Welsh Showcase 26th October 2024

Students in Wales! Our Showcase concert this year will be on Saturday 26th October 2024. Once again, we’ll be at Coach House Pianos in Swansea, and many thanks to the Rusling family for hosting us again.

I will give you more detailed arrangements nearer the time, but please keep the date free and think about what you might prepare to perform.

Norfolk Showcase 13th October 2024

Following the success of our Showcase this month, Kit and I have organised one for 13th October. This time, we shall be in St Lawrence’s Centre in South Walsham, and we shall have two separate concerts, one for drums and electronic keyboards, the other for piano. I’ll post details of the exact arrangements nearer the time, but for now you should keep that afternoon and evening free.

From Easter, you should start to think about what you will perform and begin to prepare for this. Don’t forget, it’s informal, it’s friendly, it’s encouraging and it’s helpful! You do not need to be perfect, and mistakes don’t matter. What does matter is sharing our music, listening to and learning from each other and enjoying the occasion.

Showcase 4th February 2024

Congratulations to everyone who performed in the Showcase – you were all brilliant! I mean that, because it doesn’t matter if you played your best or if you know you can play better; and it doesn’t matter if you played a beginner’s piece or an advanced one. What matters, and it’s the only thing that matters, is that you played! Well done!

Kit and I will be organising another Showcase later in the year, so start thinking about another performance.

The audience loved listening to you all, and it was a wonderful opportunity to get together, share our music and hear what everyone else has been doing.

Look out for notifications of the next one!

Ripplingkeys Music Spring, Summer and Autumn Series 2024

The Spring Series 2024 starts on Monday 8th January and finishes on Saturday 23rd March, a total of 10 weeks.

There will be no lessons during the week starting Monday 19th February, unless by prior arrangement.

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The Summer Series 2024 starts on Monday 8th April and finishes on Saturday 10th August, a total of 17 weeks.

There will be no lessons during the week starting Monday 28th May, unless by prior arrangement.

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The Autumn Series 2024 starts on Monday 16th September and finishes on Saturday 21st December, a total of 13 weeks.

There will be no lessons during the week starting Monday 28th October, unless by prior arrangement.

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Please attend all lessons if you can. If there are any dates which you know you won’t be able to make, please let me know as soon as possible. I am often able to reschedule, provided I am given enough notice, although this cannot be guaranteed. I appreciate that some lessons are scheduled during the school holidays. If you are unable to make any of these lessons, I ask again that you let me know in good time so that they can be rescheduled. Unless I have at least six weeks’ notice of absence, lessons will be charged for.

I send my invoices by email during the previous holiday, and they will be for the full Series (dates as above). Payment is due on or before the first lesson of each Series. If you would prefer to set up a Payment Plan, please get in touch, as this can be arranged.

Ripplingkeys Music Autumn Series 2023

The Autumn Series starts on Monday 11th September and will finish on Saturday 23rd December, a total of 14 weeks.

There will be no lessons during the week starting Monday 23rd October, unless by prior arrangement.

Welsh pupils may find their Half Term Week is on different dates, so please note there will be no music lessons during the week beginning Monday 23rd October (unless separately scheduled), and there will be lessons as normal during the week before. If you need to rearrange your lessons due to having a different half term week, please let me know as soon as possible.

The Winter/Spring Series 2024 will begin on Monday 8th January.

Ripplingkeys Music Summer Series 2023

The Summer Series will continue through July and August, as I’ve found that, for most students, it’s far better not to have a six- or seven-week break over the summer months. Instead, I will be taking a two-week break from Monday 28th August until Sunday 10th September inclusive.

I very much hope you will be happy to continue with your music lessons during July and August, but I appreciate that you may be taking holidays yourselves. Could you please let me know any dates you are unavailable? I will of course allow for these in my invoices.

During the first COVID lockdown, we continued with our online lessons throughout the summer (after all, no-one was going anywhere!) and the results were extremely encouraging. I would like to build on this now—although in much nicer and happier circumstances!

This flexible and accommodating partnership between me and my pupils (or their parents) is vitally important to me, so please get back to me if you have any concerns. I would appreciate hearing dates of unavailability, or other matters concerning the Summer Series, before Saturday 15th July. This will give me a chance to organise the calendar before the end of term. Thank you!

Summer Term Update

The second half of the Summer Series 2023 runs from Monday 5th June to Saturday 22nd July, a total of six weeks, and your Summer Series invoice will have accounted for these lessons.

I am available during the last week in July and for most of August if you would prefer not to have a big gap before the Autumn Series begins. Please contact me if you would like to arrange additional lessons over the summer holidays (these do not have to be weekly, and they can be on different days and at different times from the normal term-time schedule.)

You will receive your Autumn Series 2023 invoice during the last week of August.

The Autumn Series will begin on Monday 11th September and will end on Saturday 23rd December 2023. Half Term Week is the week beginning Monday 23rd October. Welsh pupils may find their Half Term Week is on different dates, so please note there will be no music lessons during the week beginning Monday 23rd October (unless separately scheduled), and there will be lessons as normal during the week before. If you need to rearrange your lessons due to having a different half term week, please let me know as soon as possible.

Wednesday 26th April 2023

There will be no lessons on Wednesday 26th April. All pupils scheduled for Wednesday lessons will have these transferred to Saturday 29th or Sunday 30th April. Please contact me to arrange a time.

Thank you!