Three days of singing in the W. Sussex Downs,
sleeping under starlit skies, with evening cocktails,
fabulous food and great company.
27th May - 31st May
Manor Buildings, Park Lane, Ashington, Nr Pulborough RH20 3AW
We're stepping out again for more singing at Chris and Patrice's gorgeous farm.
Our Bank Holiday "Monday" has been kidnapped by Her Madge this year, but we're still going to lay on a full three days singing. That is, we start on Friday evening with welcome drinks, with singing on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We head home hoarsely on Tuesday morning. Yes - Three full days.
If for any reason you can't stay for the whole three days, then please come for the Friday Saturday and Sunday anyway, and we'll have a special discount for you.
What sort of music is it?
It's mostly Americana / Bluegrass. We're both fans of this style of music, and lots of people are already familiar with it in some form - from folk to country to pop.
Bluegrass has strict rules about vocal parts and it provides a very good way in to learning how harmonies work and how to make your own - as well as providing a good basis for creatively breaking those rules!
The idea is to learn informally, by ear rather than reading music, but mostly to have fun singing together in harmony.
It's open to all, whether you are in a band, a singer - songwriter, or just curious and enthusiastic about singing.
We aim to create a safe, encouraging and empowering environment for everyone to stretch their capabilities as they make new friends and share the joy and balm of music.
What's the place like?
Manor buildings - actually a farm and campsite - is home to our friends and hosts Chris and Patrice and where they put on gigs and other musical gatherings throughout the year.
The camping field offers great views across the valley and is a fantastically inspiring venue for our event.
It's a venue where we can spend most of our time out of doors (Hopefully the weather at the end of May will be as glorious as it was last year!) and accommodation will be your own tent or camper.
We're keeping it small - limited to 40 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.
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.
How much does it cost?
Price For the full three days (Friday eve - Tuesday morning) £295
For Friday - Monday morning only............................................£250
This includes camping, tuition and all your food made by our lovely chef Erika.
8 Reasons Why you would love to go on our Singing Residential
Sue says: It will be run in the open, and you would be camping/ glamping/ caravanning/ campervanning it for the duration of Three Days in May.
Here are 8 reasons why you want to come along to our singing residential:
Back to Nature
We will sing in an 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.
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’.
What's the place like?
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.
Lovely 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.
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.
Programme
Fri 27th May Arrive late afternoon. 6.00 Drinks reception, songs and dinner.
7.00 Dinner
Evening Session
Sat 28th 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
Evening Session
Sun 29th May Breakfast
Session 1: 9.30 - 12.30 Morning chorus - learn songs and sing
Lunch
Session 2: 2.30 - 4.00 More singing!
Session 2: 2.30 - 4.00 Elective options TBA
Practise time / Teatime
Singing re-cap and Cocktails 5.30
Dinner 7.00
Evening Session
Mon 30th May Breakfast
Session 1: 9.30 - 12.30 Morning chorus - learn songs and sing
Lunch
Session 2: 2.30 - 4.00 Yet More singing!
Session 2: 2.30 - 4.00 Elective options TBA
Practise time / Teatime
Singing re-cap and Cocktails 5.30
Dinner 7.00
Evening Session
Tues 31st May Breakfast
Fond farewells and head for home. Please clear the site by 11.30
Booking
Price for the full three days (Fri - Tuesday morning) £295
For Friday - Sunday only............................................... £250
We do have a card payment option, but if you wish to use that, we shall have to pass the charges on (2.5%).
You can pay by BACS without any charges, just scroll down to bookings, and you'll see both options.
If you have to cancel up to 30 days before the event start, you will get a full refund. Because we have to commit to suppliers' contracts, I'm afraid we can't offer refunds after that time.