SJP FAQ onwards
Q. I HAVE A BAND, CAN I MAKE A FESTIVAL SUBMISSION?
A. Because we take most of our festival acts from our summer school faculty we are not taking any submissions from bands, sorry!
NOTE FOLLOWING APPLIES TO 2011 and will be updated in February March 2012
Q. When does the summer school start & finish and what dates does the accommodation cover?
A. Summer school begins at 9.30am on july 19, 2011 and ends on the afternoon of Sunday 24th July. Full Workshop schedule can be downloaded from Early june on this website.
Accommodation at Clarion Village is from July 18-24th inclusive.
Q. What international airport is the nearest to Sligo?
A. The nearest international airport is Knock – which serves Dublin, UK and a handful of European destinations. For other European travellers, we recommend flying to Dublin and connecting by plane (www.aerarann.com) to Sligo or Knock airport, or by train to Sligo station. It is also possible to reach Sligo via Shannon airport but connections are more difficult without a car.
Q. How far is Sligo from Dublin airport?
A. 2.5 hours by road. 40 minutes by aer arann plane to Sligo airport, Strandhill. 3 hrs by train
(www.irishrail.ie) from Connolly station plus a short bus trip connection to/from Dublin airport.
Q. How much is tuition?
A. (2011) €300 EUR for the week including
admission to all concerts – including the Yellowjackets! Student rates available upon request.
Q. Can you advise what the format of the week is?
A. Click here for the current (not finalised) schedule. Summer school runs 9am-
5pm from Tuesday to Sunday. The mornings begin with special workshops,
followed by ensemble classes. There is an in-house optional lunch followed
by Masterclasses and another ensemble session. Student ensembles, directed
by faculty members, will then perform the material they have rehearsed
throughout the week in concert on the Sunday afternoon. There are evening (6pm) sessions in pubs/cafés each day and at various other times from Thursday onwards. Main festival concerts happen at 8pm each night, followed by jam sessions in various venues. Admission to ALL concerts is included in the summer school fee.
Q. Is accommodation available, and if so, what type?
A. (2011) YES, in Clarion Village Apartments, sharing an apartment, or Yeats
Village nearby, sharing a house. There are 2 options for apartments: Single and
Double. All Clarion Village rooms are ensuite.
Q. How much does accommodation cost, and how is it done?
A. Clarion Village: €120 EUR for a single ensuite or €180 EUR for a double ensuite
sharing an apartment. Yeats Village: Will only be booked if Clarion Village is sold
out.
Q. Does “Single” (or “Double”) Sharing Apartment mean you have a separate bedroom?
A. Yes, you just share a common kitchen with others. Your bedroom has a bathroom attached.
Q. Does Clarion Village supply towels and linen?
A. Yes
Q. Can residents of Clarion Village use facilities at the Clarion Hotel leisure centre?
A. Yes with a day pass available at CV reception, cost is €12 at the Clatrion Hotel.
Q. Approximately how many people will be on the course?
A. Over 70 in 2011
Q. Are there age limits?
A. Not for the summer school. Our youngest student was 12 years old, our oldest
75. With regards the festival venues, there are age restrictions on some events
but most venues are very cooperative.
Q. Can I send my child to the summer school unaccompanied?
A. No. Minors must be delivered/picked up by adults to/from the summer
school, and accompanied in their accommodation, either by a parent, guardian
or older sibling. The guardian must take charge of minors outside of workshops/
masterclasses and accompany them to all concerts.
Q. What equipment (other than the instrument) should we bring?
A. If you are a guitarist or bassist living in Ireland, please bring your amp/combo
if possible. There will be some amplifiers available, but those travelling from
abroad without equipment will be given precedence. Likewise for electronic
pianos and drum kits, please bring yours if it is convenient. Double bassists
travelling to Ireland, who cannot bring theirs: we will have 2 double basses
available for traveling students at the summer school (small rental charge may
apply)
Q. Will there be amplification there?
A. As above. There will be a vocal monitor in each room and a limited amount of
backline throughout the school.
Q. Is there a music shop close by?
A. There is a small music shop in the centre of Sligo (2Km from school) but with
limited stock of strings etc. Bottom line: Bring everything you need, to be on the
safe side!
Q. Are there evening events and jams?
A. Yes every evening, in various venues – and free festival concerts for all
participants. Final programme is published in June, or check website for regular
updates.
Q. Are there certain parts of the repertoire we should know in advance of the
course?
A. It is good for jazz beginners to learn a few basic standards. Contact SJP for a
list of these. However during the summer school, each tutor will decide on their
repertoire, for ensembles and masterclass work.
Q. I live outside of Ireland. Can I pay via Paypal or a credit card?
A. We accept paypal but not are not credit card-enabled as yet. There is an extra
charge for paypal transactions. We recommend bank transfer, both for Irish and
international participants. Bank details on the website [hyperlink], including
international SWIFT and IBAN codes.
Q. How do you decide on levels so as to assign students to combos, etc? Is
there an audition?
A. There will be a brief assessment by your tutor on the first morning – but
we rely on students to tell us roughly what levels they are at prior to this, in
assembling the basic ensembles.
Q. Are meals separate?
A. Yes we will have an in-house caterer each lunchtime from Tuesday –
Thursday. Saturday and Sunday we leave all to fend for themselves as we run
lunchtime events away from the school – In house lunch costs €10 for 2 courses
each day, the food is excellent, supplied by Lyons Café’s Gary Stafford – in our
opinion, the best caterer of lunchtime fare in Sligo.
Q. If I can get to Knock, on what days will somebody be able to pick me up and
drop me off at the airport? And is there a charge for this service?
A. We usually have several arriving to knock on the Monday prior to the summer
school start- but not from USA. Knock is only served by Dublin and some UK
airports. We do not charge for pickup at Knock if there are more than one
participant/tutor arriving on the same flight. Exclusive pickups may have a small
charge (€15).
