We have now sold out!
But - there may well be some people who drop out,
so please click "book now" to put your name
on our waiting list.
We'll keep you informed of any drop - outs until after all the balances are paid.
Song of the week
Stand Still
This is a poem by Sue, set to a found tune, which we recorded together (remotely) last year
28th May - 1st June
Manor Buildings, Park Lane, Ashington, Nr Pulborough RH20 3AW
Like you, we're desperate to get together with our music friends, and would really love to be able to offer one of our Three Days in May courses. Obviously there are many reasons not to, but we feel that if we are ever to gather again, someone has to be bold enough to take the first steps.
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We've switched to a venue where we can spend most of our time out of doors (it is the end of May remember!)
and accommodation will be your own tent or camper.
We're keeping it small - limited to 30 which means that we have to share the amenity costs between a smaller number, but we are going to include full catering, so that we can fully immerse ourselves in the music.
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And there will be loads of that - We'll have three hours of tuition in the morning and one and a half in the afternoon, with a forty five minute recap. just before cocktails and dinner.
Did I say cocktails? Well, I'll bring a bottle or two, and if you have a favourite tipple you'd like to share,
we'll manage quite a reasonable bar.
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How much does it cost?
Given the uncertainty of the situation, we don't want you to book up fully now, but we would like to ask you to put in £25 as (non-refundable) kickstart cash which will reserve your place, and help fund us to get all our ducks in row, so that once we feel it's going to be OK to go ahead, we can move swiftly to do so.
Total cost is £285, but we'll only ask you for the balance (£260) when we confirm that we can proceed.
If we have to cancel after that, all of that balance will be returned.
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If at the end of all this, we still can't go ahead in May, we'll try to offer it later in the summer.
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Please check out the FAQs too.
8 Reasons Why you would love to go on our Singing Residential
It will be run in the open, and you would be camping/ glamping/ caravanning/ campervanning it for the duration of Three Days in May. We will sing in and idyllic spot in the rural Sussex in airy barns and outside in dizzyingly-beautiful harmony with the wildlife surrounding us. Or that’s the aim. Here are 8 reasons why you want to come along to our singing residential:
Back to Nature
Surrounding yourself with the green stuff has recently been proven to be good for us but we’ve always known this.
Someone dreamt up the term and hobby of ‘forest bathing’ in recent years but we’ve all learnt that a bit of a walk around
somewhere not choked with traffic does us the power of good. Our course is set in a beautiful green spot and you will
relax almost instantly.
Life-affirming innit?
That’s right. Everyone you meet on this course is bound to be pretty great. Being singers, they tend to be empathetic and
hold similar values to yours. That’s why being on this course will be so good for you. You will very probably finally have it
confirmed to you that you are, in fact, RIGHT about everything. It’s the rest of them who’ve got it wrong. You are
beautiful and clever. You are going to meet people who will confirm this for you emphatically.
Good for your mental elf
Google it – go on. T’internet says singing is very good for your head. But you already know this, of course, because you are
right about everything and clever. Studies from The University of East Anglia and Bupa...and loads of others have
confirmed that it improves our positive outlook on life, brings a sense of togetherness (who’d have thought we’d need
that?) and makes us feel great from top to toe. It reduces that stuff called cortisol (responsible for stress) and releases
other natural happy chemicals in us. Hurrah! Because we’ll be naturally and healthily balanced, we’ll have room for a little
alcohol if you like that: we have fostered the tradition of cocktail hour every evening before dinner at ‘Three Days in May’.
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Let someone else cook!
We are going to bring in a fabulous cook who will concoct gorgeous homemade nourishing lunches and dinners just for
you. That’s the plan. We’ve done it before and it worked rather well. No trying to create Sea bass and homemade
hollandaise in a non-stick pan on your precariously balanced camping gaz contraption. That would be stressful. We’re not
doing stress.
Erika
Thinking and erm…learning
This course is not just about singing a jolly song and then moving on. It aims to make you a more reflective, confident
singer, whether you feel you might be singing with a small group after this course, singing in a choir or starting your own
solo career. The emphasis will be on singing rather than theory but there will be pause for thought about tone, volume,
finding your comfortable range, blending with others.
Branching out
You may want to see if there is a song-writer in you. Surely , everyone has a story to tell? Or perhaps you would like to
know more about how playing in a band? There will be opportunities to have a go at song-writing and even to form a
scratch band so that you can experience (and get advice about) honing your performance. Sue has been running a
successful song-writing course for a year and has some great creative ideas for getting you started here. This is entirely
optional.
Calorie-burner!
My sources tell me that singing standing up burns at least 100 calories an hour. The same as light housework or some
yoga. There you go – the perfect excuse to run away from the housework! I don’t know if any serious studies have been
done, but it sounds true to me! I always go a bit pink after singing and my heart rate goes up a bit. Sometimes I feel a bit
thirsty and have to have half a cider, which probably negates the calorie-burner theory, actually. Darnit.
I may be biased. But we will be very nice to you. That is not to say that we will not put you slightly out of your comfort
zone from time to time. We’ve done Three Days in May twice now and here are some of the things people said:
“Thoroughly enjoyable workshop, great experience and great people
Thank you for reading, friends. Stay safe and cheerful if you can.
Read about this event and Covid and about the Course Leaders
Programme
Fri 28th May Arrive late afternoon. 6.00 Drinks reception, songs and dinner.
7.00 Dinner
Sat 29th May Self-serve breakfast - Toast, cereal, fruit, Tea & Coffee
Session 1: 9.30 - 12.30 Say hi to your voice, learn a song
Lunch - A light meal - Soup, Quiche, Salad...
Session 2: 2.30 - 4.00 Introduction to songwriting / Elective
Practise time / Teatime
Singing re-cap and Cocktails 5.30
Dinner 7.00
Mon 31st May Breakfast
Session 1: 9.30 - 12.30 Morning chorus - learn songs and sing
Lunch
Session 2: Elective 2.30 - 4.00 Singing while playing / Harmony
Practise time / Teatime
Singing re-cap and Cocktails 5.30
Gala Dinner evening 7.00
Concert
Sun 30th May Breakfast
Session 1: 9.30 - 12.30 Morning chorus - learn songs and sing
Lunch
Session 2: 2.30 - 4.00 Songwriting / Sing harmony without theory
Practise time / Teatime
Singing re-cap and Cocktails 5.30
Dinner 7.00
Tues 1st June Breakfast
Final sing and fond farewells. Please clear site by 12.00
