The topic says it all really. I was just wondering if anyone had entered a music festival as an adult learner and if so which one and what was it like?

Sorry, I haven't entered but someone just told me yesterday that the Stratford Music Festival which is the oldest in London is absolutely fab! WHY? Because it's not a competition but the judges are absolutely experts and professionals! They are better than examiners bec they hear you play and then give you detailed feedback on your strengths, weaknesses and suggestions/scope for improvement. I don't know though whether one has to pay for this fantastic service/assessment!

Apparently, they have detailed categories according to the number of years of experience in playing so no embarassing comparison with youngsters/prodigies! I heard that it may be held in Redbridge this February, 2006?

Anyone care to confirm the above???

Hi Tess,

Thanks for the reply, i'll look into it - although i can't seem to find anything on the internet.

Congratulations to your daughter by the way.

Oooh that sounds good.

Wonder if I dare?? I'll keep my eyes open for details.

The Stratford and East London is my local music festival - I'm the recorder convenor. It IS a competitive festival though, but we have very few 'pot-hunters' and most people enter classes to get some performing experience and feedback from the adjudicators - as they do in most festivals nowadays, I think.

And yes, of course you have to pay to take part - the festival costs us thousands each year in adjudicators' fees, hire of the premises for a week etc.!

I've taken part as an adult, playing my clarinet - it was good fun!

Hi,

Thanks for the info. Do you get many adults and also are there any adult violinists that enter around Grade 5 ?

I entered my local music festival last year as a grown-up, primarily for the feedback (I've continued to play, but haven't had any lessons for ages). I was very cross with myself for how nervous I was, but delighted to walk home with a small trophy .

Which festival was that, Deborah?

Cheers

Katyjay

Thanks, violinist. She really enjoyed it! "Such fun," she said and she added, "and my banana worked, mummy, I wasn't nervous at all." She asked me this morning on the way to school - When is the next festival, mum? Er, I don't know but maybe in February? Someone's been bitten by the festival bug.

Will have to WAIT AND SEE what else jo.clarinet says... The webpage didn't work just now.

Is it in Feb next year, Jo? I wish it weren't competitive - it's nerve-wrecking waiting for the result!

Tess

I entered festivals as a child and thought before I entered any pupils 20 years later I should road test them again. Things hadn't changed much - I still felt VERY nervous. However I certainly found the experience useful and the adjudication very interesting. I have entered the North London, St Albans and Watford competitions as an adult. They have masses of different classes for all levels and I would definately recommend them. The North London has a good website. Before I took my diplomas I played the pieces at different competitions which was very useful and a good personal goal. If anyone is thinking of entering a competition I would recommend they visit a couple of classes beforehand or speak to the relevant section secretary, they are usually very helpful.

[quote=margaret,Jun 21 2005, 05:53 PM]
I entered festivals as a child and thought before I entered any pupils 20 years later I should road test them again. Things hadn't changed much - I still felt VERY nervous.

When I was little, I used to enter singing competitions but I didn't feel nervous. Sometimes one is much too young to be self-conscious to feel nervous. Then when I grew older and started out in debating competitions, I began to feel REALLY nervous... but then as soon as I started to launch a verbal attack on my opponent, I forgot my self-consciousness and my nerves disappear ... thank God.
Now, I tell our girl to eat bananas before an exam/a competition bec there's a chemical element in bananas that calms nerves down. I'm serious, not joking.

Crikey, what on earth did you do to make my post go like that!!

Loads of adults take part in the singing classes, but VERY few indeed in the instrumental classes - it's mostly school-age children. It would be nice to have more adult instrumentalists.

There is a website, but I don't know the address, sorry. I think there's some sort of directory of all the music festivals, so perhaps you can get into it from there.

Just been to check in my old syllabus. It's www.stratfordmusicfestival.org.uk
The syllabus for 2006 won't be out till the autumn, though.

I've entered the Godalming festival as an adult singer for the last 10 years or so...probably the scariest thing I've ever done, but worth it for the feedback and the sense of achievement afterwards. Every year just before going on stage I think "why am I doing this??!" but keep coming back. It's character forming!

This is great!!! Guess what? The person who strongly recommended THIS festival to our daughter yesterday was none other than her accompanist at yesterday's strings competition, and HE happens to be the official accompanist of THIS festival.


Leslie Philips, I mean.

Thanks everyone for your replies - it's good to have different people's opinions and views.

Jo.Clarinet - er, i'm not sure what i did to your post to make it go like that - i just clicked on quote !

Ive taken part as an adult in the Woking Music Festival, as part of a recorder ensemble. It's a friendly atmosphere and our ensemble have enjoyed doing it for a number of years. The only trouble with this class is that there are usually only two entries and hardly any audience, which is a pity.

I took part in the North London festival in May - very useful experience, though I hadn't expected the bit at the end of the class where the adjudicator goes through individual performances.
All the classes I did were "any age" which in practice meant mainly folk in their early 20s as far as I could tell.
I'm planning to do it again next year - probably far more instructive than doing the Dip exam in terms of switching from just playing the piano to performing on it!

Hi Jo
That website you refer to is:
British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech

I've entered and been accepted in the celtic soloist competition at the International Eisteddfod - not long now! I'd never done a competition apart from grades 20 years ago... and wanted to have something to measure myself against. I've played a lot in public but never, ever even been to the Eisteddfod. It involves a preliminary in the morning and then three of the 8 of us go through to play in the big pavilion in the afternoon. Me with my little harp! There's also an invite to play on the outside stages for a short slot. I'm doing Irish / Breton in the competition and Swedish / Venezuelan in the stage bit. I've never had so long to practice anything!!!

WHEN is the competition?

Hi Tess,

Sorry - my original post was late at night and my brain was going to sleep...it's 8th July. Am playing my pieces in front of any audiences I can find!!

HI all,

Damn, damn, damn! They started a bit early, then I was asked, "would you go first?". OK I can't blame this, and I did the competition, but was shaking like a leaf. I knew I'd blown it as soon as I started, then thought "I musn't stop now". Weirdly I later did the same two pieces on the public stage in the Eisteddfod field itself, with no problems. A guy there said that there's definitely a difference playing for judges and for an audience. How right! And stupid that I'd played in public every day for the previous 9 days and then blew it.

So - didn't get into the final thing, but will try again next year. Learning (there's always learning!) - or "things I wish I'd done" that I would do next time:

1) Find out about the judges - who they are, what they do. It was the shock of realising that one of the two judges was a very highly regarded harp recitalist and teacher which partly put me off. Having said that, she was just the nicest person ever, and invited me to take part in a competition next year in April at her own festival. The other judge also said "you must compete again next year".

2) Play in more competitions!

Anyway, I had great fun, and it was a great, great festival. And met some fab people. So (not winning aside) a really good opportunity to have some serious fun. But it did make me consider how "seriously" I take this business and that's got to be good. So thanks all, again, for your support.