CHOOSE?

Please read each workshop description to find the most suitable session for you, then click the link to register.

Primary School Workshop Pre-Recorded Session Recorded live from Saffron Hall, our tutors will take your young pupils on a musical adventure.

This inspiring and engaging schools’ performance will introduce pupils to the fundamentals of making music covering the basics of pulse, rhythm, pitch and harmony. Your pupils will be encouraged to consider how music is used in their lives, how we can listen differently and in turn become more engaged, discerning, and curious about music.

This workshop is being recorded and available to all primary schools in the following counties: Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Essex Hertfordshire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Norfolk Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire Rutland Suffolk We aim to share this recording with you approximately a week after the live session.

If your school is interested in attending live, please contact us info@benedettifoundation.org.

The allocation of live school spaces is being managed by Saffron Hall.

Click here to register SCHOOL AGE STRING PLAYERS All Young People: If you have an instrumental teacher, we recommend you discuss with them before signing up to the workshops. Your teachers are extremely valuable. If you are lucky enough to have lessons, please continue to do so and ask for their advice and support over which sessions to join. If you currently don’t have a teacher and are unsure which sessions to join, please contact us and we will be happy to advise.

Beginner String Players Sunday 26 September 9.30am-4.30pm [approximate times] Join Nicola Benedetti, an array of Baroque specialists and our incredible team of tutors to prepare, rehearse and perform our multi-level arrangement of La Folia. Prior to the day, the tutors will teach you, through a video tutorial, how to prepare your part. On the day, we will be focusing on understanding the music, discovering more about the baroque style, how to play as an ensemble, rhythm, storytelling, improvisation, and having lots of fun.

Your sessions will be interspersed with quizzes, creative tasks and wellbeing activities. We will spend some time working together as a beginner orchestra before joining with the Intermediate and Advanced players for a mass performance.

The day ends with a performance all together. Currently, we hope parents/carers will be able to join us for this part of the day (please note spaces will be restricted to 1 or 2 seats per family to be confirmed in September). Due to limited capacities, we aim to record the final performance to share with participants.

Registration Fee: £10 - full bursary support is available. Please select the box on the registration form.

Click here to register Please Note: Participants in the sessions are expected to have prepared their parts before the weekend.

This will allow us to better focus our time together on larger objectives like storytelling, sound production, freedom in playing.

Intermediate and Advanced String Players Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 September 9.30am-4.30pm [approximate times] Join Nicola Benedetti, an incredible array of Baroque specialists and our incredible team of tutors to explore, discover, prepare, and perform baroque repertoire including our new arrangement of Geminiani’s La Folia.

We will be working with you on understanding and exploring the baroque style of playing and delve into the fundamental elements of Baroque music.

Prior the weekend, you will receive a tutorial video from our tutors to help you prepare your part.

Participants in the sessions are expected to have prepared their parts before the weekend. This will allow us to better focus our time together on larger objectives like storytelling, sound production, freedom in playing.

We will be exploring the fundamentals of baroque music, freedom and virtuosity, dance, rhythm and bass, expression and interplay. We will look at the story of the music, improvisation, the bassline and its harmony, baroque interpretation as well as spending time in our individual ensembles to delve into specific technical challenges.

On Sunday, we will welcome Beginner String players to join our mass ensemble for a final performance of La Folia.

Each day ends with a short performance all together. Currently, we hope parents/carers will be able to join us for this part of the day (please note spaces will be restricted to 1 or 2 seats per family to be confirmed in September). Due to limited capacities, we aim to record the final performance to share with participants.

Registration Fee: £18 - full bursary support is available. Please select the box on the registration form.

Intermediate: Click here to register.

Advanced: Click here to register.

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants to the Intermediate and Advanced workshops should send in a link to a short (2-3 minute) recording with your application. Please choose an excerpt from any piece you wish which shows you playing your best. Any repertoire is acceptable, we just want to get an idea of how you play – please do not worry about this! You will be asked to add a YouTube link to your application form (unlisted is absolutely fine). If your video is longer than 3 minutes, please don’t worry – we’ll just watch an extract of it. If you are unable to add the link at the time of applying, please email to us: info@benedettifoundation.org.

Instrumental Teachers Professional Development Weekend Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 September 9.30am-4.30pm [approximate times] A 2-day CPD (continuous professional development) weekend for instrumental teachers, with a focus on string teachers. Whether you teach whole class, small groups, individuals, work for a charity, a music service or local authority, a junior conservatoire or teach privately, this weekend will ultimately aim to build a new sense of community where teachers from all backgrounds come together to inspire and motivate, to engage and share and to learn and develop from the best educators and teachers around. We aspire to leave you with new found excitement and enthusiasm about teaching your instrument, and a chance to forge new relationships with those in similar positions.

Workshops will include: Back to Basics, Engaging Students with Scales and Studies, Teaching Whole Class, Small Group and Individual lessons, Physical Wellbeing, Mental Health and Performance Anxiety, Kodaly in the Instrumental Lesson, Inspirational Talks, Teaching Improvisation and Harmony, Fundamental Values, Story-telling, Lesson Planning and more…

There are limited spaces in Saffron Hall and these spaces will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Registration Fee: £18 - full bursary support is available. Please select the box on the registration form.

Click here to register

TUTORS “We are bursting with excitement over the range and depth of the team of musicians we have delivering on your workshop. I will, of course, be present from beginning to end; playing alongside you all and teaching you everything I have to give. But I cannot possibly be with you all at once!

I have learnt most of what I know from incredible string teachers, conductors, musicianship specialists and all-round music extraordinaries. In order to give you the highest possible standard of teaching, inspiration and guidance throughout this weekend, we have engaged the most phenomenal group of tutors. All of these musicians are extraordinary instrumentalists and teachers, and the most wonderful, uplifting, joyous yet serious individuals.

I treat each and every one of them with the utmost respect and I pay attention when they tell me something. I invite you to do the same!” - Nicky To read more about our Tutors, click here.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION Due to the varying restrictions surrounding Covid-19, please read this information prior to registering.

Overview – Covid-19 and Capacity Limits The Benedetti Sessions in Saffron Walden will take place under the current Covid-19 guidance from the government and regulations in place at Saffron Hall. Should this guidance be updated, we will respond accordingly.

The content and capacity numbers of these sessions are subject to change and whilst we hope to operate at near to full capacity, in the interests of safety, we will be limiting places in the first round of registration. We will be monitoring the situation very carefully and further places may become available in early September.

Registration Process Registration is open until Monday 13 September. We hope we will be able to offer all those who apply a space. Should any instrument or level become full prior to 13 September, we will operate a waiting list for this group – a note will be added to the website and application form to let you know.

It is possible we may be in the fortunate position where we receive more applications than we have places. We strive to be as fair, open and equal to everyone as we can, and we will let all applicants know by 14 September if we have been unable to allocate you a place. Should this be the case, any fees paid will be refunded or carried over to an alternative session.

Should any places remain after 13 September, we will offer places first to the waiting list, then reopen registration on a first come, first served basis.

Preparation materials for the sessions will be shared from early September.

Covid-19 Alteration and Cancellation Policy Should restrictions prevent these sessions from happening fully in-person, a blended approach will first be adopted before a decision to cancel is made. We very much hope we will be able to deliver a full session in Saffron Hall and will do our utmost to do this in the safest possible way. Please note a decision to move to blended or online delivery would not be taken lightly and would be made in the interests of the safety of all involved.

Should the sessions be cancelled in their entirety, a refund for registration fees will be available to all.

A refund will not be available if we move to blended sessions, and your place is non-refundable except in exceptional circumstances.

Cost The Benedetti Sessions will be open to all young musicians, whatever their background or circumstances, and it is possible to have all of your registration fee paid for you. We offer financial assistance through bursaries so that any young musician can accept their place on a sessions weekend.

No student who has been successfully offered a place on the workshop weekend will miss out because of financial circumstance. All bursary applications are treated in the strictest confidence. Please indicate on the application form if you will require financial assistance.

Questions If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us: info@benedettifoundation.org

www.benedettifoundation.org The Benedetti Foundation is a Scottish company limited by guarantee with charitable status.

Company number: SC636675. Charity number: SC049688