23rd-28th July 2018 – www.jerseysummermusic.com

‘Jersey Summer Music’, is the new programme of summer music courses run by the Jersey Academy of Music and Jersey Music Service and open to all young musicians on the island.

The Jersey Academy of Music Summer Course is aimed at young musicians aged 10-18 and Grade 2 level and above, with separate Junior and Senior programmes for the different age groups.  A range of activities, and a fully residential option are also available, with a Visiting Faculty of music college teachers coming over to join the JAM teaching team.  Not to mention the visiting London Vegetable Orchestra….!

The Jersey Music Service Summer Course is for children aged 5 to 11, and is designed for both non-musicians looking to try out an instrument and for established musicians up to Grade 3 standard (contact JMS for an application form and any further info).

You can pick up a brochure from JAM, any school on the island, Island Music, or public centres such as the Library.  The brochure also contains information on Jersey International Masterclasses, the music course for older music college students run by the Jersey Academy of Music in partnership with the Royal College of Music.  Keep an eye on their website (www.jerseymasterclasses.com) for information on some impressive concerts which are open to all to attend.

Jersey Academy of Music Summer Course

In addition to the information in the brochure, we are thrilled to confirm that the following fantastic musicians and teachers will be part of the Visiting Faculty, working alongside the JAM teachers for a day or two each during the course:

• Piano: Hayley Parkes, a multi award-winning pianist, recently chosen as an ambassador for Britain at the ‘Commonwealth Resounds’ conference in Perth, Australia.
• Woodwind: Simon Williams, a flute and saxophone specialist who recently performed on the UK tour of Funny Girl, and other shows include Grand Hotel, 9 to 5, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story.
• Brass: Steve Thompson, a renowned trombonist and teacher, one of only a handful of musicians to play live in both the opening and closing ceremonies of the London Olympic Games in 2012.
• Strings: Damon Flanagan, professor of violin at the Junior Department of Trinity Laban Music Conservatoire, London.

We also can’t wait to meet the members of the London Vegetable Orchestra for this potentially hilarious workshop and concert.  They were on ‘Room 101’ with Frank Skinner on BBC1 recently, click here!

And finally….for the Fully Residential option, we are delighted to confirm that La Maison Gourmande will be providing hearty home-cooked evening meals each day, yum!

We hope to welcome lots of children and young musicians for a week of guaranteed fun and inspiration!

Launch Event on Sat 27^th Jan 2018, 11am-12noon

Concert Afternoon on Sat 24^th Mar 2018, 1pm-5pm

We are delighted to present a new initiative which we hope will be educationally and socially rewarding for all participants.  This is open to JAM students of Grade 3 and above.  We will be creating small mixed-instrumental ensembles such as Piano Trios (piano, violin, cello), String Quartets, Wind Quartets etc, with the objective of rehearsing and coaching them through the term towards a concert at the end.  Playing in small ensembles like this is great fun, and the challenge of not only learning your own part but also listening to and supporting your colleagues is extremely beneficial and rewarding.

The coaching will be delivered by various JAM teachers, but a nice focal point for the project is the creation of a new JAM Teachers Piano Trio (Veronika Milunikova, violin, Finlay Hare, cello, and Georgina Sutton, piano), who will be simultaneously learning a new piece alongside the students.

PROJECT DATES

Sat 27^th January, 11am-12noon = Launch session

• All project participants and parents to attend. The JAM Teachers Piano Trio will perform a short piece, and we will talk through the project, announce the groups, and give out the music to everyone.

February and March = Coaching Sessions and Rehearsals

• Each group will be under the tutorship of a JAM teacher, who will arrange two coaching sessions and help the group to organise rehearsal sessions at JAM for them to meet (without any coaching) to rehearse themselves. All this will be flexibly based on the availability of the teacher and the students.

Sat 24^th March, 1pm-5pm = Performance Afternoon

• This session will commence with a combination of coaching and practice time, leading to a run-through performance session when all the groups play to each other. At 4pm families and friends are invite to attend the final concert, in which all the groups and the JAM Teachers Trio will perform.