Advanced Melodeon Study Week

We are delighted to welcome Lucas Thébaut and Lolita Delmonteil Ayral to teach this extended course (please note the earlier start and later finish) at Halsway Manor for advanced, and advanced-intermediate level D/G melodeon players.

This will be an intensive week of skills-based learning focusing on your development as a musician, discovering new ways to interpret and play, and to make the music your own. You need to be open to trying new things, and to be prepared to work hard – it will be intensive but also an enjoyable and rewarding week, with time to relax in the evenings and enjoy informal sessions.

The group - limited to approximately 22 students - will be split in two by the tutors at the start of the course; you'll spend roughly the same amount of time with each tutor. This will be done according to ability level; if you are coming with friends this may mean you will be working in different groups, but there's plenty of informal time to meet, chat and play with others.

Arrival is from noon on Monday, with lunch at 1pm, and work begins after lunch! The course ends late morning on Friday.

About Lolita's workshop

Using the repertoire of traditional Gascon dance music (rondeaux, congos, couple dances, etc.), this workshop will focus on deepening the melodies through ear training, phrasing, ornamentation, and unison playing. We will also explore the connection between music and dance, working on rhythm, energy, and cadence.

Finally, we will experiment with simple arrangements, including harmonic contributions, bass lines, second voices, and sound effects, to enhance both the danceability and the live listening experience!

Who is it for?

• This course is for advanced and advanced-intermediate level players of the DG melodeon (If you also have a box in GC, you’re welcome to bring that along as well).

• Please read the Halsway Melodeon Levels description carefully before you make a booking, this course is for levels 4 and 5.

• If you have any doubts please email us for advice.

The Tutors

Lucas Thébaut is a diatonic accordion player from Poitou (France). He started music and dance in his early twenties and hasn’t stopped yet experimenting to improve phrasing and groove over various repertoires in search of what in dance and music movement will make the specificity, the essence of each dance.

All these elements brought together in a unique, musical universe.

After 20 years of thinking and tinkering, of sharing experiences and joy all over the world, still the path ahead lies anew, full of possibilities – and the journey continues. Rest assured that he will never miss an opportunity to share a tune, a dance… or a drink with you.

Lolita Delmonteil Ayral discovered the diatonic accordion at the age of 15 and immersed herself in the world of traditional Occitan music. After studying harmony and vocal technique at CIAM in Bordeaux, she obtained her DEM in traditional music at COMDT in Toulouse and pursued a professional career in various dance and concert ensembles, including La Forcelle, Cocanha, and Laüsa.

Alongside this, she developed a passion for Galician music and the traditional sounds of Northeast Brazil, where she spent extended periods refining her musical practice. She also nurtures a strong interest in teaching, offering numerous accordion workshops and vocal training sessions, always centered around traditional and folk music.

Today, she performs with the duo Otxo (a musical-theatrical project), "Basandere", a project based on her original compositions in French inspired by traditional music, and, since 2020, she has been a member of the vocal quintet Belugueta.