International Piano Summer School
Sunday 3rd August to Saturday 9th August 2025
Young pianists aged 10 – 18 will develop the skills required for the 21st century classical pianist and will explore a wide range of genres including piano duets, chamber music (advanced players), piano accompaniment and jazz.
We would recommend that pianists have reached grade 5 standard, have a desire to try different areas of music making and are open to new ideas.
Musical Opportunities
In today’s world of music, the opportunities for careers in piano are vast and nuanced, and our week is designed to give you a taste of where your piano skills can take you: on stage as a classical pianist, accompanist, as a member of an ensemble or being part of an orchestra are just a few examples. We hope you will join our summer school and see for yourself which genre would best match your skill set and, importantly, which area you love most! Our course will include masterclasses, tutor and pupil concerts and the opportunity to give solo performances on our Steinway grand piano in Cedars Hall, our state-of-the-art concert hall.
You will have opportunities to perform regardless of your skill level, but the highlight will be the end of the week concert that is open to family and friends. Whilst we encourage everyone to take part in all performances and activities, we will not force anyone to participate if they do not want to do so for whatever reason. Please also note that the selection of performers for the masterclass and final concert is at the discretion of the teaching staff. However, we hope our friendly and accepting community will lead all musicians to take part, even if it is slightly outside of their normal comfort zone!
Other Activities
Even professional musicians need a break from their instruments! With Wells Cathedral School’s outstanding facilities, you’ll have a range of activities to enjoy when you’re not making music…
Meet Our World-Class Staff
Piano Co-ordinator
About our Course Tutors
Course tutors will generally be either full- or part-time teaching staff of Wells Cathedral School, a government-recognised specialist music school that is known for its quality teaching and musical opportunities for pre-professional musicians. However, should our staff be unavailable for our piano summer school, we will appoint music teachers of a comparable calibre to teach courses.
A Typical Day
7.30am: Wake up call for boarders
8.00am: Breakfast
8.30am: Registration in Cedars Hall for both day and boarding students
9.00am: Lesson
9.45am: Practice
10.30am: Break
11.00am: Group class
11.45am: Lesson
12.30pm: Lunch
1.15pm: Piano duets with a difference
2.45pm: Activities – sport, swimming, shopping, etc
4.30pm: Musicianship class
6.00pm: Supper
6.45pm: Performance platform / concert
7.45pm: Day pupils depart
8.00pm: Boarders activities
9.30pm: Bedtime routine begins (age dependent)
Fees
The course costs £1195 for boarding and £955 for day pupils (including meals – lunch/dinner for day). We have frozen our 2024 course fee but VAT has been added in line with new regulations. You will save 10% off of these fees if you book by 31st January 2025.
A deposit of 25% of the course fee is required to reserve your place, with the balance due on 9th May 2025. Bookings made after the 9th May 2025 must be accompanied by the full fee for the course. Please note deposits are non-refundable.
Discounts
If you book one of our Holiday Music Schools 2025, you are eligible for a £50 discount off the cost of each additional Holiday Music School 2025 course you book. This can be applied across siblings or for one child who takes part in more than one course in 2025. Please use the discount code “HOLIDAYMUSIC50” on your application form for each additional course you book (the full price will be required for the first booked course).
How to Apply
We recommend that you have the following information available before starting our booking process:
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Details about your child’s musical history, including feedback from your child’s music teacher, if applicable
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Payment card details (please note, if you wish to pay by childcare vouchers, please contact us BEFORE filling out the form).
