National Strings: Julius (14)

National Strings: August 2021

The National Strings chamber music course in August 2021 was very enjoyable and has had many positive outcomes for me. The course has increased my musical skills in many branches: in particular, it has massively improved my skills in playing in groups.

In my quartet we played the Smetana quartet, which has a beautiful feel, and the amazing tutors helped us to feel the piece fully. As a result, I am now more confident playing in chamber groups with other very high-level musicians. This is something for which I have not had much opportunity previously.

We also worked on solo pieces in sessions with Rebecca, the professional accompanist, and my teacher, Vanessa. This greatly helped me to improve on my piece, a Schumann violin sonata, as I could put what I had practised and learnt from my violin lesson into my session with Rebecca. This was especially helpful as Covid-19 had restricted my ability to play my pieces with a pianist. After I perfected my piece, I got to perform it in front of the other people on the course. This helped me to gain greater understanding of the piece and to do more appropriate dynamics, and I learnt how to rehearse better with a pianist.

We had two masterclasses. One was on how to introduce yourself and your piece before you perform it. I realised how important it is to know even just a little about the piece. The other masterclass was on performing a short solo piece. This greatly transformed my piece in ways I could never have imagined.

There were some leisure activities, such as going to the beach, and having a trivia night, which was very entertaining, as you got to socialise with other participants on the course as well as playing music together. I was very happy with my experience, making new friends, having fun, while learning, practising, and playing with them. I was particularly excited to immerse myself in music-making for a few days without distractions, and being able to play alongside older, more accomplished musicians, and learn from their experience and musical understanding. The course also gave me the chance to perform to a live audience, after not being able to do so during lockdown.

Overall, I have enjoyed all aspects of the course, and it has increased my musicality by miles. I am very grateful to the Joan Dickson Chamber Music Fund for making it possible for me to attend the course.

Julius (14)  -  violin