Arts in Education

The annual auditions for the academic year 2008 / 09 were held on Friday 27th June and Monday 7th, Tuesday 8th and Friday 9th July 2008.

All places in Bands, Orchestras and Ensembles have now been filled. If you play an endangered species instrument (Viola, Double Bass, French Horn, Euphonium, Tuba, Oboe or Bassoon) and are interested in joining a performance group it may still be worth contacting Arts in Education on 0116 2700850.

How do I join?   

Arts in Education is the Arts Service of the Leicestershire and Leicester City Education Authorities. As well as tuition, performance and curriculum work in music, dance and drama, we provide performance opportunities in orchestras, bands and ensembles for young people aged from 8 - 19 years.

Currently, there are nine Saturday orchestras and bands as follows

We also offer the following additional music ensembles:

Intermediate Percussion Ensemble - Entry by teacher invitation. (Conditions apply)

Senior Percussion Ensemble - Open to members of senior bands/orchestras by invitation only.

N.B. Students do not need to have passed an examination in order to audition. School years / grades are for general guidance only, these do not guarantee a place in a particular ensemble.

We also offer some groups listed below that do not require an audition.  Entry is by the recommendation or invitation of your teacher and will relate to your age and experience.  Full details of entry to these groups are available from Arts in Education :- Junior Percussion Ensemble, Junior Brass Ensemble, Junior / Senior Steel Pans Ensemble, Senior Harp Ensemble, Junior Woodwind Ensemble and Flute Club.

Free Trombone, Tuba, Euphonium, Viola and French Horn Places 2008/2009

Trombone, Tuba, Euphonium, Viola and French Horn are vital instruments in our groups and players of all these ‘endangered species’ instruments are in short supply.  Arts in Education will offer FREE Trombone, Tuba, Euphonium and Viola places for the academic year 2008/2009 for NEW orchestra or band members. This is an extension of the scheme trialled since 2006 to encourage and support young players of these instruments.  N.B. Please note those students who received a free viola place in 2007/2008 will have free membership in the autumn term 2008 and then will receive a 50% fee discount for the spring and summer terms 2009.  Students who received a subsidised trombone, tuba or euphonium place in 2007/2008 will receive a 50% discount for the full academic year.  FREE places will be offered to all NEW & EXISTING French Horn players for the academic year 2008/2009

By FREE audition.   Auditions are held at the end of the summer term for the following academic year. Auditions for 2008/2009 will take place on Friday 27^th June, Monday 7^th, Tuesday 8^th & Wednesday 9^th July 2008 from 9.00am – 9.00pm. If students are away on these days Arts in Education may be able to arrange an alternative date in exceptional circumstances.  Students audition in front of a panel of at least two members of staff. The audition is unaccompanied and will last approximately ten minutes. The student will be asked to play two, preferably contrasting pieces or studies they know well and have rehearsed thoroughly. All players should be prepared to play scales as appropriate. They will also be asked to perform sight-reading according to age and ability.

As there are a fixed number of places in some groups, competition can be intense, especially for popular instruments. Applications for audition can be made through Arts in Education’s instrumental teachers, by writing to Arts in Education and enclosing an A5 sized stamped addressed envelope for an Audition Request Card, or by visiting www.leics.gov.uk/artsined to download an audition form and either posting or emailing the form to Arts in Education (artsined@leics.gov.uk ). The completed audition form must be returned / emailed to Arts in Education by Friday 16^th May 2008.

If you still require an audition but have not returned your audition request by this deadline, please contact Arts in Education to see if there are any available audition times.

Results will be sent out by Friday 25th July 2008. Replies to invitations to join an ensemble should be returned to Knighton Fields Centre by Monday 11th August 2008. Late returns will be accepted by families who are unable to meet this deadline because they are away at this time, but they must inform us in advance.

All the Orchestras, Bands, Harp Ensembles and Steel Pan Ensembles meet on Saturday mornings and all other ensembles meet on weekday evenings. Rehearsals take place at Knighton Fields Centre - the home of Arts in Education - in Leicester and schools, colleges and centres nearby.

Buses are currently available for all the Saturday morning orchestras and bands for pupils in Leicestershire County and Leicester City Areas for which there is a small termly charge. You will get detailed information when you join. There is no transport available for evening groups.

The fees for 2008/2009 are £61.50 per term for each Saturday morning orchestra or band. The cost to pupils who do not receive instrumental tuition through Arts in Education is £71.50 per term.  The charge for students using the Saturday morning bus transport is £24.00 per term. The fees for other music ensembles are £35.50 per term.

Currently full fee remission is available for pupils whose families are in receipt of

Income Support,

Income Based Jobseekers Allowance,

Support under the Asylum & Immigration Act,

Child Tax Credit and the annual household income is below £15,575 and not in receipt of Working Tax Credit.

All Arts in Education conductors and teachers are highly experienced musicians. We sometimes use other professionals from national orchestras and ensembles to help out as well. Staff are also on hand to give pastoral support.

Once you have joined one of our ensembles we expect you to turn up regularly and on time for rehearsals and to attend any other courses or weekend sessions which are arranged for you. You will be notified about these in good time. We obviously expect you to be available for all performances.

Arts in Education offers some of the most outstanding performance opportunities in the UK. Players get a chance to perform in venues in Leicestershire including the De Montfort Hall. Some orchestras and bands have touring and/or residential opportunities – to Italy and Czechoslovakia, for example – and courses and masterclasses supported by professional musicians.

Playing in an ensemble is the ultimate musical goal of most instrumentalists. Not only does it give enormous satisfaction but also provides the inspiration to achieve even greater instrumental skill. It is also a wonderful chance to make new friends.

We are of course delighted to have pupils who wish to make music their profession whether as a performer, teacher or in a related arts area. Playing in an Arts in Education music ensemble will be an excellent preparation for further study at a higher level and our specialist teaching staff will be able to give you a good idea of the opportunities available to you and the standard required for entry for F.E. courses.     

Yes. We can give advice on instruments for beginners and to pupils who, as they progress, want to buy better instruments. We are able to provide more unusual instruments, contra bassoon for example, on loan to pupils who have to play those instruments for a performance.

We also run a VAT FREE Scheme which enables our pupils to buy instruments free of VAT.  For each instrument purchased we currently charge a £13.50 administrative fee.

Arts in Education also offers music theory lessons as well as performance opportunities in choirs, in dance (ballet, contemporary, and South Asian dance), and in Youth Theatre.

We hope that the above has answered some of your questions. For further information, please ask your instrumental teacher or contact us.