Folk learning goes online
Everyone in the Education department at the English Folk Dance and Song Society is very busy planning and delivering online learning activities for our youth and adult learners and participants.
National Youth Folk Ensemble virtual 'residential'
We are coming to the end of our first virtual five-day residential course for members of the National Youth Folk Ensemble. Although presenting very real challenges and necessary changes to the programme, with less opportunity for interactive group music-making, it’s also giving us the opportunity to provide more one-to-one instrumental sessions with tutors and guidance on using technology to compose and record. We’ll even have warm-ups, quizzes and our popular Listening Club! We look forward to the music learning and creativity that emerges from this new approach. Artistic Director Sam Partridge has been joined online by tutors Laura-Beth Salter, Sam Sweeney, Dave Gray, Becky Price and Rob Harbron, and our pastoral team Jack Healy, Natalie Reid and Sarah Jones.
On Instagram we introduced each member of the Ensemble over the first week of April, and shared a taste of our online course.
National Youth Folk Ensemble Live!
The Ensemble were not able to perform as planned at Southbank Centre or Cecil Sharp House in April, but we are pleased to share four tracks from Cohort 4’s first gig of their year at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall in February.
Youth Folk Sampler Days - online
We’re running free online Youth Folk Sampler Days across England in May half-term.
The National Youth Folk Ensemble team will deliver virtual workshops introducing young musicians to folk tunes, techniques and creative ideas. All playing and learning will be done by ear. Players of any instrument, aged 12–18, can book now for their preferred Sampler Day date. These events are FREE, but places are limited and must be booked in advance.
Folk Unlimited
We had a great spring term of our Folk Unlimited sessions exploring English folk music and dance. Our tutors Emmie Ward and Joe Danks together with our trainee Alice Barnard have created inspiring and inclusive workshops with themes from London’s industrial heritage to rural customs. We are exploring how to take some of this work online.
Folk Education Development Day – online
Our Folk Educators Group national network will be holding its first ever online informal conference day on 19 June. We’ll be focusing on folk education initiatives in the Greater Manchester area and will be presenting the day in partnership with our friends at English Folk Expo who are based in Rochdale, as well as other friends and partners in the North West and Yorkshire. Free, sign up necessary - book now.
Adult Learning at Cecil Sharp House is now online
We are working hard with the tutors of our classes and courses at Cecil Sharp House to provide sessions online. So far Cecil Sharp House Choir has had two successful online sessions and we have managed to run all 14 of our regular Saturday Folk Music Workshop classes! Our Morris Dancing class had its first virtual jig practice and get together this week too.
