Huntingdonshire Music School Association

Huntingdonshire Music School Association work to raise funding for bursaries for Music School students.  We are fortunate in having a number of benefactors, including the Huntingdon Freemen’s Charity.

Each year we encourage students, and parents/guardians of students under 18, to apply for a bursary.  This is usually the cost of one term’s tuition.  However, we cannot guarantee that funds will always be available.  Each application is treated in the strictest confidence and the details are only know to the Chairman and the Treasurer of the association, and the Director of the Music School.  Application forms are available from the office and we advise students of the details for each year, via the internal music school Leger Lines newsletter.

Please note that some of these benefactors apply restrictions on access to a bursary, for example based on age or home address e.g. for Freemen’s bursaries.  For students who do not fall within the access requirements we are also consider the availability of Association funds to provide bursaries.

The classical guitar ensemble from the Huntingdonshire Music School spent nearly 5 hours recording in Old Hurst at St. Peter’s Church one weekend in March. There’s not much you can do in gloves! Anyway the end result was worth it and we now have a CD for sale (£5) with the proceeds going towards HUMSA and therefore future music-making at the music school.

The tracks include:

• Boureé (Mozart arr K. Marx)
• The Olive Grove - 1) Il Pensieroso 2) L’allegro (Peter Nuttall)
• Contradanza (Ian Gammie)
• Jeux Interdits (Narcisio Yepes arr. Remi Laredo)
• Beginners’ Rag (Susan Sharp)
• Ashokan Farewell (Trad.)
• Arena y Sol (Ian Gammie)
• Sarabande Varieé (G.F. Handel)
• Jamaica Farewell (Trad.)
A sample of the tracks from the CD can be heard on the Music Alley site (used to be the Podcast Music Network).

All of us who go there agree that the Music School is a great place to go to.  However, not a lot of people know about us and what our unique points are.  These include theory and aural lessons as part of the package, as well as your individual tuition; ensembles to play in; etc.

We now need some help with getting the message out there.  The committee have formed a sub-group to look at this and have lots of ideas but are in need of a bit of specialist guidance.  So if you have these skills and could spare a bit of time that would be great.  You will not be asked to do all the work but to tell us what would work.  Also you would be welcome to join in the group to help in a number of ways.  We are currently putting together terms of reference for the group so that you can see what would be involved.