Join us in an enjoyable and enlightening weekend, singing as a group a selection of songs from two of the most successful musicals of the mid twentieth century.
STANDARD: LEARNER, IMPROVER, CONFIDENT
Resident: £402 Non-Resident: £292 (25% off for under 27s) Code: 25/260
Booking for Members opens at 9am on Wednesday 27 November 2024
Non-Member and online booking opens at 9am on Monday 16 December 2024
For details on how to become a Member to take advantage of early booking, see here
What is the course about?
When Guys and Dolls, a musical fable about the underworld of Prohibition-era New York, opened on Broadway in 1950, composer Frank Loesser's friend Meredith Willson was already working on his own musical, set in the rural backwaters of his home state, Iowa; but The Music Man would not be completed and reach the stage until 1957. But it equalled the huge success of the earlier show, taking the Tony award for Best Musical away from West Side Story, and winning four others. Both shows were later filmed, enjoying worldwide success.
What will we cover?
We will be singing some of the most memorable songs from the two shows, each of which is packed with wit, charm, feeling and ingenuity in both music and lyrics. We may touch on points such as melodic construction, vocal phrasing and diction, posture and breathing.
What will we accomplish? By the end of this course you will be able to…
Release your innate musicality and capacity to blend and co-ordinate. Pick up and retain a melody using the ear only, words alone are written down. Sing in group counterpoint and musical dialogue.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
No need to be able to read music, although experienced singers have enjoyed the weekend as have beginners and returners: as always, the only prerequisite is a sense of humour.
How will the course be taught, and will any preparation be required?
Roger will lead from the piano an enjoyable weekend of group singing, designed for all comers, and to increase confidence and introduce repertoire. No preparation needed.
Will music be provided in advance of the course?
No, it will be provided by the tutor on the course.
Is there anything I need to bring?
No, just yourself!
Tutor biographies
Roger Moon Roger has been a Benslow tutor since 1999. At his workshops and courses many singers and instrumentalists have surprised themselves, leaving with greatly enhanced confidence in their abilities. He showed great musical promise from a very early age, inheriting from both his parents a love of many kinds of music; including vocal, choral, lighter classics, 1930s dance band, jazz, and stage and film musicals. He studied jazz piano under Peter Ind, classical piano under Iain Ledingham (RAM), and sang and studied under the world-renowned choral conductor (and late Benslow president) Stephen Wilkinson. He took First Class Honours in a degree course in Performing Arts. Roger has played in many performances and recordings, in venues such as Abbey Road Studios, Theatre Royal, Margate, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, Chichester Festival Theatre, BBC Broadcasting House, Bath Abbey, Wells Cathedral and the Holywell Music Room, Oxford, with some of the most respected members of the music and entertainment profession, including John Dankworth, Cleo Laine, Petula Clark and Guy Barker. Roger has made a speciality of the popular music of the earlier twentieth century. For a spell he played appropriate music with Miriam Kramer (violin) in the restored Art Deco splendour of Claridges Hotel, London.
What previous participants said about this course…
“It's a joyful, informative way of spending a weekend!”
“Fun and inclusive for all levels of singers. "
“Both the musical and the tutorial aspects of the course were excellent."