Surrey Arts - Holiday activities

The Surrey Music and Arts Summer Holiday (SMASH) activities are spread across the county with an exciting programme that gives young people the chance to experience a variety of different activities including playing in an orchestra for the first time, trying a string instrument, producing their own music, being part of a rock band and singing in a choir.

Page contents

Dates and locations

  • Monday 29 July at Woking Youth Arts Centre, Trinity Road, Knaphill, Woking, GU21 2SY
  • Tuesday 30 July at The Malthouse Youth Centre, Mill Lane, Dorking RH4 1DX
  • Wednesday 31 July at St. Bede's School, 64 Carlton Road, Redhill RH1 2LQ

Summer 2024 programme

Monday 29 July at Woking Youth Arts Centre

9.30am to 12.30pm

  • Uke Can Rock
  • Creative Orchestra

1pm to 4pm

  • Singing
  • DJing and Music Production (no spaces available - workshop full)

Tuesday 30 July at The Malthouse

9.30am to 12.30pm

  • Rockin' Reeds
  • Kickstart Guitar for beginners and early stages

1pm to 4pm

  • DJing and Music Production (no spaces available - workshop full)
  • Improve Your Lead Guitar

Wednesday 31 July at St Bede's School

9.30am to 12.30pm

  • DJing and Music Production (no spaces available - workshop full)
  • Strings in Action

1pm to 4pm

  • Singing
  • Uke Can Rock

Activity descriptions

Creative Sounds: DJing and Music Production

Beat making and beat matching. A workshop designed for those who are interested in learning how to DJ and create their own music.

Our workshop is perfect for young musicians who want to explore the world of music production and DJing using state-of-the-art equipment and software. During the workshop, students will spend half the time learning to DJ on Roland 505 DJ controllers, using Serato DJ Pro. They will learn how to beat match, scratch and mix tracks seamlessly, just like a professional DJ. The other half of the workshop will be spent on writing their own music using a digital audio workstation.

Our experienced tutors will guide your child through the creative process, helping them to develop their own unique sound. At Surrey Arts, we believe that every child has the potential to be a great musician. Our Cre8tive Sounds workshop is the perfect opportunity for your child to develop their musical skills, have fun, and meet new friends who share their passion for music.

We look forward to welcoming your child to our course, where they will learn how to make beats and create their own music that will be the envy of all their friends!

Pop songs and musicals

An energetic and fun session to sing songs from the pop world and musical theatre. Students will come together to form a singing group giving them the chance to express their musical and singing voices.

Strings in Action

We would like to invite all string players along for a session playthrough of some fun pieces together. Whether you are already in a string group, or this is your first-time experience playing within a group then this is a great starting point. Led by our two string specialists you will learn new skills in playing within a string ensemble and work through pieces to give a small performance at the end together. All we ask is you to bring your instrument and bags of enthusiasm!

Creative Orchestra

An exciting workshop for those who play an instrument to bring it along and learn how to make music with others in a fun environment. We'll start with the basics of what it's like to play with others, learn how to follow a conductor and keep in time with other musicians. We'll use written music and make up some of our own. Participants will experience playing with others that not only play the same instrument but hear what it's like to blend their sound with all the other instruments as well. This session is especially good for students new to playing with others but can also be attended by students who have just joined a group to build on the skills they have started to master! Need to provide your own instrument

Uke Can Rock

Introduction workshop to the most versatile stringed instrument and a great starting platform for any budding musician. This workshop led by our Surrey Arts guitar/ukulele specialists will introduce riffs, hooks, strumming and simple tunes to get you started. They will guide you through a variety of fun activities to ignite your inner Ukulele potential vibes.

Rockin' Reeds

Two of the most versatile and popular reed instruments are the saxophone and clarinet and if you play either (or even both!) then the Rockin' Reeds session is for you! To get the most out of the session you'll need to have a solid grasp of the basics, and ideally have been playing for at least a term. You'll learn what it's like to play in a group lead by our expert tutors and work towards a performance piece that you'll showcase at the end of the session.

Kickstart Guitar

Have you ever wanted to play guitar? Well, this workshop is a perfect chance to give it a go. If you're a complete beginner, you will have the opportunity to get to grips with the basics of the instrument. You'll learn everything from the anatomy of the guitar and how to hold it, all the way through to learning your first pieces of music that you'll perform as a group – all guided by expert professional tutors. This course is also suitable for those who are not necessarily beginners but are still in the early stages of learning. This is a great way to start your guitar journey, and you don't even need to bring your own instrument.

Improve Your Lead Guitar (Intermediate plus)

If you've been playing guitar for a while and are looking to focus on developing your lead guitar techniques, this is an ideal opportunity! This course is designed to break down the mysteries of lead guitar playing, giving you practical tools that will help take your playing to the next level. Our experienced tutors will guide you through various lead guitar techniques and show you how to apply them creatively and musically. You'll learn some set pieces and have the chance to develop your improvising skills. To get the most out of this course you'll need to be comfortable with the following: a range of open position chords, power chords, barre chords and some basic scale shapes. Ability to read notation is useful but not essential as material will be presented in a range of formats.

Other information

Concessions

We may offer (subject to availability) a discount on summer activities. When registering please tick the remissions box if you think you will be eligible.

Staying for the whole day?

If you are registering for two activities both morning and afternoon on the same day we can provide lunch supervision. Students will need to provide their own lunch and snacks. Please email surreyarts@surreycc.gov.uk to request lunch supervision after you have registered for the activities.

Confirmation

You will receive confirmation of your booking after registration. We will also contact you prior to the activity with further details about what is required for the day including arrival drop off and pick up.

For any further information email surreyarts@surreycc.gov.uk

Did you find this information helpful?

Rating Did you find the information helpful?

We aren't able to reply to individual comments, so please don't include any personal details.

Subscribe to our newsletters for latest news and events.