Teaching Youth and Community Choirs (18+)

• All participants must be aged 18+.
• All participants are required to have choral/singing experience and a basic ability to read sheet music.
• When completing your booking form, please include your voice type (e.g. soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and experience.

This 3-day in-person course will allow students to get involved in the following activities:

• Develop your conducting skills through hands-on podium time, conducting your peers and participating as a choir member to gain insights from both perspectives.
• Learn best practices and repertoire selection from leading musicians, leaving inspired and energised for the year ahead.
• Enhance your vocal technique and deepen your understanding of the voice to maximize your choir’s potential.
• Strengthen musicianship skills with engaging games and practical techniques designed to accelerate your choir’s learning.
• Connect and network with like-minded participants in a supportive and collaborative learning environment.

• Scores will be sent out to you 2 weeks in advance of the course.
• Please bring a pencil, eraser, folder and notebook to keep notes for the duration.
• Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a reusable water bottle to keep hydrated throughout.
• We will be in touch ahead of the course to provide any necessary materials or additional preparation requirements.

Alison McNeill

Alison is a Scottish soprano, conductor, and fiddle player with a rich and diverse musical career. A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a Masters in Performance, Alison further honed her craft studying with the late Teresa Berganza in Spain.

Passionate about cross-disciplinary and immersive performances, she draws inspiration from world music and diverse cultures. In a busy and varied career she has performed as a soloist all over the UK, Denmark, Holland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Japan, Pakistan, Kenya, USA and Mexico.

For the past two years, Alison has been Head Judge at Qatar School Choir of the Year Competition in Doha. She looks forward to performances in India, New York, Denmark and Kenya this year.

Find out more about Alison here.

Edward Cohen

In concert, Edward has performed under the baton of Ryan Bancroft, Pierre Boulez, Peter Eotvos, Neeme Jarvi, and Yan Pascal Tortelier, amongst others. His recent concerto appearances have featured works by Beethoven, de Falla, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, and Strauss.

As the pianist for the choruses of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Edward works closely with prominent conductors, including Sir Andrew Davis, Tan Dun, Kristjan Jarvi, Peter Oundjian, and Thomas Sondergard. Other renowned choirs he has collaborated with recently include the Edinburgh Festival Chorus with Martyn Brabbins, Gustavo Dudamel, and Daniel Harding, the National Youth Choir of Scotland with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus with Richard Egarr and Emmanuel Krivine. Edward has also played for masterclasses given by Nicola Benedetti, Karen Cargill, Malcolm Martineau, Janos Starker, and David Watkin.

Find out more about Edward here.

Sarah Skerritt

Sarah graduated with BMus (Hons.) from the D.I.T. Conservatory of Music in Vocal Pedagogy.

In September 2014, she relocated to Hungary in order to attend the Kodály Institute, Kecskemét. There, she received a diploma in Advanced Choral Conducting (Highest Honours).
She completed her MA (Kodály Music Pedagogy) and graduated with distinction in 2015. That year, she also worked with Tenso European Chamber choir.

A recipient of the esteemed Bacon-Erdei Scholarship, Sarah was invited to conduct educational research in Budapest in 2016.

She completed her PDGE at Strathclyde University (Secondary Music) in 2017.

Currently, Sarah is a Teacher of Music with East Renfrewshire Council, lectures at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Early Years, Musicianship) and works with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra as Musicianship Tutor.

Summer Accommodation

We are pleased to welcome students from across the world to our Summer Schools. Our course fees do not include accommodation or food, and these should be organised by the student. Our campus is located in Glasgow city centre, and you can find the addresses below.

We recommend Base Glasgow, as purpose-built accommodation for Conservatoire students, with Rehearsal Rooms, Practice spaces and Dance Studios. Base Glasgow is perfectly suited for our summer school students; both safe and secure, with 24/7 staff presence and only 3 mins walk from our main Renfrew Street building, keeping travel costs to a minimum.

Classic En-Suite rooms come with a 3/4 bed, en-suite bathroom, ample storage, mirror, study desk and chair. The shared area includes a spacious lounge and kitchen area.

Please note that Short Courses staff are not affiliated with BASE or on site outwith the summer school teaching hours, and therefore cannot take responsibility for students outside of these hours.

For more information about booking accommodation at BASE Glasgow you can contact them directly via website BASE – Student Accommodation in Glasgow or email baseglasgow@herestudents.com.

Alternatively, there are plenty of hotels, hostels, and b’n’b options available. We are located close to transport links should you wish to stay outside the city centre. If you are travelling to Glasgow for a course, we strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance that covers course fees, travel, accommodation, and cancellations due to COVID-19 – as RCS will not refund in this circumstance. You can view the Cancellations and Refund policy for full information.

For students under 18 years old, we strongly advise travelling with a responsible adult should any emergency situations arise during class. Students are only monitored by staff during class times.

Renfrew Street Campus: 100 Renfrew Street, Glasgow, G2 3DB
Wallace Studios Campus: 210 Garscube Road, Glasgow, G4 9RR