Has anyone on this forum use them before or know anyone that has?

I haven't been there before, although people I know have done so, and say it's nice. But I have booked in for a wind quintets weekend there at the end of November, which I'm hoping will be fun.

Yes, I went on the International Flute Summer School last year. I find their courses very good value, and some of the new buildings are superb. The older buildings are OK, but not as interesting. The grounds are lovely, the food was very good, and I'm definitely going back.

Which course are you thinking of doing?

I've got a violin on loan, one I would never have been able to afford otherwise!
I've also played in a borrowers concert and I met some really great people- one of whom I now play in a quartet with!

Yes, I've done a strings course there - would definitely do another course/workshop with them.

Izzy

It is the music instruments on loan I am interested in. It sounds like a very good scheme which has been recommended by his teacher. I am not sure if I can trust him with an extremely expensive cello yet but he does need a better one. He is 8 and his new cello will be 1/2. Is it quite competitive?

It's not really competetive, you just apply, there are certain values of instruments, and depending on what they have at the time, you either go on a waiting list or they will ask you if you'd like to go down and try out some that they have ready to loan. I was lucky in that I only waited for about a month before they had 3 violins for me to choose from. Also it's not means tested, which was useful for me as my family fall in to the top tax band, but I am one of 5, and we all learn instruments. It was impossible for my family when my teacher told me that I should be moving on to an instrument worth around £10,000!
I don't know if you have already look but here is the application form with terms and conditions www.benslow.org/pdf/Instrument_Loan_App_Form.pdf
I would recommend then to anyone, as borrowing an instrument from them made sure I could not use my instrument as an excuse for making a bad sound or not progressing
Similarly you can participate in events like the borrowers concerts, (you get a newsletter) So other than benefical it can also be social!
You can also 'upgrade' your instrument through reapplying every three years.
If you need any more info, then I'd be glad to help out in any way possible.
Good luck
Izzy

I've never used the Benslow scheme but a friend of mine borrowed a fantastic viola and a very nice violin from it, and a teacher I know recommends them very highly.

Hi Frumpybabes
Both my children have instrument on loan from Benslow - a cello and a violin. Cellos are much harder to get hold of than violins - you might need to wait a while although I don't know the situation with regard to smaller cellos. The instruments they will offer depend on his level of playing and his needs. The very best (and most expensive) are kept for the most advanced students eg Purcell School, Royal Academy etc. I am delighted with the violin which helped Daniel with his grade 8. We had to go a couple of times for the cello as the first one wasn't quite good enough but the one we have now is fine.Mark is taking his Grade 7 in December on this instrument. Both my children write to the people who own the instruments and have had lovely letters back. They also have to keep in touch with Benslow re their musical progress.

The people that run the scheme are lovely. It is certainly worth a go. Good luck

I actually tried to give them a (fairly ordinary German) cello as a gift. It needed a minor bit of work, but they said they had no funds to cover this work. As I wasn't feeling generous enough to give them both the cello and cash too, I didn't go ahead with the gift. I put the cello into a string instrument auction, and it sold for a reasonable sum which I was happy with.

Now there's a phrase about gift horses...

They do run on fairly tight budgets I think, so a "fairly ordinary cello" might not have been worth the work it needed, better to use that money to buy or restore a better one. I've only played two Benslowe instruments (loaned to a friend) and though one was considerably better than the other, neither was ordinary - they were both lovely instruments.

I've been to Benslow and one of my friends loans her top tottie modern flute to them after specialising in baroque. I know the Director of Music there - a top bloke (and also an AB examiner!!). A very pleasant environment indeed and competetively priced courses. Enjoy.