When and where

When/where?

Sessions take place on Saturdays during term time (including the 2 weekends each side of half term) at the St Giles Parish Hall, 161 Benhill Road, Camberwell SE5 (blue & white building between Glebe estate and Brunswick Park); click here for a map. Everything is included for just £1 per member per week, payable when you turn up.

10.30am—11.00am Mini Music 0-3 year olds—with parent or carer: singing, musical games, storytelling, baby percussion, sound exploration.

11.00am—12.00 noon Music Club 4-6 year olds: After a warm up together, each week includes a singing session, a drumming session and a tuned percussion and/or guitar session for every child in a smaller group, before coming back together for whole group singing or playing at the end of the session. This allows children to explore breathing and vocal techniques, rhythm work, instruments (especially percussion), working as a group and individually, listening skills, improvisation and composition.

12.00 noon—1.00pm Juniors 7-9 year olds: Group activities in a wide variety of musical styles, focusing on listening and developing musical skills. Every week includes small group lessons in piano, tuned percussion, guitar, violin, brass, drumming or general music (including some music theory) – you get to do all these in turn - plus a group song or piece. Other percussion, such as steel pans and hand chimes may be included too.

1.30pm—2.30pm Seniors 10-16 year olds: Group activities in a wide variety of musical styles for young people who don’t already play an instrument or sing regularly or want to try something different, focusing on learning new instruments and developing more advanced musical skills. Each week includes small group lessons in piano, tuned percussion, brass, guitar, violin, drumming or ensemble playing, coming back together at the end of the session for a group song or piece. As a Senior, you yourself have significant input into what activities you do.

There is no audition and no need to contact us in advance—just turn up at the appropriate time on Saturday to join in the group sessions.

An adult (usually parent or carer) should come along to fill in a form about you when you first come. These details will be confidential to CCS staff and volunteers who need to know them.

We do not currently offer individual instrument lessons, but as noted above we do teach different instruments in small groups during the course of each session from 7 upwards. This gives all members more chance to try out and continue learning a variety of instruments. This term, we’re aiming to provide worksheets for those who want to practice at home and to help with this, we may be able to loan violins, recorders, mini keyboards, brass instruments or guitars to regular members for a £10 deposit (payable in instalments if you wish), or sell them to you for a small payment each week until the instrument is completely paid for (prices vary for each instrument but are typically between £20 and £50). You need to have been coming for 4 weeks before we will consider loaning you an instrument, and regret we can’t guarantee to do this, as we don’t always have enough instruments to go round—but we’ll do our best.

For the last 18 months, we have run an additional session, but this will NOT run during spring term 2010 because we do not have sufficient funding for it: 2.30pm-3.30pm CCS Music Workshop 11-18 year olds: Group activities in a wide variety of musical styles for young people who already play an instrument or sing regularly, focusing on team working and taking musical skills further. Bring your instrument (or your voice) and decide what you want to play (or sing). Learn better instrumental and vocal techniques. Join with others in jamming and playing around, see what can be achieved with new combinations of instruments. Learn to improvise confidently, compose and arrange music and even record yourself.

Key dates

Spring term runs from 16th January 2010 to 27th March 2010.

Our end of term performance is on Saturday 27th March, and we’ll also be performing at other events: details will follow in our regular newsletters to parents.

Subject to staff availability, there’s no half-term break (we’ll confirm this in plenty of time).

We welcome new members at any time in the term.