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Drumroll please! Gabriela Blandy on joining team Hurst
Listed on December 10, 2013 by Arvon in Blogs!Joining The Hurst this week has reminded me about the months I spent in a dilapidated hotel on the Pacific Coast. The Belmar is Mazatlan’s first beachfront hotel, built in the 1920s. John Wayne was a regular, but when I was there only the rooms at the front, overlooking the ocean were in use, and […]Read more ... -
One unkind word can put you off singing for ever – how to protect yourself
Listed on December 8, 2013 by Chris Rowbury in Blogs!There have been a lot of UK television programmes recently which have involved solo singing auditions: A comment about your singing voice can be taken as a comment on who you are as a person. How can you avoid taking criticism of your singing voice too personally?Read more ... -
With December comes Christmas…
Listed on December 6, 2013 by Dillington in Blogs!We have just stumbled into December it seems but the weather has been largely dry and mild. Driving in I notice that many of the trees in the park still have their leaves although the couple of frosts have made … Continue reading →Read more ... -
Are better habits the secret to writing success?
Listed on December 5, 2013 by Arvon in Blogs!by Rebecca Evans Over the years I’ve worked for Arvon I’ve encountered several mysteries, including: the precise role of cake in stimulating creativity during an Arvon week the unreliability of Lumb Bank’s heating despite the attention of every plumber in the Calder Valley and the reason why super-keen and talented writers so often fail to complete […]Read more ... -
Coming home to Arvon – Starting to Write in E17
Listed on December 4, 2013 by Arvon in Blogs!By Becky Swain, Head of Learning and Participation, Arvon This month I was delighted to host a three day Arvon city course for local residents in Walthamstow, East London. Stranger : Neighbour – Starting to Write in E17 made its home in the William Morris and Winn’s Galleries and was the result of a new […]Read more ... -
“There’s a certain slant of light” or Henry’s Arvon Adventure
Listed on December 3, 2013 by Arvon in Blogs!By H. A Myers, a writer on the Lumb Bank, Fiction course 11-16 November 2013 with tutors Kate Long and Simon Thirsk “I feel like a child again,” thought Henry, as he pushed on through the woods above the river, “a child who has lost his way.” He had thought that getting away to Yorkshire on […]Read more ... -
‘A meteorite hitting the earth’ – Ruth Borthwick blogs about teaching Creative Writing
Listed on December 2, 2013 by Arvon in Blogs!Last Saturday I was in Birmingham at the excellent Writers’ Toolkit annual event devised by Writing West Midlands. I chaired a session on Teaching Creative Writing with three writers who have a lot of experience between them of doing just that: Helen Cross, Richard House and Greg Leadbetter. Greg Leadbetter kicked off by talking about […]Read more ... -
Should you have auditions for a workplace or community choir?
Listed on December 1, 2013 by Chris Rowbury in Blogs!Gareth Malone is back on UK television with a second series of The Choir: Sing While You Work. The choirmaster goes into five different organisations to form workplace choirs which then go on to compete against each other.Read more ... -
Turn up the colour and banish the beige…
Listed on November 29, 2013 by Dillington in Blogs!For some people beige is seriously boring yet is seems like the colour of choice for older people. Of course, I think it’s the fault of the clothing manufacturers who would claim that colour is for the peacocks of the … Continue reading →Read more ... -
Strings Attached: A Non-Puppeteer’s Guide to Totleigh Barton’s Writing for Puppetry Course
Listed on November 27, 2013 by Arvon in Blogs!Totleigh Barton’s Eliza Squire gives an account of an unusual Arvon week…… “If you were a puppet, which type do you think you’d be?” I’m asked. I’m not sure I even understand the question before I’m confidently informed I’d be a Banraku. What’s a Banraku? I wonder. This mixture of confusion and wonder is one […]Read more ... -
A Silver Lining to a dark cloud…
Listed on November 25, 2013 by Dillington in Blogs!This morning Esther Rantzen CBE was on Radio 4s Today programme announcing the national launch of Silver Line. The service takes its model from Child Line and is a telephone helpline. One of the primary issues it is trying to … Continue reading →Read more ... -
What motivates you to turn up to choir week after week?
Listed on November 24, 2013 by Chris Rowbury in Blogs!You can tell winter is on its way because it’s dark and cold when I set off for choir each week.Read more ... -
Master of the Big and Small Universe
Listed on November 22, 2013 by Dillington in Blogs!Last Sunday we enjoyed a fantastic talk by Professor Jim Al-Khalili on Quantum Physics. He was utterly clear in his explanation even though the subject is at times occasionally opaque. The bit that got us all wondering was when matter … Continue reading →Read more ... -
Dealing with choir members who are always late
Listed on November 17, 2013 by Chris Rowbury in Blogs!It’s the final rehearsal before your big concert. The warm up is over and everyone is ready to go. But a handful of singers (the usual suspects) are not there. Late again!Read more ... -
Natasha Carlish – my first fortnight at The Hurst
Listed on November 12, 2013 by Arvon in Blogs!The Hurst’s new Centre Director Natasha Carlish blogs about her first two weeks on the job… I was thrilled and excited to start as the new Centre Director at The Hurst. Read more ... -
Be the best singer you can, but don’t forget there’s more to life
Listed on November 10, 2013 by Chris Rowbury in Blogs!For some people being a famous singer or being in the best choir in the world or making a hit record or singing a piece perfectly in competition is the be-all and end-all.Read more ... -
Light-heartedness is a serious business – latest from The Hurst Writer-in-Residence
Listed on November 6, 2013 by Arvon in Blogs!A selection of photographs and found poems from Deb Alma, our writer-in-residence at The Hurst. Points of interest We want you to treat the Hurst as your home monkey puzzle, apple orchard, honeysuckle your room as your writing room Clockhouse, carpark, sequoia trees decorate with flowers books and woodland objects Duck Island, bluebell walk, azalea […]Read more ... -
How to catch up if you miss a choir rehearsal
Listed on November 3, 2013 by Chris Rowbury in Blogs!Apparently there is more to life than just singing - Here are some tips for catching up with what you’ve missed.- find out what you missed – check with your choir leader exactly what was done in the rehearsal you missed. Read more ...
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Big Art on the Horizon
Listed on October 30, 2013 by Dillington in Blogs! I was interviewed online about our Big Art Weekend coming up at the end of November. This has been posted on the Leisure Courses website which can be found at https://www.leisurecourses.net/discovering-dillington-big-art-weekend/ Not wanting to waste a good … Continue reading →Read more ... -
It’s never too late to start
Listed on October 30, 2013 by Dillington in Blogs!I was driving to work this morning and Radio 4 moved beyond the 9.00am news to ‘Midweek’ with Libby Purves. This programme can be really interesting but I always think it’s a bit lightweight compared to ‘Start the Week’ on … Continue reading →Read more ... -
A week of mindful writing and French elegance
Listed on October 29, 2013 by Chateau Life Courses in Blogs!A guest blog written by James, a participant on our Mindful Writing week with Satya Robyn and Kaspalita Thompson at Chateau Ventenac in Spring 2013.Read more ... -
Standing in the Electric Field of Genius
Listed on October 28, 2013 by Dillington in Blogs!Sunday evening witnessed an extraordinary event. For most of my life I have been used to experiencing great performances. Sutherland, Pavarotti, Kleiber, Solti etc, etc. Last night the Czech violinist, Leos Cepicky, gave a staggering account of two Bach Partitas … Continue reading →Read more ... -
How to cope with learning by ear if you usually read music notation
Listed on October 27, 2013 by Chris Rowbury in Blogs!Many choirs use written notation to learn and perform songs. Over time singers can come to depend on having the dots in front of them.
These singers may then join a different choir or go to a singing workshop where songs are learnt by ear and sheet music is not available.Read more ... -
Verb New Voices seeks talented Northern writers
Listed on October 25, 2013 by Arvon in Blogs!Calling talented writers in the North Verb New Voices is looking for three talented artists based in the North of England who would like to make a new piece of work for Radio 3’s The Verb, in partnership with Arvon. Created by Arts Council England and supported by venues and organisations from across the North […]Read more ... -
At the speed of greased lightning…
Listed on October 25, 2013 by Dillington in Blogs!Greased lightning is a great expression implying something very fast indeed. Yesterday I had to update the operating software for my home computer. Despite having broadband the whole process took over 16 hours! That was in Dorset but hardly fast … Continue reading →Read more ... -
Pascale Petit wins 2013 Writing Prize for Poetry
Listed on October 25, 2013 by Chateau Life Courses in Blogs!We are delighted that our friend and tutor Pascale Petit has recently been awarded the Manchester Writing Prize for Poetry 2013.Read more ... -
The Benslow Music Shop
Listed on October 24, 2013 by Benslow in Blogs!Please help us by completing this short online questionnaireRead more ... -
WiFi at Benslow Music
Listed on October 24, 2013 by Benslow in Blogs!... and again we'd love to know your viewsRead more ... -
Change of Tutor
Listed on October 24, 2013 by Benslow in Blogs!Virginia McMurtrie steps in for Cello and Piano Repertoire courseRead more ... -
Pursue your own research project at Madingley Hall
Listed on October 20, 2013 by Madingley Hall in Blogs!If you're interested in pursuing an academic project in depth, the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education is now accepting applications for Undergraduate Advanced Diplomas starting in February 2014.Read more ...
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Plas Tan y Bwlch
Plas Tan y Bwlch is the Snowdonia National Park Environmental Studies Centre, administered by the National Park Authority. The Centre offers courses of interest to all lovers of the countryside.Read more ...
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Promoting residential lifelong learning in the UK since 1983
Blogs! | LeisureCourses.net - short courses & residential study breaks in great locations - Part 13
A selection of articles from bloggers within the LeisureCourses.net community