Guildhall Young Artists Norwich Ensemble Only Course

Looking for private tuition with one of our expert tutors? Book a 30-minute instrumental, vocal lesson or drama lesson, to be taken alongside the Ensemble Only Course. Register your interest when signing up for a course. 

Fees
£150 per term (£15 per week) 

With one-to-one lesson
Add an individual 30-minute instrumental/vocal/drama lesson (subject to availability) for an additional £23 per Saturday + the cost of the Ensemble Only Course

Payment Schedule
We ask you to pay termly and once you’ve settled in we ask for half a term’s notice if you decide not to continue. 

Bursaries
We offer a large number of bursaries to attend GYA Norwich, including travel to our centre.  Please don’t hesitate to get in touch and ask about these – it’s entirely confidential and we keep the application process as simple and quick as possible.

Autumn Term

Saturday 16 September – Week 1
Saturday 23 September – Week 2
Saturday 30 September – Week 3
Saturday 07 October  –     Week 4
Saturday 14 October –      Week 5

Half-term – (no sessions on Saturday 21, 28 October & 4 November)

Saturday 11 November  – Week 6
Saturday 18 November – Week 7
Saturday 25 November – Week 8
Saturday 02 December – Week 9
Saturday 09 December – Week 10 (GYAN Junior & Intermediate Concert)

Spring Term

Saturday 06 January – Week 11
Saturday 13 January – Week 12
Saturday 20 January – Week 13
Saturday 27 January – Week 14
Saturday 03 February – Week 15
Saturday 10 February – Week 16

Half-term – (no sessions on Saturday 17 & 24 February)

Saturday 02 March – Week 17
Saturday 09 March – Week 18
Saturday 16 March – Week 19
Saturday 23 March – Week 20

Summer Term

Saturday 20 April – Week 21
Saturday 27 April – Week 22
Saturday 04 May – Week 23
Saturday 11 May – Week 24
Saturday 18 May – Week 25

Half-term – (no sessions on Saturday 25 May & 1 June)

Saturday 08 June – Week 26
Saturday 15 June – Week 27
Saturday 22 June – Week 28

(No session 29 June)

Saturday 06 July – Week 29
Saturday 13 July – Week 30  

We regret it is not possible to give refunds in the event of absence as the Centre has to continue paying professional tutors and overheads. GYA Norwich expects as close to 100% attendance as possible, to ensure you develop and get the most out of your membership.

Half a term’s notice is required to stop attending (except in exceptional circumstances). This notice period is required to fulfil obligations to the professional tutors, pay for facilities and to encourage you to be fully committed to the courses chosen.  

Beginner Brass & Wind

Info to follow......

Intermediate Brass with Tom Carr

A brass group for young players to try out some fun pieces whilst developing the skills needed to play together to produce a great band sound.  All Brass instruments are welcome.

Advanced Brass with Tom Carr

Info to follow......

Brass Quintet with Tom Carr

This is a more advanced group for 5 players and entrance is by audition.

GYA Norwich String Quartets and String Chamber Music is coached by Emily Shedrake, who has performed, recorded and toured Europe with many of the country’s leading baroque orchestras including the Academy of Ancient Music, Gabrieli Consort and players, Hanover Band and Fiori Musicali.

Choir with Laura Morgan

The emphasis for GYA Norwich choir is on having fun whilst students develop their vocal skills, covering a range of repertoire and styles and learning to sing together in harmony and different parts. It is also the perfect opportunity to mix with other students from outside their own instrumental groups.

Chamber Choir with Laura Morgan

Aimed at more experienced singers, Chamber Choir offers students the opportunity to receive high quality vocal training. Repertoire is varied and during rehearsals students are encouraged to develop part singing and sight-reading skills.

Musical Theatre Choir with Laura Morgan

Info to follow.....

The Composition classes are run by David Stowell, a classically trained award-winning composer that now spends most of his time writing for TV and Film. This includes the 2021 chart-topping film Ashens and the Polybius Heist, for which he composed the music score. He has won awards in Spain, Canada, Japan, France and South Korea as well as the UK.

Opportunities for composition can be difficult to find for young musicians so we have highlighted this as an area for development at GYA Norwich.

David Stowell offers both individual and group sessions, and composition students have the luxury of over 100 instrumentalists and singers to work with, giving them the opportunity to hear their works both in progress and final performance!

Guildhall also supports young composers through the Guildhall Young Artists scholarship and strong links with the composition department.

Fusion Band with GYAN Tutor Simon Limbrick provides an opportunity for music-making that combines many different disciplines, musical styles and genres. The repertoire includes the creative use of musical ideas from music found in other cultures, and includes a wider view of Western music, such as classic Progressive Rock, Electronic Pop, and experimental scores that incorporate music technologies. The musical activity is not dominated by the need to read notation, and players use guitar-tab and other graphic methods when necessary.

The instrumental line-up can include most kinds of instrument from different musical contexts, and is an opportunity for musicians develop their skills on instruments such as electric guitar, synthesiser, laptop-based software, as well as instruments such as the ukulele and Indian tabla.

So far, the Fusion Band has performed music by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Alan Holdsworth, Herbie Hancock, Gary Numan and Jean-Michel Jarre, with other pieces composed and improvised by the participants. The choice of repertoire is influenced by the ideas of the performers and their enthusiasm and interests guide the artistic direction of the band sessions.

The Fusion Band provides and opportunity for musicians, with a broad range of musical skills, to create and perform contemporary musical repertoire using classical, non-classical and music technologies.

Guitar Group with Kit Cecconi

Guitar Group is open to Guitarists of around grade 2+ standard.  It is a great opportunity to meet and play with other Guitar players in a group to perform a range of music from Dowland to Bowie!

GYA Norwich offers a great opportunity for musicians to develop their ability to improvise and compose their own music. Under the direction of Simon Limbrick  students develop composition and collaborative skills working together to produce an improvised performance using their chosen instrument/voice.

Beginner - Intermediate Jazz with Geraldine Evans & Ewan Duffus

Intermediate - Advanced Jazz with Geraldine Evans & Ewan Duffus

Advanced Jazz Band with Ewan Duffus

A chance for our more advanced players (Grade 5+)  to play a wide range of music in a smaller group.

GCSE/A Level Support – tbc

Music Theory - tbc

Music Appreciation  – with Ewan Duffus

Info to follow....

GYA Norwich has a dedicated pathway which supports students from a young age as they develop the skills necessary to reach the concert platform.

Intermediate & Advanced Concert Orchestra with David Stowell

Saturdays 12:45 – 1:45pm

GYA Norwich Orchestra meets weekly and offers the perfect space to learn how to play together in an orchestra. Students usually join around grade 4+ standard and many will have played in other ensembles  first.   The orchestra play a wide range of music which sometimes includes original compositions by GYA Norwich  staff and students!

Norfolk County Youth Orchestra with Andrew Morley (conductor)

Norfolk County Youth Orchestra was established in 1959 and is recognised as a vibrant and successful county youth orchestra.  Working closely with GYA Norwich the orchestra offers workshops and courses for all players in Norfolk of around grade 6+ standard.

To find out more and to apply for a place please visit to the NCYO page here.

Sonic Arts with GYA Norwich tutor Simon Limbrick is focussed on the use of ‘live’ instruments, such as electric guitar, synthesizer, DJ Decks, drum/percussion triggers, and laptops running Ableton Live software.

Although recording and mixing is a key part of the skills taught, the intention is to avoid a familiar scenario where workstations are used in isolation from the wider performing and musical activities. Creative song-writing, sampling, programming, and other genres of electronic music-making are encouraged within a context of shared activities such as rehearsals and performances.

The skills taught include sound processing and editing, sampling, control of ‘live’ music technology interfaces. They will be developed across a range of hardware that includes effects pedals, sound boards, computers, samplers, and loopers. Participants will develop skills on music technology instruments, using skills appropriate to those instruments. So, the focus is on understanding and expressing musical ideas through the use of music technology, with other techniques, such as reading and writing musical notation being integrated where necessary.

The ‘live’ aspect of the sessions means that musicians who are focussed on music technologies to create and perform their ideas, will also be able to integrate into other musical activities and ensembles. So that someone learning about an electronic instrument could also play as part of a jazz ensemble, or a perform on a laptop with a string ensemble.

Creative music-making is a part of working with new music technologies, so there is a focus on compositional skills to work alongside performing and programming skills.

The programme avoids the use of expensive software and equipment, and promotes the integration of tested software, such as Audacity, Ocenaudio, Reaper, and Pure Data. More established software, such as Logic, Cubase and MaxMSP are also in the mix of technologies that can be used.

Percussion with Simon Limbrick

Percussion is a great opportunity for those wanting to develop their tuned percussion skills. The group includes a large range of orchestral instruments (including piano) and is a brilliant opportunity to improve rhythmic and sight-reading skills.  This group is also beneficial to other instrumentalists, particularly pianists, who want to play in an ensemble.

The art of performance requires many skills. Steve Gebbett draws upon his years of experience and his continuing development as a performer at the highest level and uses wide ranging interests in a number of fields to inspire students.

Piano lessons with Steve Gebbett, Ewan Duffus & Karen Smith

GYA Norwich has several piano teachers offering a range of styles and options from beginners to young professionals.  Students are allocated to an appropriate tutor depending on their stage of learning and interest in musical style.

Keyboard & Piano Accompaniment with Steve Gebbett

This class is aimed at pianists who already have a reasonable level of fluency and wish to develop their sight-reading and ensemble skills. Grade 6+.

Jazz Piano with Ewan Duffus

Jazz Piano is aimed at those who already have some proficiency on the keyboard and introduces students to a wide range of styles and useful techniques from Boogie Woogie to Blues to Rock ‘n Roll and Stride.

Beginner Strings with Ingrid Perrin
Prelude Strings provide an introduction to ensemble playing for young students of approx. grade 1 and above and the emphasis is on performing together to develop ensemble skills whilst having fun. Students are encouraged to be responsible for making sure they learn their own parts and develop good technique.

Intermediate Strings with Helen Barber
This group is aimed at students who are around grade 3 and above. The music is varied and includes lots of fun arrangements of favourite tunes.

Intermediate Lower Strings with Ingrid Perrin

Advanced Strings with Emily Sheldrake
Senior strings invites students who have a level of grade 6 and above.  Professional violinist Hannah Perowne introduces players to favourite works for string ensemble by well-known composers.

String Quartets with Emily Sheldrake
Students will need to audition for quartets which are for more advanced string players.  As a guest artist with the internationally acclaimed Henschel Quartet, Emily  introduces students to some of the most loved and established string quartet repertoire as well as more modern works.

Beginner Brass & Wind

Intermediate Wind with Grace Duthie
Intermediate wind is a woodwind group for players who have a level of grade 1 and above.  The music is varied and includes lots of fun arrangements of favourite tunes.

Advanced Wind with Rachel Cannon
The emphasis is on Players in this group are mostly at grade 4 and above.  The emphasis is on developing ensemble and listening skills using a range of music and styles, which include some established and familiar wind repertoire alongside special arrangements for the group.

Flute Choir with Vicky McCardel
Open to all Flute players from approx. grade 2 standard, Flute choir covers a whole range of musical styles all specially written for a choir of Flutes.

Advanced Clarinet Choir with Rachel Cannon
Weekly classes for advanced clarinet players. Suitable for Grade 5+ students.