The information on this page should help you understand more about the content,
structure and cost of the ICMSS week. If you have further specific questions, however,
please do not
hesitate to contact us by email.
The venue for the ICMSS 2024 is Haileybury School, in Hertfordshire.
ICMSS 2024 will be located entirely on the Haileybury
School campus.
Accommodation is in modern single study bedrooms, a short walk away from
the playing rooms
and dining hall. Some twin rooms are available on request.
Every room has a washbasin and there are separate shared toilet facilities and shared shower areas
comprising spacious individual shower cubicles with doors, as well as shared bath rooms (ie. with a
bath).
All meals will be served in Haileybury's impressive historic dining hall.
Car parking for the week is a short walk from the accommodation, with loading and
unloading directly
outside the accommodation; a few spaces are reserved here for those with mobility needs.
We strongly recommend that participants take advantage of the overnight
accommodation as this
enables them to take maximum advantage of the opportunities to play in the evenings
and
contributes to the social enjoyment of the week.
A special rate has been negotiated which includes meals and accommodation
and this has enabled us to offer the week at a reduced price to all participants. It
is,
therefore, not possible to offer any other rates for participants not wishing to
stay overnight.
Naturally, if a participant wishes purely to use the accommodation provided for the
overnight
storage of their instrument(s), stand, etc, this would be possible.
The price of the Summer School, including all meals, accommodation and tuition, is
£815.
You will need to bring your instrument(s) and a music stand labelled with your name.
Bed
linen is provided in the study bedrooms but you will need to bring your own towels
and
toiletries. If you are travelling a long distance and want to lighten your load, we
can offer a limited number of towels for hire for the week for the sum of £10.
You are guaranteed a minimum of 4 tutored pieces with nearly 4 hours of tuition on
each
piece, spread over 3 sessions during the week.
Most participants prefer to opt for 5 out of a maximum of 6 tutored pieces but if a
participant
would like to have 6, this will be accommodated if at all possible. You will be
given a
choice on your application form.
This is largely up to you and how much playing you would like to do on top of your
tutored pieces during the week.
Participants are actively encouraged to maximise the playing opportunities offered
by the Summer School and playing in informal groups to discover more of the
repertoire is facilitated as much as possible.
Tutored sessions will be in groups ranging from trios to octets and nonets. The
average group size will only be around five. Most participants prefer smaller group
sizes and we do our best to ensure that no-one has a disproportionate
number of large groups, unless specifically requested.
In order to maintain groups at a reasonable size, we appoint additional tutors in
line with the number of applications. Since its launch, following an excellent
response to the Summer School, we have increased the number of tutors from six to
nine.
If this is the case, you are in good company and will undoubtedly be the richer for
having made many musical friends by the end of the week!
As applications are invited from individuals rather than pre-formed groups, many
people start the week knowing few, if any, other participants. The nature of the
Summer School is such that this situation doesn't last for long. There is a communal
area provided where participants can go in their free time, either to have a drink
and socialise, or to join others who are free and wanting to play in whatever
combination of instruments is available.
Applications are invited from individuals only. However, should you wish to play a
piece with other individuals on the course, we will try to accommodate this for one
of your tutored sessions. You will need to indicate this on your application form.
The deadline for applications for the 2024 Summer School is 28 February 2024.
Early application is advised as places for some instruments fill up rapidly.
You will be notified by email that you have either been accepted or placed on a
waiting list (if requested) for your instrument. Immediate payment of the deposit
will be needed to secure this place.
An information booklet containing full details of the tutored sessions and all other
aspects of the week will be sent to participants in June.
A non-returnable deposit of £100 secures your place once you have been accepted
on the Summer School. Payment can be accepted by cheque or, preferably, by direct
bank
transfer. The remainder of the payment, again non-returnable, will be due by 31st
March 2024.
This may seem early for a Summer School run in August but it enables us to know
exact numbers and instruments as early as possible; to optimise the tutored
groups for all participants; to accommodate as many specific requests as possible
and to get the lists of tutored pieces out to everyone in enough time for them to be
able to get to know the pieces before the Summer School starts.
In addition, as the Summer School is self-funding, we cannot confirm our bookings
until the money is in the bank.
We prefer you to pay by direct bank transfer (BACS). Cheques can also be accepted
(made
payable to ICMSS). We regret we cannot accept payment by card.
Should you have a specific query on how to pay, particularly if you do not live in
the United Kingdom, please contact Aileen Lehos on +44 (0)1580 766809
or by email.