Recital Awards

Recital Awards: How they work
 
COfO courses are non-competitive. We aim to help you succeed by assessing
your standard, progress, and potential, building on your strengths and helping
you address weaknesses. Our tutors are absolutely committed to helping you be
the best musician you can be.
 
Who are the awards for?
 
Some students at the right stage of their study, whom tutors feel might benefit
from the experience of preparing for public performance, will be offered Recital
Awards. However, we offer these awards provisionally to most of our students –
usually those who are under 18. This is because we understand that a student’s
regular tutor may have plans for study that would be compromised by recital
preparation. In some cases, a teacher may feel that a recital would be
counterproductive to progress, or parents may not be happy for a student to
undertake a public performance yet. Even if you have left school we would urge
you to have a chat with your teacher before accepting. Your overall musical
development is more important at this stage than any one recital.
 
Safeguarding
 
If you are under 18, some venues may insist that you be accompanied by an
adult, due to safeguarding rules. That is something you will need to ascertain
upon contacting the venue. COfO also makes no guarantees regarding
safeguarding status at these venues, although they all should have robust
policies in place. If you have questions or concerns, you should contact the
venue directly about their safeguarding policy.
 
Travel costs
 
Students and any accompanying adults are responsible for their own travel
costs. However, if the cost of travel makes it prohibitive for you to
accept a recital, please contact us. We can help!
 
The process
 
We write to you and, if applicable, to your parents and tutor about your
provisional award. Assuming that your teachers and parents are happy, it will then be
upto you to contact the venue, saying that you are the recipient of this year’s
Creative Oundle for Organists recital award. We no longer automatically give
your contact details to venues, due to Data Protection issues, so it may up to you
to make the initial contact, or to allow us to share your details.
You can then work out a mutually convenient time for the recital to take place,
and find out what the programme requirements are. The recital does not have to
be within the next year, necessarily, if a date can’t be found that suits. We at
COfO bow out of the process of arranging the date, unless you are having
difficulty or need advice. Do get in touch with us if you don’t receive a
​response from the venue, for example. Emails sometimes do go astray.
We’re always happy to help if need be. Emails regarding recitals awards should
be sent to courses@oundlecreative.co.uk or Ann Elise at
annelise@creativeoundle.co.uk
 
How else we support you
 
Good preparation for a recital is obviously crucial. We provide our students with
advice about programme planning and about liaising with venues in a professional manner.