JUST WANT TO CLARIFY SOME THINGS:

(Sorry for the caps, just wanted to catch attention before more people got confused).

My name is Sinéad, I sometimes post on muscat, I'm 19, originally based in Kent, now in Sheffield. That information might help you recognise me (if, of course, you have met me- if not, this information is obviously irrelevant).

The topic caught my eye because I have just moved to Yorkshire and was interested in singing weekends that may or may not be occurring but felt a little let down when people were saying you had to be invited, as were other people, it seems.

So I thought I'd let the other people who were disappointed know about another traditional singing weekend that's going on in Yorkshire; in Sheffield to be precise. That is the Soundpost Singing Weekend, and it is £80 a ticket. For £80 you get top-class tuition by people who have studied and participated in folk music professionally or otherwise, to a high standard, for many years. The workshops cover many areas, including specialised areas that some people struggled with, particularly beginners, or those who can not afford regular tuition. This is includes practical workshops from tutors such as Nancy Kerr, Jon Boden, Hannah James, Martin Carthy, Fay Hield, Roy Bailey, Gavin Davenport, Vic Gammon and more, covering areas such as harmony singing, shape singing, tune singing, yodelling, ballad singing, "solo singing masterclass", "inventing your own voice", etc. Full details are at the link below:

http://www.soundpost.org.uk/events.html

As well as workshops, one-to-one lessons and selected masterclasses, the weekend also offers lectures, discussions/debates (which I think most of you would enjoy by the looks of it!) and numerous singarounds/sessions (which I believe will be taken in various places including the infamous Royal Hotel).

So, I think for everything included above, £80 is very reasonable, especially when people seem to think nothing for splashing out £200 on festivals, etc... you will actually come away from this weekend having learnt a great deal, feeling more confident with your own singing and having spoken to and been advised by tutors who have practiced and proven their capabilities in front of many other people and who are not usually available for any kind of tuition.

The reason I posted it was because I thought it would be an appropriate way to stop everyone slagging off the original event posted because they hadn't been invited and offer them an alternative event of a similar interest.

I don't know if you have to pay for the original event or not, but it has been claimed you must be invited.

For Soundpost, yes, you have to pay, but you don't have to be invited; it is welcome to all.

And before anyone asks, no, I am not the organiser of this event and nor do I have anything to do with it; I am simply excited about attending and thought other people would be as well.

***

Sorry for the rant like post, but I didn't want people confusing the two events further because it is not fair to the organisers of either event.

However you choose to spend your summer/autumn, and wherever you choose to do your singing, I just hope you get out and do it, instead of arguing incessantly over mudcat!


Thanks,
Sinéad.