Summer School 2026 - Venue - Lytchett Minster School
Our much-loved annual Summer School returns this year for its 13th course, offering an inspiring and immersive musical experience for young orchestral musicians and it's become well known as an excellent and musically inspiring start to the summer holidays.
We accept all orchestral instrumentalists and this includes saxophones and percussionists.
Running over three or five days, for note readers to beyond grade 8 levels, this highly regarded course delivers exceptional-quality tuition at every stage of learning, within a nurturing, supportive, and enjoyable environment. Each year, a team of outstanding professional musicians join us to share their expertise, insight, and passion, leaving participants feeling inspired, motivated, and confident. Our tutors are renowned for their energy, encouragement, and positivity .
The course is bespoke to every participant, with opportunities to perform in both small and large ensembles. These range from chamber music, wind bands, brass ensembles, percussion ensembles, string orchestras, to full symphony orchestras.
We begin the course with icebreakers for our new members and include varied musicianship development activities too alongside group work, all at an exceptional level with a high ratio of staff to young musicians who also perform alongside young musicians to friends and families.
Our dedicated Year 13 musicians are invited to perform a solo with orchestra, providing a memorable and aspirational performance opportunity. Alongside ensemble work, a rich programme of supporting musical activities ensures a broad, engaging, and enjoyable experience for all.
Safe guarding, risk assessments as well as our behaviour policy are also vital elements of our course.
There are concerts during and at the end of the course including year 13 soloists with orchestra concert, end of course main concert and senior day 5 orchestral concert,
There are Music bursaries and grants available for low income families as no child must miss out.
If you would like to hear more music from our summer schools there are a few excerpts on our youtube account as well as on Facebook:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChM6d8qAxBCslxJvuyfN9rQ
We receive much positive feedback from parents and students each year - here are some examples:
"What we as parents appreciated was the absolute commitment, passion, and also sense of fun in the staff who ran the summer school, both administratively and musically. The final concert was relaxed, and yet had a real sense of urgency and a desire to communicate all that they had managed to learn and play together in 3 days."
"Thank you for all your hard work and dedication putting together the summer school. What amazing, inspirational tutors with a super selection of music! The concert was wonderful could really tell the students had learnt lots and enjoyed playing and being together again."
"Wow! What an amazing three days everyone has had. We really can’t thank you and the team enough. Our three have thoroughly enjoyed every day of the summer school, making and sharing music with others once again and in such a beautiful setting too. They all performed brilliantly this afternoon. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Enjoy the rest of the summer"
