The Benedetti Foundation is launching new Benedetti Sessions which blend online and in-person workshops for music teachers and students across the UK, beginning in Wales in partnership with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Formed one year ago, the Benedetti Foundation unites those who believe music is integral to a great education, and inspires collective action targeted at increasing its reach and quality. The foundation puts on transformative orchestra-based workshops for young people and teachers that showcase what music education at its best can look and feel like. As a registered charity, they are currently funded through generous philanthropy, corporate sponsorship, trusts and foundations.
The foundation is now launching new blended ‘Benedetti Sessions’, combining the best online and in-person programmes into one unique experience suitable for the current restrictions and adaptable to any limitations COVID-19 may bring. The first of these will be delivered in Wales from 8-10 January 2021 in partnership with and hosted by the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
The sessions will run as similarly to the live Benedetti Sessions as possible and are only open to participants who are currently living in Wales. Led by Nicola Benedetti and her expert foundation team of tutors and ambassadors, it will provide a signature weekend of orchestra-based workshops which address, equally, the needs of young musicians and of teachers.
Over the weekend, there will be sessions for Beginner (Grade 1-3), Intermediate (Grade 4-6) and Advanced (Grade 7+) school age string players (violin, viola, cello and double bass), instrumental teachers, primary classroom teachers and primary school children, registered via school.
The event will include personal development and training sessions for teachers as well as a 45-minute musical adventure led by Patrick King and Lucy Drever available to stream into every primary school in Wales. Beginner players (grades 1 – 3) will work on a new piece written especially for the Benedetti Foundation, whilst intermediate players (grades 4 – 6) will receive a unique blended experience and work on the first movement of Holst’s St Paul’s Suite. Advanced players (grades 7+) will work online over two days on Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro using a 360 camera for total immersion in the music.
To enable children to experience both the live buzz of playing together with their fellow musicians and the Benedetti Sessions, multiple opportunities for sharing ‘collective moments’ nationwide have been included where it is possible to engage with live sessions in remote ensembles. Music Services, and other organisations will be encouraged, if safe to do so, to have multiple small ensembles playing together across the nation with the live stream from RWCMD. This is in addition to hundreds of children who can also tune in from their own homes.
Nicola Benedetti commented, ‘The Benedetti Foundation has just celebrated its first birthday and we are so excited to enter the second year with our first Sessions in Wales and to work in a blended format of live and online for the first time. Having now presented live sessions at the beginning of 2020 and online sessions during lockdown, the opportunity to combine the two is thrilling and we can’t wait to get started’.
To get involved, sign up here. Instrumentalists are encouraged to sign up before the 8th of December, but late sign ups will be accepted until the 31st of December. For teacher and school workshops, registration is open until the 6th of January. All of the foundation’s online work is made as accessible as possible; many of its resources are available to all free of charge and no one will be prevented from attending due to financial circumstances.
The Benedetti Foundation relies solely on donations to carry out its work and is very grateful to anyone who is in a position to make an additional donation towards the cost of the workshops. For general enquiries about or to pledge financial support to the foundation, please contact Laura Gardiner (Director, Benedetti Foundation): 07515 882901 | laura@benedettifoundation.org.
For more information and to keep up to date with the Benedetti Foundation, visit their website here and follow #benedettisessions on social media.
