A successful UKAAT Event day at Leeds Cathedral

UKAAT (United Kingdom Association of Accordion Teachers) would like to give a big thank you to Diocese of Leeds Music for inviting UKAAT to Leeds Cathedral for a joint venture event on 24th February 2024 for accordion teachers, students and supporters in particular Diocesan Director of Music Ben Saunders, and teachers Valerie Barr and Anthony Beckwith.

We are also very grateful to Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for their participation and making the journey south. Djordje Gajic, professor of accordion at RCS took the intermediate and advanced masterclasses and we treated to blistering performances by his students Sofia Ros and Melia Simmont in our final concert, who he joined for a final encore. Our thanks also to our special guest artist Paul Hutchinson who got everyone playing their accordions and trying out some great ideas for teaching English folk music. We were also treated to some of Paul’s lovely compositions when he opened the final concert.

Further thanks go to Leeds Cathedral organist David Pipe, Anthony Beckwith and accordion student Frankie Tempest for volunteering for our ‘first lesson’, intermediate and advanced student sessions. Our thanks also to John Turner from Squeezebox Marketplace for outlining the interest-free Arts Council loans available to students seeking instruments. It was great to see teachers and orchestra leaders there from all over Yorkshire including Harry and Danny Hinchcliffe and Graham Waterhouse from Craven Accordion Orchestra and Anita Basic from Bradford Accordion Orchestra. Lovely to see Mingyuan Ruan, Paul Chamberlain, Anna Leskelä, Johnny-Lee Leslie and Chris Lawry present too. Thanks to Callum Tempest for looking after all the attendees with hot cups of tea and refreshments and for the photos and the video of the group trying out some of Paul Hutchinson‘s lovely ideas for teachers to try with their students. Thanks to Valerie Barr for providing instruments for those who hadn’t brought one along.