Training is at the heart of abcd’s vision for a world where well-led choral singing enriches everyone’s lives and where abcd enables every leader of choral singing in the UK to access appropriate, high-quality support for their development. For twenty-five years, we have been running high-quality training courses at three levels – Initial, Intermediate and Advanced – and these courses are designed to help develop each conductor on their individual journey.
Our experienced team of tutors work with you to enable you to develop your confidence, skills, gesture vocabulary and rehearsal technique. The training is delivered in a supportive and encouraging environment and is suitable for all those leading singing of any kind, whether in the classroom or in the community.
Our previous training programme included extended conducting courses, with a minimum of four days teaching for the Initial Course and six days for the Intermediate. In this new model, students will receive individual feedback after each training weekend with a recommendation for their next course level. We therefore anticipate that most students will need to attend approximately two – three weekends at the Initial level and three – four weekends at the Intermediate level; however, this is just a guide and each student’s journey through the abcd training programme will be individual and based on the feedback they receive from our experienced pool of tutors.
Find out more about our courses below and keep up with the latest schedule of events here or sign up to our mailing list here.
Bursaries are available for our training days to support young people and teachers to access our training. Find out more about our bursary scheme here.
Initial level
Our Initial Course is designed for beginners or those with some conducting experience. This course focuses on developing a solid foundation of technical skills, including an understanding of beat patterns, cueing, pauses, setting tempi and basic singing leadership skills.
Intermediate level
Our Intermediate Course is designed for conductors who have either successfully completed our Initial Course or those who already have regular experience of leading a choir. At this level, there is greater emphasis on score preparation, learning how to rehearse a choir and understanding how gesture affects choral sound.
Advanced level
Our Advanced Course is for the most experienced conductors, who should have a number of years’ practical experience with their own choirs. At this level, we explore a variety of large-scale and complex repertoire to develop conductor’s command of a variety of musical styles.
CPD for teachers
Our CPD programme for teachers offers online twilight training to support primary and secondary school teachers deliver high quality singing in their settings. We also offer bespoke, live training programmes for Music Hubs and individual schools.