We have enjoyed a fantastic start to the Autumn Term! It has been brilliant to see so many of you returning for lessons and groups – both on-site and off – and lovely to welcome some new faces to the Music Centre.
KNOW ANYONE WHO IS LOOKING TO LEARN?
We still have some availability for instrumental tuition and limited availability for vocal tuition, so if you are thinking about learning an instrument – or would like to go back to learning – we are welcoming new students.
Over the Summer, we created a series of short clips designed to help you get to know some of our tutors a little better. We asked about their background, experience and approach to teaching, in order to provide a better insight into their specialisms and teaching styles. All of these popular and experienced tutors have availability for lessons this term – and if you would like to find out more about them (in their own words), you can link to the clips below:
Chris Hopgood (Guitar, Banjo & Mandolin) click here
Stephen Kenyon (Classical Guitar) click here
Laura Reid (Cello & Piano) click here
Andrew Blee (Saxophone) click here
Adam Lamprell (Guitar) click here
We do have lots of other brilliant tutors here at Coda (you can see them all on our website Meet The Coda Team). We offer 20 minute taster sessions for just £5 (subject to availability) in vocal and instrumental tuition – please get in touch if you would like to arrange a trial lesson.
Huge thanks to our creative partner Todd Clark of toddclarkcreative.co.uk for working with us to produce these tutor video clips.
CODA & hArt JOIN FORCES
Coda Music Trust and hArt (Hampshire Art for Recreation and Therapy) are two local charities which share a passion for the power of creativity to support health and wellbeing.
Having established a new partnership, the charities are now working together at Coda’s centre and pooling resources to better help local people as we emerge from the pandemic.
Our creative arts and music services are a lifeline for many, including some of the most vulnerable people in our community and our work has played a vital part in responding to the pandemic. This new partnership is a natural extension of our existing services and will enable us to increase our capacity to work with local people.
For more information about hArt, visit www.hart.works
The New Milton Advertiser and Lymington Times visited Coda Music Centre to speak to Phil (Coda) and Annie (hArt) about this new partnership. To read the feature click here
THE CODA SOCIAL CAFE
It is with great excitement that we welcome back the coffee machine this term and re-open the Coda Social Cafe.
The cafe is now open from 3.30 to 6.30pm (Monday to Thursday), and is run by our fabulous volunteer, Lucy, who will be on-hand to deliver barista-made coffees, hot chocolates and a variety of teas, alongside a tempting selection of cakes and snacks.
The Coda Social is a warm and welcoming space with free WiFi – much nicer than staying in your car (especially over the Winter months) – so please come in, relax and treat yourself to a hot drink while you wait. Don’t worry if you don’t carry cash – we even have a card reader now, so can take card payments!
THE CODA FIDDLE ORCHESTRA
The Coda Fiddle Orchestra is back – with a new home and new leaders!
The orchestra now meets on a Saturday morning at ‘Creative Kids’ in Boscombe, which is an ideal location within The Sovereign Shopping Centre.
The CFO is now led by Fiona McKinley and Matthew Fairman and, although Jack Maguire has now retired as Director, he remains ‘Honorary Advisor’ so the orchestra continues to benefit from his experience and expertise.
With its mission to help children and young people of all backgrounds reach their musical potential, this participatory community music project has continued to grow from strength-to-strength over the years and now provides violin tuition and performance opportunities for over 50 children and young people.
Over the Summer, the fiddle orchestra played at Christchurch Bandstand as part of ‘Festival Live’ and Kings Park as part of the ‘World of Love’ Festival. Looking ahead, players from the orchestra will take part in the annual Bournemouth Music Competition in Boscombe in October and the CFO will perform its annual Christmas concert at St Peter’s Church at 11am on Saturday 11th December.
TRINITY EXAMS
For anyone planning to take Trinity Exams in December, just a reminder that the closing date for submitting exam application forms is 1st October.
Covid cases are still being reported locally, especially among school-age students, so we will continue to keep some safety measures in place this term (optional masks, sanitiser, ventilation and screens).
If you have tested positive on a lateral flow test or have any of the symptoms of Covid, please do not come to the music centre. Get in touch and we will be happy to arrange for your lesson to be delivered online or advise your tutor that you will not be attending.
We’ll be back in touch very soon with news of a Christmas Quiz, new courses (including a Beginners Ukulele course and a brand new Beginners Music Theory course) … and lots more, once details are all confirmed!
