Workshop week

My blog this week is delayed because it was Halsway Manor Summer school and summer schools are full on day time and evening….so it’s a two week gap this time. That will happen from time to time.

This was my second summer school this year as I was also invited to teach on the FolkWorks Adult summer school in July.

I have very fond memories of the first time I ever went to Folkworks. That time I was an invited tutor on the youth summer school. Someone from the Sage recently asked me for a quote about the youth summer school. The quote I gave was a result of the absolutely exhilarating exhaustion that came from tutoring highly energetic and motivated young people. I said, ‘ It’s like meeting a group of dementors. They suck everything out of you and still they want more ‘. It was fantastic. It doesn’t sound like a complimentary quote but it is meant to be…

In one of the evening concerts that year, which was mostly performances by participants, I remember volunteering to do a number. This was in addition to a number I did in the tutors concert. I chose to do an a capella version of ‘Bohemian Rapsody’. Well that made me a lot of friends I can tell you. They sang the whole thing with me, including the guitar solo and the following days there were little signs up around the college saying, ‘Jo Freya rocks’ and ‘Jo Freya’s cool’. I was surprised that a single that was released before most of them were born should be so well known in absolute detail and popular. I often sing the opening section in sound checks. It usually gets the sound crews attention!

One of the other performances I remember in that concert was Jamie Lambert, about 16 at the time, who sang a magnificent unaccompanied version of Amazing Grace. He went on to be a member of ‘Collabro’ – I think they won Britain’s got talent one year and they have been professional ever since.

First experiences like that can stick with you..first summer school, first Sidmouth etc You get progressively tired as the week goes on. At folk works you have your instrument group and then you have a band. That year I had band with song. Jamie Lambert and about 5 other strong young singers were all part of that group. They did a fantastic job of singing a Breton dance song in French and then took on a song I’d written a year or so before when working in Bahrain for the British council, alongside Mary Macmaster of the Poozies. While we were there we were taken on a trip out to the desert and there, in the middle of nowhere, was a tree and it was known as The Tree of Life. No one knew how long it had been there but that it was very very old and it had some how managed to survive against great odds. I found the title ‘Tree of Life’ and that story and the shear physicality of seeing it there inspiring. I wrote a song that night to be performed for Bahrain dignitaries and public the following day. It went down a storm and I have a vague memory that the fact I had done it made the local newspaper too. I’ve probably got a cutting somewhere.

I decided to teach an arrangement of it to my band with song. On the last day when we were rehearsing ready for a performance in the theatre in the evening David Oliver came in to have a listen. The sound of those young voices made him start to cry and I followed suit. I’m a complete sucker when men cry. I obviously view it as some kind of participation sport. I can’t help myself and it is particularly men crying I have to say. Two over tired adults and a set of poignant words were too much for us. I remember our ‘youth’ looking at us with very baffled expressions.

Chorus

“The Tree of life that gives us hope

and teaches us to learn to cope

Is standing there for all to see

The beauty of this ancient tree’  by Jo Freya – set to a Traditional arabic tune.

So that was my first summer school. I have done about 5 altogteher but the others have all been adult summer schools and, as you know already, I had a fabulous time this year too.

Halsway is something else. I think ‘the dream team’ as we became known was the brain child originally of the lovely Malcolm Mckinol who had a weekend workout in Durham and he booked myself, Kerry Fletcher, Stewart Hardy, Carolyn Robson, Karen Tweed and Kevin Dempsey as tutors. We, as the tutors, also loved this combination of people as it seemed very creative and we all fed off each other. We got invited to do a longer one…just like the ones we do now which are called a week but actually are three full days arriving the night before the first full day and leaving on the morning after the last day. It feels like a week but technically it isn’t. That first longer one was in Northamptonshire and for an organisation that none of us knew. It was not a happy partnership and we were not invited back or indeed wanted to return ….but the opportunity of doing it at Halsway came up. Brilliant. It is as much made by the venue and location as it is by the heady mix of tutors and participants. I love Halsway Manor can’t you tell?

We have learnt over the years now not to thrash our participants too hard. This still leaves some wanting more but on the whole leaves others satisfied with what they get without reaching total burn out. One of the things that makes this summer school different from all others is the large group ensemble where we put together a large group piece that features song, music and dance. It would be fair to say that not everyone likes this as it can feel chaotic when you are sorting things out and some people can be sat around doing nothing for short period of time. But it is unique as far as I am aware and it really brings everyone together in a shared creative experience so we keep doing it our way and adjusting as we go along to make sure enough time is spent on everything. We read all our feedback and incorporate what we can in to the program. Reading this years there is no doubt that we can’t fit in all the suggestions in even if we completely changed the program but people do give some very helpful suggestions for ways to improve the overall experience.

I forgot to say that over the years we lost Karen Tweed and Stewart Hardy and gained Paul Hutchinson and Sophie Ball. Our two past dream team members struggled with time and distance and lets face it…Halsway is a long way to go for many people. This year we had a particularly good age range of participants and a lot more people wanting specifically to dance. The other unique thing about the way we run things is people are encouraged to move between groups. You might start with fiddles but feel you want to go and sing or start dancing but want to play accordion. We had a cellist this year who spent most of her time with the accordions . Brilliant. Lots of complimentary accompaniment and counter melody going on.

I drove back from Halsway and it took 5.5. hours of tedious nose to tail driving. The following morning I drove to Glasgow which was five hours of none nose to tail driving and very easy by comparison.

The drive to Glasgow has included a lot of radio four listening which I have enjoyed as it makes me think. Perhaps I’ll share some of that with you next week.