Sound and Music Summer School for Young Composers
*Applications for Summer School 2023 have been extended and are now open until 27 April 2023.*
The Sound and Music Summer School is a residential course that gives you the opportunity to explore your musical creativity over six days at The Purcell School. Whether you create in a DAW, with a band, use notation, improvise or are curious about experimenting with creating music, we will support you to bring your creative ideas to life with the guidance of expert tutors from a range of musical genres.
Now in our 15th year, we’re proud of the creative community we’ve fostered at the Summer School, and in the past have invited alumni to contribute to our Minute of Listening music catalogue and feature in the British Music Collection. Read more about what past Summer School attendees are working on now on our alumni page and get inspired!
The Summer School is proud to host a diverse community of young music-makers and we are committed to fostering an environment that is firmly anti-racist, accessible to those with disabilities, LGBTQ+ supportive and gender-diverse.
How does it work?
Be inspired by professional composers in group and 1:1 tuition, meet like-minded young music-makers from across the country and experience music-making without bounds, with access to resources including recording studios, industry standard equipment and computers. The week culminates in the performance of an original piece of music you have composed, with all students later provided with a high-quality, professionally mixed and mastered recording of their piece.
Who is it for?
The Sound and Music Summer School is for young composers and creative musicians aged 14-18. You need to be a UK resident or a UK citizen living overseas. As this is such a unique week, we may give priority to people who haven’t been before over those who have attended previous Summer Schools.
We are committed to being inclusive of young D/deaf and disabled people, and anyone with access requirements. You are welcome to get in touch at any stage of the application process to have a chat about how we can best support you to make the most of the week. For more details about accessibility and the support we offer, please visit our Access and Support page.
Where and when?
The course will take place from 30 July – 4 August 2023 at the Purcell School, a specialist music school located in the town of Bushey, South Hertfordshire. We are committed to supporting students living further away with the logistics of travelling to the Summer School.
How much is it?
The costs of Summer School places are heavily subsidised. We ask those who can to pay £500 to attend the Sound and Music Summer School, which covers all tutoring, accommodation, food and activities. However, we are determined that everyone who is accepted on the course should be able to attend regardless of financial circumstances.
We have a substantial number of means-tested bursaries and split-payment schemes on offer, including generous support from our partners Faber Music. You can indicate if you’d like support as part of the application form. The actual cost of each place to Sound and Music is much higher, but as a charity we take on the majority of the costs. If you would like to contribute more this would be gratefully received, but will not affect the outcome of any application.
How do I apply?
Visit the Sound and Music website for full information and to apply.
Deadline: 23:59 on 27 April 2023.
Local Time
- Timezone: America/New_York
- Date: Jul 30 2023 - Aug 04 2023
- Time: All day