JACKDAWS

18/06/2026

🎶 Book Now for Our 2026-2027 Season! 🎶

We’re thrilled to welcome you to the Jackdaws 2026-27 Season, whether you're a returning visitor or discovering us for the first time. Our weekend courses offer high-quality content, a welcoming atmosphere, and delicious home-cooked meals, all set in the stunning rural beauty of Great Elm in the Vallis Vale area.

Our year-round programme includes courses for adult amateur musicians, large-scale education projects, a Young Artists programme, and performances.

At Jackdaws, we’re passionate about bringing music to life, enhancing participation, and enabling creative expression for everyone. Did you know that over 50% of our new bookers find us through word of mouth?
Help us “Spread the Word about the Bird” — your support makes all the difference in sustaining our mission.

By booking a course, you’re not just developing your own musical journey — you’re helping support future musicians! Your participation allows us to engage with thousands of children and young people, offering accessible music projects and inspiring creativity in schools across the South West. 🌟

Let’s make music together and support the next generation of musicians.
Book your place today! 🎵✨

Info & Booking:https://www.jackdaws.org.uk/all-courses/

Any questions call the office on 07880 091066

16/06/2026

🎭 Opera Workshop with Mary Plazas & Robert Chevara
📅 31 July – 2 August 2026

📍 A unique opportunity for singers to explore performance, character and storytelling

Join two exceptional artists for an inspiring and transformative Opera Workshop with Mary Plazas and Robert Chevara.

🌟 Mary Plazas is a powerhouse of creativity — a remarkable artist, vocal technician and inspiring mentor.
🎬 Robert Chevara is an award-winning international opera and theatre director, whose work spans leading Conservatoires and Opera Houses across the UK, USA and Europe.

Together, Mary and Robert will explore the many layers of preparation and performance behind the music you bring — helping you discover characters, relationships, physical worlds and inner landscapes, while strengthening and enriching your singing.

Through a combination of individual sessions, shared coaching and group exploration, participants will work on:

✨ Character development and storytelling
✨ Connecting text, music and emotion
✨ Movement, style and stage presence
✨ Performance techniques for opera, concerts and other platforms
✨ Building confidence, creativity and a personal toolkit of skills

Whether you are a complete beginner, a young professional preparing for the industry, or researching a role, this workshop offers a supportive and inspiring environment to deepen your artistry and unlock your potential.

Previous participants have described the experience as meaningful, supportive, inspirational and creatively rewarding — a place where everyone contributes to something unique.

🎶 Book your place now:
https://www.jackdaws.org.uk/events/3745/

16/06/2026

🎹 to an inspiring Piano Weekend last month with the brilliant Sarah Beth Briggs!

We’re delighted that Sarah Beth will be returning next year with a brand-new course: Beethoven 2027.

A wonderful opportunity for pianists to deepen their understanding, develop their skills, and enjoy a weekend of music-making.

👉Find out more and book your place: https://www.jackdaws.org.uk/events/3785/

16/06/2026

🎶 Practise, Play, and Recharge at Jackdaws

Looking for a peaceful place to practise, recharge, or simply enjoy time at the piano?

Our beautiful Lehane–Wishart Studio is now available to hire on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

🌟 What’s included:

A world-class Steinway piano 🎶
Glorious acoustics and inspiring garden views 🌿
A space that’s entirely yours — for a morning, an afternoon, or even the whole day 🕰️
A supportive team on site, plus the freedom to bring your own lunch for a true retreat-style day 🥪🐦

💷 Rates: £15 for the first hour, £12 per hour thereafter.

Take a break from the everyday and give yourself the gift of uninterrupted music-making.

📧 Email [email protected] or 📞 call 07880 091066 to book your piano away-day.

15/06/2026

🎶 2026 – 2027 Season!

📢Voice Courses

✨ New This Year!

🎼 Song, Poetry & Partnership:
A Singer’s Journey through Stanford’s Legacy with Louise Winter and William Hancox

🎵 Charles Villiers Stanford was not only a major composer, but one of the most influential teachers in British musical history. From his studio emerged a remarkable generation of composers who shaped the English song revival of the early twentieth century. While Stanford himself remained wary of modernism, his students forged bold and distinctive musical voices, embracing a rich spectrum of styles, techniques, and influences.

Over this weekend a rich programme of masterclass style sessions, group sessions, and contextual discussions will be led by eminent course leaders Louise Winter and Will Hancox.

🔗 This course joins our inspiring lineup of courses for singers, Courses and Info: https://www.jackdaws.org.uk/courses/

14/06/2026

🎹 Reimagine Your Playing: Release the Music
with Stephen Marquiss

📅 18 September 2026, 6:30pm – 20 September 2026, 4:00pm
🎼 Level: All

Stop fighting the piano and start finding your flow.

What if the secret to piano mastery isn’t more practice but a different mindset?

Stephen’s approach was born from his own journey as an adult pianist moving from technical frustration to effortless facility. Drawing on the revolutionary principles of Abby Whiteside, he guides you to find your “emotional rhythm”—a whole-body coordination that starts in the torso and flows to the fingertips.

Do you long to perform confidently from memory or play expressively at any level? This course invites you to bring your “challenging” repertoire and discover a gentle, transformational path to piano mastery. By spotlighting “Elephants in the Practice Room,” we move beyond drills and dogma to dissolve technical barriers through deepening self-awareness.

🎥 Learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVtEeac-miw&t=5s

🎟️ Book your place now:
https://www.jackdaws.org.uk/events/3755/

If you’ve ever felt that Burgmüller’s Arabesque Op. 100 No. 2 is 'e...

11/06/2026

🎹 The Piano Teacher’s Survival Guide with Anthony Williams


📅 June 26, 2026 6:30 pm – June 28, 2026 4:00 pm

🎶 Whether you are completely new to piano teaching, a more experienced teacher looking for fresh ideas, or simply keen to share and discuss your experiences with others, this is the weekend for you.

📚 It’s essentially a supportive and inspiring space for piano teachers, led by Anthony Williams, author of the bestselling and highly acclaimed *The Piano Teachers’ Survival Guide*, known for placing communication, creativity, and imagination at the heart of every lesson.

🎼 The weekend will cover everything from first lessons to advanced technique, helping you inspire imaginative and confident performances in your students.

💡 Explore new ideas to enrich your teaching, alongside revisiting proven strategies that nurture students at every level and encourage a lifelong love of the piano.

🎵 There will also be opportunities (if you wish) to perform your favourite repertoire, from beginner pieces to advanced works, ask questions about your playing, and explore fresh approaches to technique, interpretation, and teaching philosophy.

🤝 Join a welcoming community of teachers to share ideas, experiences, and enthusiasm—everyone is encouraged to take part.
🎉 Do come and join us—the more the merrier!

🔗 Book Now: https://www.jackdaws.org.uk/events/3738/ See less

08/06/2026

🎹 2026 – 2027 Season!

Piano Courses 🎼 #2026

✨ There are five exciting new piano courses to explore this year: The Romantic Pianist with Karl Lutchmayer, Making it Simple for Pianists with Nicholas Walker, Beethoven 2027 with Sarah Beth Briggs, The Classy Classics with Julian Jacobson, and The Persuasive Pianist – A World of Pure Imagination with Anthony Williams. 🎶

🎵 Alongside our wide range of regular piano courses—covering diverse repertoire, technique, and musical understanding—there’s something to inspire every player, whatever their level or style. 🌟

All Piano Courses: https://www.jackdaws.org.uk/courses/

06/06/2026

📣ENTER THE SOMERSET & DORSET SCHOOLS CHOIR COMPETITION

🎼Are you getting ready to enter the Somerset & Dorset School Choir Competition?

Here’s your chance to make some brilliant music AND win some money for your school to put towards your music budget so you can make even more music together!

Simply record and upload two contrasting pieces by the closing date of 5pm on 15th June 2026.

Judges: Caroline Radcliffe- eminent local choir leader, and Saffron van Zwanenberg—Jackdaws Artistic Director.

To enter please fill in the form here: https://www.jackdaws.org.uk/projects/choir-competition-2/

Check the rules and upload your videos here
https://www.jackdaws.org.uk/projects/choir-competition-2/

Dorset Music Service music hub