Anyone elso going to the Kodaly summer school in Leicester?
I'm going, but as a Kodaly newbie, I'm very apprehensive. I will be the one nervously biting her nails & trying to be inconspicuous!

I get back from holiday after it starts, but I don't think I could have afforded it anyway. Maybe next year.

Have fun. (Kodaly is fun!)

Thanks Neil I'll try to remember that. Let's hope my dear hubby doesn't regret his decision to take a week's holiday to look after the kids while I'm away. It could be an enlightning experience for him

Hi - I am not officially going to Leicester but may pop up for a few days as Big Sis Cyrilla and Hammerklavier are nagging me. Try not to worry - you'll have great fun and meet loads of like-minded souls. I did the summer school about 5 years ago and it was worth every penny.

Cyrilla phoned from Hungary today - apart from sweating off 8 stone in the heat she is skippity hop. Hammerklavier has found himself a NEW ADMIRER......(well more than one I understand).

Anyway, I digress - go to the Summer School and ENJOY. Be prepared to experience some deeply emotional stuff along the way....

Let us know how it goes,

The Bag x

I'm another 'maybe next year' person.

Hope you enjoy it Andy. I'm sure you'll have a great time. I would have really liked to have gone but this year it just wasn't possible. When is it? Maybe next year. Hopefully I'll get to see Cyrilla's classes at Guildhall first.

It's 13-21 August - so not long now. I'll fill everyone in on the details after it. I hope I enjoy it too

I'm sure you will. Look forward to hearing about it when you get back.

How much is it for a week, Neil?

By the way, are there a lot of primary school age kids there???

Maybe I should go and dump the kids with hubby next year!

Tess

It tells you on the Kodaly website, it's about £600 or more!

I am going to the NYCOS course though. It's in Glasgow.

Wow! Maybe accomodation is included? What is the web address, by the way? Thanks, Neil. I have looked it up a very long time ago but have forgotten now.

Hi, Tess.

It's www.britishkodalyacademy.org.

I know it seems an awful lot of money but you DO get a huge amount for it.

Tuition in solfege, choir, conducting, methodology and other workshops from 9.00am until 6.35pm and concerts or other events in the evenings.

Also single study bedroom accommodation and three meals a day (there's a bar, too!).

The tuition is of the highest calibre and just the experience of being taught by one of the stunning Hungarian tutors makes the whole thing worth every single penny...

Hope you can make it another year! (PS There aren't usually any children on the course - normally the youngest students are about 15 and the oldest have been pushing 80!)

There is a BAR?!!??!

I'm coming next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me tooooooo!
Why didn't someone say so!

Then again, I think I've had far too much alcohol recently...then again it is a year away. I'll have recovered by then maybe!

It might be 2007 before I get there. I'll "try" for next year though.

Let's see what happens in the NYCOS course though.

Yep there's a bar - it's really nice, and on warm evenings you can sit outside at the tables there and on the grass. Sometimes you really feel like pushing the boat out and staying up till all hours although not too often unless you don't mind missing breakfast!

Very easy to makelike-minded friends, and great fun to go out and eat in Leicester at least once as the Indian restaurants are legendary.

On the last night there's a concert and a party - when I went (last year) we stayed up till 2.00 after the party - guess I'm the old bag who never grew up...

You do work and study hard but it's enjoyable and you learn such an eye-opening amount - just make sure you get Cyrilla to recommend which classes to book for, and if you're the sort of person whol ikes to pace yourself, give yourself a little rest in the middle of the day - I didn't, so did find it slightly relentless at times - classes all day every day from 9 -7 or something with just breaks for lunch and tea. You don't absolutely have to go at it quite as much.

The study bedrooms are lovely - very quiet and well-equipped - a little sanctuary to go back to at the end of the day.

I've been thinking about it a lot this week as it was exactly a year ago and it's all been coming back to me in vivid detail. I'll definitely go back and do it again another year.

Hope you really enjoy it, Andy!

Violinia

Violinia, you make it sound so appealing I wish I were able to go this year, even if it does sound like hard work. Hopefully I'll be able to go next year. Is it an exam course or what?

No, it's not an exam course! Just quite a lot of hours of study, as Violinia says (will miss seeing you this year, Violinia, but hope you can make another one before too long!).

It's still not too late to sign up, noodle!!!

I've posted this elsewhere but I'm really chuffed to learn just now that Andy-piano-flute and RieB who are both coming are going to be in my solfege group next week so I shall be their teacher for two and a quarter hours each day! No pressure then...

I'll do my best to make it as good as I can for you both - looking forward to meeting you!

In really would love to go but I'll have to wait until next year. Its really too soon for me to do anything like that after what happened 4 weeks ago. (sorry I can't be more specific here!)
If its an annual event I'll be there next year for sure!

(Email you soon Cyrilla)

It IS an annual event so I really hope you can come next year, noodle!

Will e-mail you soon too!

I am going as well!!

Sounds fab, Violinia. I'm not afraid of hard work, Vio. Quite frankly, my friends and ex-colleagues have always accused me of being a workaholic so work is not an issue. I'd love to go. However, I DO NOT PLAY A THING! Not even a triangle or a recorder. Will that present difficulties in the sense that I cannot [I]follow the courses or will be the odd one out??? I've seen 2 Kodaly books in the library and both assume a basic knowledge of the piano! Having to learn beforehand, a little piano, for me, will be tricky as I'm not just a "housewife", if you see what I mean, I'm a full time carer in the home of a special needs kid (who is still asleep in bed right now). [/I]

Tess, certainly in the early stages of Kodaly training you don't need to be able to play an instrument. I know you have a lot of experience of singing so that's enough at first!

Later on you will need to be able to find your way around a keyboard and of course ideally Kodaly training goes side by side with instrumental studies - but to do a Summer School as a beginner to the approach I certainly wouldn't worry about that yet!

Hope to see you at Leicester one year!

Next year - I'll be there! Looking forward to it already. Reading all these posts makes me wish I could go next week.

Good Luck. Hope you all have a great time.

Yes - have a wonderful time all you summer-school-ers

Yeah we'll miss you all! Find a computer somewhere!!

Sorry to be a bit thick, Cyrilla but are you saying that one HAS to learn the keyboard sooner or later? I only asked since the guitar is more likely to be the only instrument I will [I]ever take up ... one of these days.

Tess[/I]

Well, I do think that some BASIC keyboard skills are necessary for a musician - there's no way I would call myself a pianist but I can find my way around - but guitar is fine too!

I had a student once who is a professional guitarist and he did all his 'sing and play's in his exams with guitar. Might be more difficult to sing and play at the same time if you're a flautist, though...

So please don't let the thought of lack of keyboard skills put you off Kodaly training! You don't need them in the early/middle stages anyway.

Oh outch. <has visions of herself trying>

I can just about hum and play a flute simultaneously, it creates a very odd buzzing noise though!

I've started saving for my summer school trip. Think I might need to open a "Kodaly bank account"

Images of Ian Anderson come to mind......can you do it standing on one leg too

Bearing in mind the number of people thinking about next year....are the dates roughly the same every year.

I can't do this year because I am away with my string quartet next week, but if I ring fence the dates for next year, and can make sure I'm not double booked.

Hopefully I'll be there too next year Janexxx. Cyrilla doesn't know what she's letting herself in for - when it comes to me and singing/aural tests it would be easier to get an elephant through a cat flap!!

You haven't seen Tiggy trying to get herself through my cat flap, noodle - I know all about elephants and cat flaps!!!

I will find out next week what the SS dates are for next year, janexxx - possibly a week earlier, I think - and will post them on the forum.

Ah, a Kodaly bank account, Tamsin - yes, I have one of those too!

Hey, looks like we could have a Forum party at next year's course!

I can't go

Why not...how do you know so soon? What can we do so you CAN go! wouldn't be a forum party without you!

Well I've got my sailing holiday again - but that is end of July- beginning or August, so I guess that's ok

But I've said I'm going to Menorca with m family again, and they've already cancelled half my hols this year because I wanted to stay to sort out uni stuff and they'll go mad if I cancel again. And this is in August sometime and it will probalby clash with the Kodaly

Well if we get the dates from Cyrilla after next week, maybe you can "book" these with your family so they can choose other dates? Don't write it off just yet??

Well I'll find out the dates of Menorca later tonight because they've already booked it and ask if they don't clash if I can go. Other problem- like everyone else I know is money. If I'm at uni I won't be getting a student load so my parents wil lbe paying for everything and I've got 3 other brothers they have to pay for things too. So I guess they'll moan about that as well.

We'll see

Aw, Nat...as janexxx says, it wouldn't be the same without you!

Quite understand all these other pressures/commitments tho'...

I'll try, believe mr I'll do everything I can...but it's not easy for me

She'll get plenty of practise with me next week

Hey, guys - I have an extremely high pain threshold, don't worry!!

Just to say to Andy and RieB - hope you have a good journey to Leicester tomorrow and I look forward to meeting you both - and I hope you find that the week is interesting and not too stressful.

ENJOY!

Natalie are you not entitled to a student loan, or simply not applying for one? I just ask, because they're worth having! I have every intention of sticking as much of mine as is possible in an ISA and making money on it! (Though no doubt all those good intentions will fly out the window when I get there! Particularly if there are still Koadaly courses to be attented, music lessons to be restarted etc... )

Did you kow that there is a one day Kodály workshop in Cambridge on November 27. It promises to be a great day with solfege in the morning and the American Kodály pedagogue Susan Brumfield (who was at the Summer School) teaching a new collection of songs in the afternoon. Do PMif you wold like further details. The cost for the day is £40 (£35 BKA members)

Did you kow that there is a one day Kodály workshop in Cambridge on November 27. It promises to be a great day with solfege in the morning and the American Kodály pedagogue Susan Brumfield (who was at the Summer School) teaching a new collection of songs in the afternoon. Do PM me if you wold like further details. The cost for the day is £40 (£35 BKA members)