Expand your experience of music: courses and more for the over-18s

Alex Laing conducting at a Benedetti Foundation session (Photo: Simon Gough)

There seems to be plenty going on at the moment for those non-professionals wanting to learn or expand their experience of music. The Benedetti Foundation is hosting its first in-person Adult Learner Strings Day, whilst the Guildhall School has a whole range of online and in-person, drama, literature, music and marketing April-May evening courses for 2023.

The Benedetti Foundation is hosting sessions for adult string players on Sunday 28 May from 11am – 4pm at Studio 1, City Halls, Glasgow. Established in 2019 by Nicola Benedetti to deliver transformative experiences through mass music education, the foundation's move on-line in 2020 resulted in a new strand, adult learning. 

This community has continued to grow and develop with regular online activity and now adult string learners have the opportunity to attend a one-day session in person led by foundation tutors including Alex Laing (conductor and violin) Andrea Gajic (violin) and Su-a Lee (cello).  The session is open to players of grade 4 or above (recommended playing level – no grades need to have been taken) and participants will work on George Walker’s Lyric for Strings and the first movement of Elgar’s Serenade for Strings.  Details from the Benedetti Foundation website.

The Guildhall School's evening courses (for ages 18 years and up) include three drama courses, one drama and literature course, five music courses and three marketing courses, two of which are brand-new (How to Write a Marketing Plan in Six Weeks and Digital Strategies for Creative Professionals).

Music courses include two in-person ones, Singing for Beginners, led by vocal coach Esi Acquaah-Harrison and Writing for Orchestra, with Peter Longworth, Guildhall Professor of Orchestration and Conducting, whilst the Film Music Composition, Music Production in Logic Pro and Arranging & Reharmonisation for A Cappella all take place on-line.

Writing for an Orchestra - Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Full details from the Guildhall School website.