Conducting Summer Course
This five-day course will give you a thorough grounding in the physical technique of conducting and will see you conduct a variety of repertoire.
Key information:
- Course dates:
- Course 1: Mon 21 – Fri 25 July 2025 / Course 2: Mon 28 July – Fri 1 August 2025
- Course times:
- 10am–5pm
- Age:
- 14–18
- Art form:
- Music
- Fees:
- £595
- Deadline:
- Bookings will close at 5pm on Monday 30 June 2025 or when the course reaches full capacity
- Level of study:
- Short Courses & Summer Schools, Workshops & Saturday Centres (under 18)
- Mode of study:
- In-person
- Venue:
- Guildhall School of Music & Drama
- When:
- Summer Schools (July–August)
Course info
There is very limited availability remaining on Course 1. Please join our waiting list and we will contact you if a place becomes available.
Book Now for Course 2
- Spaces are limited so early booking is encouraged
- Bookings will close at 5pm on Monday 30 June 2025 or when the course reaches full capacity
- Please note that accommodation is not available
- Read our terms and conditions
Ages 14–18
Course Dates & Times
Course 1
Monday 21 – Friday 25 July 2025
10am–5pm
Course 2
Monday 28 July – Friday 1 August 2025
10am–5pm
About Conducting Summer Course
This five-day course will give you a thorough grounding in the physical technique of conducting and will see you conduct a variety of repertoire.
Whilst the focus of the course will be on the practical application of conducting technique, you will also receive training in ensemble direction and performance style / interpretation from the Classical Period until today.
Participants will be encouraged to record themselves conducting their own ensemble and send this to the tutor for feedback, up to three months after the course has finished. This is a unique opportunity to receive feedback on skills learnt during the course and put into practice.
Who is the course for?
- GCSE and A-Level students who are interested in studying music at undergraduate and postgraduate level
- Aspiring professional musicians aged 14 to 18 (equivalent to UK school years 10 to 13)
- No experience needed
What can I expect?
You will leave the course with the ability to direct ensembles confidently and will develop a thorough understanding of the physical, technical skills of conducting. In addition, you will be able to lead rehearsals efficiently and effectively by exploring best practices in score preparation, rehearsal planning, and verbal communication.
You can expect to conduct a variety of repertoire, initially with pianists and later with a chamber ensemble. These sessions will be filmed, and copies of the video will be shared.
You will be encouraged to record yourself conducting your own ensemble and send this to the course tutor for feedback, up to three months after the course has finished.
Course fee
£595
There is very limited availability remaining on Course 1. Please join our waiting list and we will contact you if a place becomes available.
Book Now for Course 2
- Spaces are limited so early booking is encouraged
- Bookings will close at 5pm on Monday 30 June 2025 or when the course reaches full capacity
- Please note that accommodation is not available
- Read our terms and conditions
Eligibility
- For everyone aged 14–18 (equivalent to UK school years 10 to 13)
- Participants must have sufficient English language skills in order to fully engage with the course
About the Course Tutor
The course is taught by Scott Wilson.
London-based Australian conductor Scott Wilson is Head of Orchestra Learning for the Orchestra of the Americas' OAcademy, Director of the OAcademy's Conducting Fellowship, and is a conducting teacher within the Youth and Adult Learning Department at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. In addition to teaching students world-wide, through his online studio, he has taught at the Royal College of Music, Trinity College of Music Junior Department, and the Aldeburgh Young Musicians Programme. Also he has worked as an Associate Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
His work as an educator is underpinned by his manual on conducting technique. In addition, he has written a book on audience engagement and development for orchestras - You ain’t heard nothin’ yet: The Potential of Orchestral Music. During the pandemic this was developed into the podcast A Thousand Pictures.
Previously he was Zander Fellow with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Artist in Residence and Conducting Fellow at Guildhall School of Music & Drama. His musicianship is founded on the pedagogical traditions of Ilya Musin and Nadia Boulanger, which he received under the mentorship of his principal teachers Sian Edwards and Norman Beedie. He studied with Kurt Masur in Sweden, Gianluigi Gelmetti in Italy, Johannes Fritzsch in Australia, and Ed Spanjaard in Hungary. Recently he made his debut at Opera Holland Park, conducting Mark Adamo’s Little Women.
In his former career as a percussionist, he specialised in contemporary solo and chamber repertoire. He worked with the Australian World Orchestra, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Shakespeare Company, and at the Royal National Theatre, recorded chamber music for the BBC, and performed at contemporary music festivals throughout Europe.
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