Young Musicians' Summer School course content

There is nothing quite like playing in an orchestra. So many people, so many parts, all playing together to create one beautiful sound with soaring melodies and beautiful harmonies. You’ll meet new friends and work together with them to develop your listening and ensemble playing skills. Perform music from a variety of genres, including a new piece specially written by a Trinity Laban graduate composer! 

Discover different approaches to writing music and improvisation to create your own music from scratch in a hands-on way. This option is ideal for anyone who is interesting in creating music collaboratively with other musicians and you don’t need to be able to read music to join in. You just need to be able to play any instrument (including voice and music tech), be open to collaborating and performing as part of a group, and have an adventurous spirit!

Explore what it’s like to play in a band, working with other like-minded musicians to create something new. Together you will write and rehearse a shared piece of music, each person bringing their own individual spice into the mix. Led by one of the UK’s most pioneering contemporary music producers, this workshop is aimed at singers, instrumentalists and song-writers keen to expand their horizons as performers. 

Guided by one of the UK’s leading figures of jazz, in these hands-on sessions, you will explore the rhythmic, harmonic and melodic foundations of jazz to help find your own voice while jamming as part of a group. Develop your improvisation skills and experience the rush of making music in the moment. Whether you’ve played lots of jazz, or are curious about developing your interest, this workshop is suitable for all adventurous musicians.

Get your creative ideas flowing for writing for the big screen with expert hints and tips to bring your music to life. You will learn how to use Logic Pro to create your score using samples, record instruments in the studio, and synchronise your music to film clips. So whether you’re an experienced composer, or just starting to write your own music and keen to have a go at creating your own film score, this option is for you.

Explore looping stations with your instrument, voice or anything that makes a noise! Looping is the art of seamlessly recording small sections of music and organising them to create whole arrangements. Looping stations are brilliant for creating repetitive music, but they can also be used to create longer pieces of music with multiple sections – that’s what we’ll explore in these sessions. Using instruments, vocals and samples, you’ll learn how to improvise, arrange and perform your own music using looping stations. 

Who gets to decide what a musical instrument is or what constitutes performance? In these sessions take a hands-on approach to electronic sound, uniting music, craft and science. Experiment making sound with raw electricity and vibrations, guided by sound artist Dirty Electronics. Two large suitcases are filled with wires, loudspeakers and household objects. As the cases are unpacked, a sound installation unfolds. Get your hands dirty assembling a range of sound-making artefacts. Shake the room with deep bass. Prepare loudspeakers with buttons and bottle tops. Make ‘scratch music’ and sparks with a battery, screws and loudspeaker. Resonate a metal coffee pot and tin cans. Create an immersive electromagnetic field and listen in with old radios, amps and coils.

What are the ingredients of a brilliant song? Over a series of sessions, you will get to understand the different components of what makes a good song gel, and then apply this practically to develop your own songwriting ideas. Aimed at anyone already writing their own songs, as well as those keen to explore the creative urge! 

Build your confidence and creative curiosity to make great music digitally. In these sessions collaborate and share ideas as you explore a range of approaches for getting the sounds you want out of the technology at hand. As part of this you will focus on re-inventing a classic dance music track creating beats, loops and stems for the summer school finale piece. Aimed at anyone who enjoys making music digitally or curious to find out more.

Develop your vocal potential, building your confidence, self-awareness and all-round musicianship along the way. You’ll be doing lots of singing, looking at everything from performance and stagecraft to interpretation and collaboration. This workshop is aimed at anyone interested in singing solo, whether that’s fronting a band, performing your own material or singing covers, or tackling classical or musical theatre repertoire.

Get hands-on with rhythm, build performance skills, deepen your understanding of rhythmic fundamentals, and have lots of fun along the way! In this workshop, through collaborative play, guided exercises and engaging games, you’ll explore traditional and unconventional approaches to percussion. Discover new techniques on drums from around the world while developing an understanding of the importance of its culture and history. Whether you’re a drummer or simply curious about rhythm, this workshop is for anyone excited about experimenting, connecting, and expressing yourself through the language of percussion.