London Youth Folk Ensemble

The group and tutors are really friendly and supportive. My confidence as a performer has increased dramatically since joining this awesome band! I couldn't recommend it more – Olivia

For young people aged 11 to 19 years old (up to 24 years old for D/deaf and disabled young people)

Welcoming young musicians who want to create and perform amazing folk music together!

The Ensemble meets regularly from September to July and performs at exciting events across London and beyond.

LYFE is open to confident musicians of any instrument. This means that you should be able to play your instrument independently and confidently, but do not need to have passed any particular grade. All music is taught by ear and no previous experience of folk music is needed.

London Youth Folk Ensemble is an annual commitment and places are offered after you attend our Sampler session at the start of the Autumn term.

Taking part can contribute to an Arts Award Bronze or Silver Award.

How do I join?

To join the London Youth Folk Ensemble you need to:

Be 11 to 19 years old (up to up to 24 year olds for D/deaf and disabled young people)
Have a good grasp of technique on your instrument and be able to play tunes confidently
Have some experience of learning and playing tunes by ear
Have some experience of playing your instrument in a group (eg band, ensemble, orchestra)
Demonstrate passion for folk music and commitment to the Ensemble
Attend a free trial to meet the tutors, to gain a taste of playing with the ensemble and for us to see if you are ready to join the ensemble

London Youth Folk Ensemble is an annual commitment.

2024-25 dates

Autumn Term 2024: 29 Sept | 6, 20 Oct | 3, 24 Nov

Spring Term 2025: 12, 26 Jan | 9 Feb | 2, 9, 23 Mar

Summer Term 2025: 27 Apr | 4, 18 May | 15, 22 June

The Takeover 2025: Saturday 28 June

Learning by ear means I have gained a more intuitive and collaborative approach to music which is really fun and enables me to be creative

Fees

Fees will be payable after your taster session if you decide you would like to join the Ensemble for the full academic year.

Bursary places are also available for keen young musicians, whose families would not otherwise be able to afford the existing concessionary fee. You can read about how to apply for a bursary below.

Annual LYFE fee: £309 | £232 concessions

Bursary Places

We want more young people from a wider range of backgrounds and socio-economic circumstances to benefit from joining London Youth Folk Ensemble. To support this, we have set aside a limited number of bursary places to enable keen young musicians, whose families would not otherwise be able to afford the existing concessionary fees for the Ensemble, to take part. This is usually a partial bursary which provides a substantial discount to the concessionary rate. In exceptional circumstances a full bursary may be given. To help us reach the young people who would most benefit from this opportunity, we have the following nomination process.

Who can nominate?

We accept nominations from music leaders, teachers, youth workers, social workers, community leaders and any adults that work with the young person and can vouch for their dedication to music. However, we cannot accept applications from parents/guardians. We will contact them for permission if their child has been given a provisional place.

Nominators can nominate as many young people as they wish (using one form per young person) but note that we only have a limited number of bursaries available.

Bursary nomination form

Take a listen to LYFE performing at Folk by the Oak 2024:

Meet the team

Left to right: Eloise, Maya, Aaron, Mía

Aaron Horlock (Music Leader)

Aaron Horlock is a multi-instrumentalist and educator with backgrounds in both traditional and classical music. During his studies at Trinity Laban, Aaron found a love for traditional music from the British isles and beyond and has been an active member of the scene since. Aaron has toured and played festivals around the UK with various bands and artists and is currently playing as a member of Man The Lifeboats as well as with duo partner Nick Goode.

Maya McCourt (Music Leader)

Maya is a cellist, singer and teacher. She is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, and has a Master’s degree in music in Development form SOAS in London. She has taken part in lots of community music projects across the world, and plays with her band Salt Moon. She works with the refugee charity Play for Progress, and is a project coordinator for JMI’s Ethno England, as well as running Flotsam Sessions.

Mía Iles Pérez (Trainee Music Leader)

Mía Iles Pérez is a banjo and mandolin player based in London, passionate about working in education alongside her studies for her master's degree in Astrophysics. She is a member of East Corner Trio, a band creating a unique sound through their eclectic musical influences and unusual combination of melodeon, banjolin, and flute and pipes. Mía is an alumni of both the London Youth Folk Ensemble and National Youth Folk Ensemble where she performed at many gigs and festivals over the years, and met her bandmates Elye Cuthberston and Danny Marshall.

Eloise Pearce (Pastoral Staff)

Eloise Pearce is a musician and creative facilitator based in London with experience of working with young people from a range of musical backgrounds. Alongside her work at EFDSS, she currently works at Ealing Junior Music School as an early years musicianship teacher and has previously worked with Contemporary Music for All as an assistant tutor on the MySounds youth programme.
Eloise is an alumni of the National Youth Folk Ensemble and Roundhouse Music Collective. With a particular interest in creating music with global roots & electronic influences, she is currently working on a science-based sound art album after taking her live art performance ‘Membrane Powerhouse’ to the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe.
Eloise is committed to equality of oppertunity as a recent member of the Roundhouse Youth Advisory Board and speaker at the 2023 Young Creatives Conference.

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