The British BMG Federation Summer School 11th – 13th June at Benslow Music Trust, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG4 9RB

The Venue
Benslow Music Trust is based in a large Victorian house with modern facilities, tranquil surroundings and beautiful gardens in semi-rural Hertfordshire. The main house has fine rooms, period features, and refurbished bedrooms. The Waldeck Wing, added in 2000, has more modern accommodation. There is a bar for informal playing after evening classes< The venue is within easy walking distance, or short taxi ride, of Hitchin station (approx. 40 mins from King’s Cross or Cambridge). The A1(M), M1 and Luton airport are easily accessible.

The Weekend  
Registration is from 4.30pm and the weekend starts with dinner at 7pm, after which will be a short introductory session followed by class tuition. Saturday daytime will be busy with class tuition and after dinner we expect to offer a choice of playing in a large ensemble, in smaller groups or using the time for personal practice; there will be opportunity to put forward ideas for this session. On Sunday after lunch there will be an informal concert and the course will finish by 4pm.

Accommodation & Cost
Most of the 40 bedrooms have either en-suite facilities or sole use of a bathroom. There is room on site for two motor-homes. Cost of the week-end is £190 for a single standard room and £155 non–resident (including lunch and dinner). En-suite supplement is £45 (£50 for select en-suite). There is a reduction of £10 for sharing.

Booking and Further Information
The title of the weekend is ‘Banjo, Mandolin and Guitar Fest’. To book, telephone Benslow Music Trust 01462 459446 or download a booking form from www.benslow.org.

For further information about the weekend please contact BMG Federation course co-ordinator Henry Girvan 01592 630374 or email henry.girvan@btinternet.com.

Tutors & Courses for Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar & Mixed Instruments

Chris Sands: Classic 5-string Banjo This course will focus on improving banjo technique. Aspects covered will include analysis of solos, with suggestions for alternative fingerings, and exercises for development of the hands. The course will be suitable for intermediate and more advanced players but anyone who has a reasonable insight into playing banjo solos will be welcome. Students will need to be able to read music notation.

Frances Taylor: Baroque Mandolin By the end of this course you will probably have discovered some new music that you didn’t know existed. An exciting journey to the past, this weekend is aimed at intermediate players, but less experienced and more advanced players are also welcome. Whichever level, you must be able to read music notation. The focus is on examining the repertoire, technique, style and interpretation. We will use modern mandolins and modern pitch. The wealth of mandolin duets (including trio sonatas) will form the basis of our study but there will also be scope to look at mandolin sonatas and concertos if students desire. This course will be equally suitable for people who have attended my previous workshops and those who haven't participated before because I always have new things to impart as well as developing ideas already introduced.Music will be provided but if you want to study something special, bring your own copy of music and contact Frances in advance with your request and any other queries email: ftaylor_mandolin@talk21.com Telephone enquiries should be directed through Henry Girvan 01592 630374.

Gerald Garcia: Classical Guitar Ensemble playing is one of the best ways to improve musical skills such as keeping in rhythm, playing without stopping and listening to others while concentrating on a fairly simple part. It also presents music making as a sociable activity, depending on the interaction between the players. This course will introduce participants to ensemble playing in a relaxed yet rigorous manner! Music chosen will be of an easy to intermediate level and participants will need to be able to read music notation (not tab). Sight reading ability is an advantage, although this can also improve through taking part in the course. Parts will be distributed beforehand and for the event to run smoothly, participants will need to have studied the music on their own. To get the most out of the course, a rough guide to ability would be Grade 3 or above, or you would need to have played for two years minimum.

Robin Garside: Mixed Instrument Folk This course is open to plectrum or tenor banjo, mandolin and guitar. It will suit all levels of ability apart from complete beginners, although if you can play a few chords or a melody line, that’s fine. Tunes will be provided in music, tab and audio so that non-music readers can learn them in their preferred way and they will be available beforehand to give everyone an opportunity to become familiar with them. Music will be from traditional sources or written music in a traditional genre. The course will start with playing tunes as written or heard and getting used to different styles of melody and accompaniment. We will then develop them by adding appropriate ornamentation to the melody, improvisation and the application of alternative chords and different stylistic approaches to the accompaniment. Everyone will get an opportunity to play melody and accompaniment and we will split into groups to facilitate this. Participation and discussion is an essential part of the process and you will get an opportunity to share ideas.

Tutor Biographies

 Chris Sands Whether as a soloist, composer, arranger or teacher, Chris Sands always has a great passion for whatever he is doing when it comes to classic 5-string banjo. His musical career has seen many highlights, most notably in 1977 when he met British banjo legend Tarrant Bailey Jnr with whom he studied both banjo and alto saxophone. Chris went on to become the maestro’s most outstanding student, regularly appearing with him on the concert stage and on record. On moving to the Lake District in the early 1980s, Chris teamed up with Windermere-based pianist Patrick Sykes. This highly successful duo enjoyed great popularity in many hotels, particularly throughout Cumbria and the North West, playing music for after dinner concerts, weddings and dinner dances, and in 1988 they toured Germany with the International Banjo Festival, appearing in concert with Bud Wachter, Tony Trischka, Buck Kelly, C. Sandy Riner, Lowell & Debbie Schreyer, Peter Meyer and Keith Nichols. Chris took part in all three gatherings of the Tennessee Banjo Institute where he featured in the Banjo Meltdown which was billed as the greatest banjo concert in the history of music. Chris now has a busy teaching practice in the Lake District.

 Gerald Garcia When Gerald is not performing as a guitarist, he is busy composing. Among many successes are his '25 Etudes Esquisses' for guitar solo which have become standard repertoire for aspiring guitarists and his music has been played and recorded by David Russell, Craig Ogden, Amadeus Duo, Eden-Stell Duo and John  Williams. His Concerto for two Guitars based on themes by Garcia Lorca has been performed throughout Europe and is a staple of the guitar duo concerto repertoire. Gerald’s music and arrangements have been published worldwide by Mel Bay, Holley Music, ABG  publications, Guitarissimo and Cramer and he has recorded more than 12 CDs selling more than 40,000 copies world-wide. His teaching experience has included educational workshops with Kent Opera, English National Opera and the Academy of St Martin-in-the- Fields. In 1995 Gerald toured China as a duo with guitarist John Williams and he now performs in Simon Mayor's Mandolinquents, in a duo with Alison Bendy, and in an occasional Irish ensemble with Mick Henry, Bernard  O'Donoghue, John Pethica and friends. Gerald is Musical Director of the highly successful National Youth Guitar Ensemble of Great Britain which brings together young guitarists from all over the country to play guitar orchestral pieces.

 Frances Taylor is Britain’s leading exponent of the Italian school of mandolin playing. She studied under Ugo Orlandi at the Padua Conservatoire and is the first British person to do so. In 1992 she gained a Masters degree in Music from London University, the first degree to be awarded in Britain with mandolin performance as an integral part of the assessment. For 25 years Frances has worked tirelessly promoting the mandolin by giving concerts throughout Britain and abroad. She has played in high profile venues such as London’s South Bank as well as working with prestigious orchestras such as the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. An enthusiastic teacher of the mandolin, Frances runs workshops throughout the country and has created a unique teaching project in London to introduce school children to the mandolin. In 2007 she was tutor for the European Guitar and Mandolin Youth Orchestra in Ferrara, Italy. Frances has appeared on Artsworld Channel, radio and featured in countless press articles. She also writes for Classical Music and Music Teacher magazines. Her CD Italian Mandolin Sonatas received a rave review in Musical Opinion and was highlighted as Natalie Wheen’s ‘Classic Discovery’ on Classic FM radio.

 Robin Garside started his musical career on ukulele, then bought a guitar at the age of 13 and quickly became a strong member of the South Yorkshire folk scene. He took up fiddle, mandolin and banjo at Art College during the ‘70s and has been in demand as a solo and session musician ever since. Robin has travelled throughout Europe and the UK performing at most of the major festivals and currently plays in several music groups. He plays his instruments with great enthusiasm and sings self-written material, traditional songs, blues and jazz. His self-written material includes songs that are ironically humorous, songs making serious points and fiddle tunes. Robin is leader and musical arranger of Sheffield Traditional Fiddlers Society and has been involved with the Tender Roots programme that introduces children to folk and roots music and to playing musical instruments. He has been in charge of Whitby Folk Festival Orchestra for several years and teaches folk music at the ‘Music for People’ summer school. Robin is a recording session musician and set up a recording studio to record his own music. He recently composed music for a film and has several other interesting projects in the pipeline.