Dust Off & Tune Up is a course designed to support string players who learnt and played at school and
University and want to return to playing.
ABILITY: CONFIDENT, SKILFUL
Resident: £402 Non-Resident: £292 (25% off for under 27s) Code: 26/219
Members priority booking opens at 9am on Tuesday 17 June July.
For details on how to become a Member to take advantage of early booking, see here.
General booking opens at 9am on Friday 11 July.
This course runs from 5.30pm on Friday 17 April to 4pm on Sunday 19 April 2026.
What is the course about?
The 2-night course is designed to enable a stress free, informative and successful return to playing again after a gap following earlier studies (e.g. at school or university). Sessions are devised to revisit, revise and develop your skills from those years.
We will be starting with instrument maintenance and care, move to posture and comfortable holding/sitting positions, and then focus on producing a resonant and attractive sound. Further into the weekend, we will give technique specific, musical interpretation and aural skill sessions for you to use in the future, plus a forum to discuss ideas about where and how you can continue playing.
Some sessions will be for the whole group, e.g. instrument care, warm ups, tone, intonation, creating music, repertoire choice and context, but we will also divide into instrument specific groups for technique sessions.
Tutor(s) website/biog: Hilary Sturt Miranda Francis
What will we cover?
We will be covering a route to return to playing, from the starting point of the instrument (and even the case!), through to interpretation, learning and performing.
The introductory session will involve dusting off & tuning up our instruments, with advice from Nick Evans-Pugh, Head of the Benslow Music Instrument Loan Fund. The next session will concern ergonomic comfort and balance in holding your instrument, through to creating tone and intonation. Miranda Francis will be leading a session on how to use the ear and inner ear in playing and learning.
Once playing (it may be that scales are useful here), we will have sessions on specific techniques and how and where to apply them in repertoire. We will use pieces that you know and new repertoire to help you understand the process of learning and enjoying playing.
The intention of the course is to equip you with the skills and the confidence to return to playing in whatever context you desire.
What will we accomplish? By the end of this course you will be able to…
The strategies and skills gained from this course will give you the confidence and knowledge base to enjoy playing again in whatever context you like.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
You will need to have had a minimum of 3 years one-to-one lessons on your instrument (at any age), and
have an instrument and bow in playing condition. There are no expectations of individual
accomplishment or level.
How will the course be taught, and will any preparation be required?
The course will be taught in a group of like-minded adults in a supportive environment with nine sessions of 75 minutes each. We will be working together in the full group for some sessions and dividing into instrument-specific groups for others. No preparation is required, only that your instrument and bow are in working condition.
Will music be provided in advance of the course?
No music will be provided, but please bring any of your own music that you might like to play again. We
will be reminding you of how much you know – and recovering what has been forgotten! We will also be
looking at new repertoire and discussing choice and context. On the course you are encouraged to make use of the wonderful collection of sheet music in the Benslow Music Library.
Is there anything I need to bring?
Please bring a spare set of strings, notebook and pencil, and any pieces of music that you loved playing.
As the course is intended to support you in returning to playing, and perhaps joining a musical ensemble
(solo, sonata work with a pianist, chamber music, chamber and symphony orchestras), have a think about
what form of music-making you would like to be involved in next.