Brilliant Britten

Many months ago I was looking at holiday music courses and came across one at Gresham’s school, which I only really looked at because my uncle used to be a housemaster there and I have happy memories of playing hide and seek in what felt like an enormous house during holiday visits to spend time with my cousins 🙂 It appeared to have a very strong emphasis on choral work, when what I’d had in mind was something more orchestral, but L and K both thought it sounded great and were interested. Nevertheless we kept looking, as it was very early to be making decisions and there was a minimum standard of grade 4 on first instrument, which at that point we thought might preclude L as she was only grade 3. Before we had booked anything Bob lost his job, so we said nothing would be booked until he had a job. This took rather longer than we’d hoped, but while we were at Kentwell he finally started work again. Meanwhile L’s violin teacher had started to talk about missing grade 4 and going straight to grade 5, so that barrier was no longer such a worry. At the same time J came home from school saying that his music teacher had suggested he should do some singing as a way of extending his music a little more. Lots of things pointed to the course being the right thing to do, if only there were still places left, but since it was now less than a week before the start that was by no means certain.

On our return from Kentwell, therefore, we phoned to see if there were any spaces left and were told that they could squeeze three more in, especially as J was a trombonist and K and L were strong singers. By now there were only a couple of days to sort out and pack what they needed and on Thursday we set off for the North Norfolk coast, arriving at Gresham’s in time for lunch and then bidding J, K and L a fond farewell while 6, A and I went on to Sheringham for a brief walk on the beach (I paddled, 6 dodged about near the water’s edge and A stood firmly on the dry bits telling us to hurry up) and an ice cream. We couldn’t stay very long, as 6 and A had a guiding party to get to in the evening, so all too soon we had to head back homewards. We’d taken their uniforms with us, to save a little time, so they quickly changed in the car and then went off together to spend time learning about Switzerland, eating party food, playing games and tasting chocolate. Much fun had by all, I understand 😉

We spent Friday doing normals and then on Saturday Bob had a work-related meeting so we dropped him off and went on to the last music school of the term, picking him up afterwards to find that he hadn’t had a meeting after all (the other person hadn’t turned up) so we could have gone with plan A of going to stay with my aunt the night before. Ho hum. At least this way 6 and A got their last sessions of singing and theory.

Lovely relaxed time with my aunt for the rest of the day, then we headed to Gresham’s in the evening for the first concert of the course (in fact, our first but K, L and J’s second), where all three played in the orchestra, J was part of a trio, K played in a three hands piano set and L was in a folk band and also did a solo. It was all very good 🙂

On Sunday we had another relaxed and relaxing day, which ended in a trip to King’s Lynn. We’d decided that the concert was both rather long and rather expensive for 6 and A to sit through, so Bob took them to the cinema to see Monsters University while I got a lovely evening of The Best of British (Handel counts, apparently, because he lived in London and the music is used for British state occasions 😉 ). It was truly excellent and the children did a section by themselves as well as singing with the Festival Chorus. Really, really good – and so nice to see J enjoying singing too 😀 They’re all very keen to go again next year; J is hoping they’ll raise the age limit so he can go too!

While we were relaxing and pottering, the three we’d left were kept very busy – I’m hoping I can get one of them to write about it, but in the meantime the programme was more or less this, with a few minor tweaks as they went along:

Thursday 11th July
12pm Arrival, greeted outside Music School
12.20pm To Kenwyn lawn or dining hall for buffet lunch with all parents, course attendees/staff
12.50pm Course introduction for parents & students. All staff to be present.
1pm Bags to dormitories, parents depart
1.30pm Choral Workshop 1 with Tom Appleton (TA) in Music School
2pm Loughborough Choir arrive at Prep – to Crossways
2.30pm Loughborough Choir to Auden Theatre to rehearse
2.45pm Workshop break
2.55pm Choral Workshop 2 with TA
4pm Initial instrument session
5pm BBQ Supper on Kenwyn lawn (weather permitting!)
5.30pm Change into BMC uniform & walk to Auden Theatre
6pm Concert 1 in Auden Theatre
7pm Concert finishes and return to Prep School for evening activities
8pm To Boarding Houses

Friday 12th July
8am Breakfast
8.45am Choral Workshop 3 with TA in Music Room
9am Loughborough Choir depart.
10.15am Break
10.30am Choral Workshop 4 with TA in Music Room
11.25am Break
11.30am Choral Workshop 5 with TA in Music Room
12.15pm Lunch
1pm Afternoon games/activity
4pm Wind/String/Vocal Ensembles/Individual workshops
6pm Pizza & Film night
9pm Staff Dinner
Saturday 13th July
8am Breakfast
8.45am Choral Workshop 6
10.45am Break
11am Choral Workshop 7
12pm Lunch
12.45pm Afternoon games/activity
3.30pm Instrumental Rehearsals in Chapel/tuition
5pm Supper
5.30pm Change into smart casuals for concert, walk to Chapel
6.30pm Concert 2 in School Chapel
8pm Return to Prep School and dormitories

Sunday 14th July
8am Snack breakfast
8.20am Packing, load minibuses
9am Choral Workshop 8
11.25am Brunch
12pm Board minibus King’s Lynn
1pm On-stage rehearsal (BMC)
2pm Rehearse with KLFC
2.30pm Leave for Oasis Sports & Leisure Centre and beach Hunstanton
PM Afternoon spent in Hunstanton
Packed tea in Hunstanton and get changed into concert uniform
6.15pm Leave Hunstanton
6.45pm Arrive King’s Lynn and warm up
7.30pm Concert 3 in King’s Lynn Corn Exchange
9.30pm Meet parents in upstairs bar of Corn Exchange, collect bags and sign out