String Weekend September 2009

Another String to their Bow

On 14/15 November, the 11 string players of South West Music School met at Dartington Hall for a focussed weekend of string techniques and ensemble playing with tutor Tim Boulton. Devon Baroque were also at Dartington for their Handel Experience weekend and so SWMS students were able to take part in the orchestral workshop on the Saturday morning enabling them to look at Baroque techniques and play alongside Devon Baroque players. They then moved into their own workshop with Tim Boulton looking at the way sound is produced on a string instrument, the balance between violins, violas, cellos and double basses and the difficulties of playing in an ensemble.

The students spent the weekend working and playing together, with interjections of concerts by Devon Baroque and ended in an informal performance of the work they had done over the weekend on Sunday afternoon before the final Devon Baroque concert on Sunday evening.

All the students learnt a lot from the difference a baroque bow makes to their playing, to the skills of sight reading and ensemble playing and were also given the opportunity to work with professionals and see the finished product in concert.

South West Music School hopes to put on more of these instrument/genre specific weekends whilst maintaining the ethos of residentials that students should be stretched and taken out of their comfort zones to experience other musical styles.

Freya Hicks (11) (Violin) said: I took part in the string weekend which was held in November at Dartington Hall.  It was a really great opportunity to spend time working in the baroque style, as I had never done this before.  I liked the set out of the course, especially working with Tim Boulton, other SWMS students, and professional musicians from Devon Baroque.  When I arrived, a bit late because of the weather, I went straight to the Great Hall, and played some Handel with the orchestral players.  Many people who were on the course got to play with a baroque bow, which was so cool.  We spent the rest of the weekend working in great detail on Handel's Concerto Grossi from Opus 6 which we were then able to hear performed by Devon Baroque in their concert.