The morning ‘Meet & Greet’ sessions are a time for us to introduce ourselves, say hello to old friends, and generally enjoy each other's company before the classes begin. (If you're not a morning person, don't worry - attendance is not obligatory!). You can even bring your morning cuppa - or even breakfast, we won't judge!

Tips for mindful, body-centred warm-up sessions at the harp, with Russian exercises for finger strength and independence.

Are you more intimidated by your levers than maybe you’d like to admit? Or maybe you don’t mind changing the levers, but you always seem to need just a bit more time to find your place afterwards? Or maybe you just can’t quite get the hang of lever slides?

If this sounds familiar, this is the course for you! Getting more confident with using your levers opens up a whole new world of musical possibilities, but it can be difficult to get past what is often a mental block about ‘losing the flow’, or getting lost.

In this workshop we will begin with some basic lever change techniques (buzzing? No thanks!), and then look at some different ways of thinking about lever changes in the context of different pieces of music. We will tackle how to approach multiple lever changes, chromatic bass lines, lever slides and more - so buckle up for a loopy lever ride!

Become a one harp band with this introductory session on creating drum sounds and percussive effects!

John Playford originally published his ‘English Dancing Master’ in 1651. This compilation of popular tunes and instructions for dances to go with them was a runaway success and remained continuously in print (under the revised title ‘The Dancing Master’) until 1728 when the EIGHTEENTH edition came out (!).

For this workshop Tamsin has specially selected some of her favourite tunes from this collection and arranged them to fall nicely under the fingers on the harp. Come and join us to learn more about this fascinating historical resource, and to enjoy a relaxed session of elegant music from the ballrooms of the 17th and 18th centuries.

We use our hands ALL the time - but how much do we actually know about them? Chartered Physiotherapist & BAHT Accredited Hand Therapist Nicki Cliff will explain to us how these incredible tools of creativity and communication work - and how we can best look after them.

PLEASE NOTE that this session will not be recorded.

Discover the inner workings of famous pop chord progressions, and why we want to hear them again and again! Plus, guided improvisation to make these progressions your own.

Since it was first recorded in 1959, the groundbreaking ‘Take Five’ has become one of the most well-known Jazz compositions in the world. Why, then, should it remain out of our reach?!

Join Tamsin for a step-by-step guide to playing this piece on the lever harp, from EXACTLY HOW to do that chromatic motif at the beginning, to making the tricky B Section work, to looking at some approachable soloing ideas to top it all off!

We all need a break from playing - join us in the common room before the tea concert to meet other attendees and have a relaxed chat about, well, anything really!

The Cocktail Hour play along is BACK!

For this relaxed evening session, you will receive simple versions of a wide range of tunes, from pop and jazz to medieval so that you can play along with both tutors in an ensemble setting from the comfort of your own home.

If you’re usually shy about playing in a group setting, the beauty of Zoom is that nobody else can hear you - so you can make all the mistakes you like. Mix yourself a drink and join us for a jam!

Modes are easy, really! A comprehensive explanation of church modes and how to understand them, with guided improvisation to help you get to know them.

Are you doing it enough? Are you doing it right? How do other people do it…?!

We probably ALL need to practise a little bit more, but modern life so often leaves very little time to fit it in (or to enjoy it when we finally get round to it in the frantic hour before a lesson!).

But take heart - the secret to a good practice session isn’t time, it’s efficiency!

Join us to look at how to practise smarter (not longer!), and to learn from each other as we share our own insights into the best ways improve our playing, whether we’ve just started out or are a seasoned professional.

Award-winning composer, harpist and researcher Ailie Robertson will talk to us about her absolutely /beautiful/ new album and book 'Echoes from Torloisk' - a very special collections of pieces from manuscripts compiled by two sisters who lived on the Isle of Mull in the early 19th century.

Want to arrange your favourite songs for harp, but don't know where to begin? Explore Amy's method for arranging pop songs, with example excerpts to try out for yourself.

This year’s festival falls after Hallowe’en (and Bonfire Night), so we think it’s definitely time to look at some new Christmas repertoire!

Many of the carols that we enjoy today have very old roots, and in this festive workshop we will look at some lovely approachable arrangements of some of the oldest carols on record.

Join Amy and Tamsin for a relaxed lunchtime performance and see just how versatile the harp can be as they share their very different approaches to the instrument.

BOOK TICKETS FOR ALL COURSES