Our beloved Folk Summer School is back for 2025. There’ll be music, dance and song – for adults of all abilities – led by a crack team of tutors who have detailed knowledge and extensive experience of a wide spectrum of folk music. Throughout the week, you will develop your skills and put them into practice, working towards a full-group ensemble piece which includes the whole summer school cohort – the ‘Big Ensemble’; it’s a powerful way of bringing everything and everyone together in one shared experience, allowing you to learn about how to structure a performance, work together, use all levels of skills (in small and large groups), and create something that’s amazing and all-inclusive.
“Friendly and welcoming group of people, plenty of laughs, energetic dancing and really enjoyable sessions in the bar afterwards!” Participant
How the days are structured:
Who is it for?
Our adult Summer School is ideal for singers, dancers and musicians who would like to spend some time in small groups learning new songs, dances, tunes and techniques, and who are interested in ‘Bringing it Together’ as a large ensemble.
Instrumental and song classes are for different levels of experience (with the exception of complete beginners – you need to have a good grasp of your instrument[s]). Dancers and singers from beginners to experienced will be welcome. There’ll be something for everyone and you will be challenged comfortably at your own level.
Some groups have more specific requirements – see below for additional notes.
Guitar with Kevin Dempsey- players should consider themselves to be intermediate-standard and above, and notation will be provided, though if you are quick to pick up tunes by ear, you will be able to take part in this class
Accordion with Paul Hutchinson – you will need to be a confident sight reader.
Singers with Kirsty Martin – everyone welcome. Songs will primarily be taught by ear, with lyric sheets and scores provided for some of the songs.
Dance with Kerry Fletcher – everyone welcome. Bring comfortable clothes for moving in and your dancing shoes or boots, if you have some, or any shoes or boots you will feel comfortable dancing in if not.
Fiddle with Sophy Ball – for improvers to advanced fiddlers, with or without notation reading skills.
Mixed Instrument Group with Jo Freya – as long as you can play at least a few simple tunes on your instrument already, you will be welcome in this group. Tunes will be taught by ear and with notation, with some simplified parts available. The tunes will not be too difficult as the emphasis will be on playing well together and examining melodic and rhythmic content.
The Team
Sophy Ball is a fiddle player who encompasses a huge variety of styles, performing and teaching tunes from America, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and her native North East of England. An experienced workshop leader and teacher, she has been a co-director of the Folkworks’ Youth Summer School with Kathryn Tickell. She also performs in The Northlands with Alistair Anderson, the Andy May Trio and Bottle Bank Band with Stewart Hardy. She was a founder member of The Pack and 422, with whom she won the Young Folk Award in 1999.
Kevin Dempsey is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and performer, and has played everything from solo gigs right up to 26-piece big band! His wide experience shows in his versatility and ability to turn his hand, and guitar, to many different styles and genres and, for a long time, he has been sought out by other musicians. He is currently touring as a solo artist, in a duo with Jacqui McShee (Pentangle), and in The Kevin Dempsey Trio with Joe Broughton and Tom Chapman (UFQ). Kev has been a mainstay of our Summer School, and has also tutored at our Guitar Study Week.
Kerry Fletcher is a traditional dancer, performer, choreographer and teacher of many styles who works as a community folk dance artist specialising in English, European and American dance, both percussive and social. Kerry is Co-Artistic Director of Folk Dance Remixed and is passionate about both traditional dance and making folk dance relevant to today’s society. She encourages those new to folk dance to share her enthusiasm and creates new performance work inspired by the tradition.
Jo Freya has been singing and playing traditional folk music since her childhood. As well as being a highly effective workshop leader and teacher in music, dance, voice and composition, she is also a charismatic performer with many high profile folk artists including Blowzabella and Coope, Simpson, Fraser, Freya, Boyes in their work with author Michael Morpurgo. Jo is currently Artistic Director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble.
Paul Hutchinson studied piano and church organ before being persuaded at the age of 17 to take up the accordion and form a ceilidh band. Since then he’s become one of the best-known and in demand players on the folk scene – in the UK and beyond. Paul is a regular tutor and musician at Halsway Manor.
Kirsty Martin is a composer, workshop leader and choral director based in Brighton and working internationally. Her community choir of 25 years – Hullabaloo Quire – are leading choral collaborators in the contemporary folk world and have worked with Oysterband, O’Hooley and Tidow, Grace Petrie, Lucy Ward, The Unthanks, Jo Freya and many more. Kirsty is known for her polyrhythmic compositions, her fun-to-sing, innovative arrangements and her skillful and humorous teaching style.