Non-residential players and partners/spouses welome.
Starts:
6pm, Friday 19th March 2027
Ends:
2pm, Sunday 21st March 2027
Run by:
Andy Moore
Venue:
De Vere Horsley Estate, Surrey
Whether you’re preparing for your first open mic, developing your skills as a singer-guitarist or looking to take your live performances to the next level, this inspiring residential weekend is designed to help you become a more confident, expressive and engaging musician.
Performance can mean different things to different people. For some, it’s simply having the confidence to get up and play. For others, it’s delivering a song competently, entertaining an audience or learning to adapt to the atmosphere of a room.
Whatever your starting point, our aim is to help you take your music further.
Individual coaching, practical workshops and plenty of opportunities to perform.
At the heart of this weekend are a series of individual mini-masterclasses, where we’ll take the songs, instrumental pieces or original compositions you’ve brought along and explore how to elevate their performance.
Working in front of a supportive group, we’ll look at the areas that can make the biggest difference to your playing and presentation.
These include:
One of the most valuable aspects of the weekend is learning from other people’s performances.
It’s remarkable how often the same musical and performance principles apply to players of completely different abilities. As we work through everyone’s music, the whole group benefits from the coaching, demonstrations and discussions.
You’ll begin to recognise the small changes that can transform a performance — and develop the confidence to apply them yourself.
A dedicated day of vocal development alongside our guitar and performance workshops.
For our 2027 Performance Weekend, we’re planning to welcome a specialist vocal coach who will join us throughout Saturday daytime.
Our guest coach will lead a vocal workshop exploring:
The vocal coaching will complement the guitar and performance masterclasses taking place throughout the weekend, giving singer-guitarists an additional opportunity to develop their skills.
Prefer to concentrate on guitar? That’s absolutely fine. Singing is optional, and instrumental guitarists are equally welcome.
Our guest vocal coach will be with us on Saturday daytime only. The rest of the weekend will focus on guitar playing, individual performance coaching, group music-making and informal evening performances.
Guest vocal coach arrangements are subject to final confirmation.
Friday evening is deliberately relaxed, giving everyone time to settle in, meet the other participants and get comfortable playing together. We’ll begin with group warm-ups, accessible musical exercises and an introduction to some of the performance techniques we’ll explore throughout the weekend.
After dinner, we’ll enjoy an informal open mic evening. It’s an opportunity to share a song or instrumental piece, get to know the group and begin building confidence in a friendly, encouraging environment.
Saturday is our main workshop day, with individual performance coaching, group playing and practical exercises. We’ll work through participants’ chosen songs and instrumental pieces, exploring arrangements, technique, dynamics, stagecraft and musical expression.
Our planned guest vocal coach will also lead a dedicated vocal workshop, providing additional guidance for singers and singer-guitarists.
Throughout the day, there will be opportunities to collaborate on duets, trios and group performances.
After dinner, we’ll enjoy another informal performance evening, where you can put the day’s ideas into practice, experiment with new approaches or simply have fun making music together.
Sunday gives everyone the opportunity to revisit their material and apply what they’ve learned.
We’ll refine arrangements, work on any remaining technical or performance challenges and explore how to make your music more confident and engaging.
There’ll be further opportunities for solo, duo and group performances, with constructive feedback and encouragement throughout.
By the end of the weekend, our aim is for everyone to leave with greater confidence, stronger musical skills and a clearer understanding of how to develop their performances.
Suitable for guitarists and singer-guitarists of all playing levels.
You don’t need previous performance experience or advanced technical ability. However, you should have one or two songs or instrumental pieces that you can play reasonably comfortably when practising by yourself.
You might want to develop:
You can bring several pieces to explore or concentrate on developing the same song throughout the weekend. Both approaches work well.
Taking the leap and performing in front of others can feel daunting, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. This course provides a supportive environment in which to give it a go.
Please bring your guitar, any music or backing tracks you’d like to work with, and a notebook for recording ideas.
We’ll provide practical guidance throughout the weekend, and relevant demonstrations or notes can be recorded where appropriate.
Most importantly, bring a willingness to participate, experiment and enjoy making music with other guitarists.
Our residential package is planned to include:
Non-residential attendance and arrangements for non-playing partners may also be available, subject to confirmation.
Book early and enjoy our 2026 prices for The Art of Performing Weekend.
| Booking Option | Standard Price | Early-Bird Price |
|---|---|---|
| Full Residential Weekend | £545 | £500 |
| Full Non-Residential Weekend | £420 | £380 |
| Sharing Couple | £650 | £610 |
EARLY-BIRD OFFER – SAVE UP TO £45
Book by 31 January 2027 to take advantage of our special early-bird prices.
From 1 February 2027, standard course prices will apply.
Places are limited to approximately 10–14 participants, ensuring everyone has plenty of opportunities to perform, develop their confidence and receive individual attention throughout the weekend.
Early booking is recommended to secure your place.
You can choose to pay the full course fee or secure your place with a deposit, with the remaining balance payable nearer the course date.
De Vere Horsley Estate, East Horsley, Surrey
Set within beautiful Surrey parkland, De Vere Horsley Estate combines historic surroundings with modern accommodation and teaching facilities.
Its peaceful setting provides an ideal environment for a relaxed residential weekend of music, learning and performance.
The venue is conveniently located for access from the M25 and nearby railway stations.
Unlike our online courses, our residential weekends have strictly limited places.