Courses and Groups 2024

Take a look at the details of current courses and groups available, please book via email to the office.

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Courses

Music Appreciation with Ian Lowes

Shostakovich, Puppet or Dissident?

September 18th to November 27th (half term: October 30th)

Venue: St. Swithun's Church vestry, N. Allington, Bridport DT65DU
10 week course: £100 ; pay as you go: £12

Do you have a curiosity to learn more about musical style, genre, backgrounds of great works, the lives of Composers, instruments, the History of Music and non Western traditions?
This course is for you!
Come along and enter the dialogue or simply enjoy listening to great works and lesser known gems.
Enjoy a hot drink and a piece of cake during the halfway break, make new friends and develop your knowledge.

Ian Lowes standing in front of a group

The Dorset Folk Project

We are so proud of the DRMS Folk series with our Patron, Tim Laycock, Colin Thompson, Ruth Thompson, Alastair Simpson and Friends . . . . .
Join us for these special evenings and become ‘part of the family.’

Traditional Folk Tunes from Dorset and Beyond

Folk Session

Monthly sessions in Maiden Newton, resuming in October, 2024.
Venue :
The Chalk and Cheese, 53, Dorchester Road, Maiden Newton DT2OBD
Book with the DRMS office: drmsblandford@gmail.com or simply arrive on the day.
There is no charge for these sessions, donations always appreciated.

Join Colin and Ruth Thompson for this ever popular session from 5pm – 8pm.
All levels most welcome.

Two folk musicians, one with fiddle, look at open book
Looking at Ben Rose's tune book, Photographer. Delphine Jones

Baroque Academy

Baroque Academy will recommence in the Spring of 2025.

Venue: Dorset Rural Music school

Journey back through time to the Baroque era, travelling to central Europe to meet the musicians that shaped the time and influenced the composers that followed them. Each lecture is a fascinating yet digestible exploration of the innovative, inspiring and occasionally bonkers world of Baroque music. Told with a mixture of sincerity and humour by music historian and professional Baroque Violinist, Emma-Marie Kabanova, they examine music of Bach, Biber, Telemann and others in its social, political and artistic context. The lectures are suitable for all, with or without musical experience or prior knowledge of Baroque music. 

Woman holding violin stands alone in hall
Emma-Marie Kabanova
2025 Lectures, Thursdays, 7pm – 8.30pm

Venue: The Dorset Rural Music School, DT11 7HA

Six week courses: £60, Pay as You Go: £15

Tea and Coffee

Next course to be announced late Autumn, 

please register an interest in becoming a member of the Academy by email:

drmsblandford@gmail.com

 

Choral Day Courses at the Dorset Rural Music School

Autumn 2024, date soon to be confirmed.
£25 including bespoke booklet, tea and biscuits

10.30am - 1pm: Morning note-learning in the Dorset Rural Music School

Lunch

2pm - 3.30pm : Afternoon session in the Methodist church opposite the school.

Tea

4pm : Run through performance for friends, family and visitors.

Dr Chris Price, until recently a senior lay clerk at Canterbury Cathedral and much in demand as a choral director, returns to DRMS for another foray into the fascinating world of English Glees and Catches of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Singers and players are invited to join us to explore examples (convivial, affecting, satirical or downright bawdy) from Chris’s extensive collection.

Express an interest via email to the office, providing your contact details and voice part.

drmsblandford@gmail.com

Sing for Pleasure

Mondays during term time : 6pm - 7.30pm

Spring term 1st session: 8th January, 2024

Venue: Dorset Rural Music School. £5 on the door
£5 on the door including tea and biscuits.

Directed by our Singing Teacher, Felicity Goodman, our fabulous Sing for Pleasure choir enjoys a varied repertoire, from Early Music through to Musical Theatre.

No need to read music, absolutely everyone warmly welcomed.

Choir singing in church

Samba in Shroton.

Venue: Shroton Village Hall, DT118QB

email DRMS office for further information on Autumn dates . . . .

Join our thriving Samba group and become part of The Rhythm of Life ! This weekly session is fun for all ages and abilities.

Samba is a fantastic opportunity to develop coordination, hone your concentration and challenge your brain! (also excellent for muscle toning 🙂 

This vibrant group continues to grow in popularity and is a great hit with families . . . fun, healthy and at times hilarious, we (literally) climb mountains to perform and have a good time.
You really should give this a go!

Samba class in cheerful bunting-clad hall

Emma and the Magic Bag.

Early Years 0 -4 yrs
Fridays: 9.30am -10.30am

Autumn 2024 sessions beginning soon
6 week sign up: £42. Drop in: £9 per session (concessions available)
Venue: Shroton Village Hall postcode DT118QB

Every child responds to music; it touches every aspect of child development – motor skills (eg marching, dancing, beating a drum), speech development (eg experimenting with new sounds, listening, repeating, pitch, rhythm), social skills (eg sharing, turn taking, eye contact). 

Cheerful group leader Emma holds up magic bag and smiles

Emma, our Director of Early Years provision, runs a group where every child is listened to, and each child’s needs are recognised.

The group sessions are as much child-led (to give the children confidence that their contributions and creativity matter) as led by Emma. This all sounds very dry, but Emma believes we learn when we’re having fun. Fun and nonsense are an integral part of the sessions and each child is encouraged to join in at their own pace. Group experiences were a normal part of pre-school life pre-lockdown. Now, more than ever, the group experience is vital and a wonderful way to prepare children for Primary School. All welcome.

Facebook Emma and the Magic Bag for videos and to see what nonsense she does!

Breathe

Spring 2025
Please email DRMS office to express an interest.
Friday mornings, 11am.

Venue: Zoom (provided by DRMS)

5 week course : £40

Zoom group to strengthen your breathing and develop your voice, addressing pulmonary conditions and reducing anxiety.
We are so excited that this highly successful and ever popular course, acknowledged by the NHS, is running with DRMS.
Sign up for these transformative sessions. This course should surely be a must have for all of us.

Relaxing picture of a woman walking barefoot in the sand

Fairy Tales and Legends. Ages 5 - 8 yrs.

Venue: Dorset Rural Music School : 9.00am - 10.00am Wednesdays.

Perfect for Home Schooled children

These sessions will resume from 6th November 2024.

£50 for a 5 week progressive and developmental course. please register via email (5 x week Courses rolling out across 2024)

Landscape with castle

Fly away on a magic carpet!

Come along with your youngsters to help them develop their coordination, concentration, counting, confidence, and have lots of fun banging drums, pots and pans!
Led by our superb Early Years specialist, Emma House, these brilliant and progressive sessions are such a unique detail for children to enjoy. 

Afterwards we will wind down with stories. These storytelling sessions are guaranteed to ignite imagination whilst also developing listening skills . . . . 
Meet Aladdin, Scheherezade, Little Red Riding Hood… This is a treat for young children and their parent/carer to have their first introduction to Music and the spoken word.

Make friends and discover new soundscapes . 

For any enquiries or to sign up, please email or call the office