515 Ear courses in Cardiff delivered Live Online

MAGIC BALKAN MUSIC ACADEMY Balkan Melody Mastery Learn great Balkan tunes and how to play them amazingly. When? Wednesday evenings, 19:00 – 20:30h GMT Where? Online on ZOOM, limited spaces in-person in Kenton, London HA3 This course will explore authentic Balkan tunes, emphasizing essential techniques for playing with precision and expression. The curriculum is taught via a mixture of by-ear learning and sheet music, allowing participants to delve into dynamic phrasing, articulation, ornamentation, tone, and speed. The course also offers exercises to enhance overall technique and flexibility. Details Wednesday evenings, 19:00 – 20:30h GMT Start on the 17th January 2024. The course will run weekly throughout the year, expect school holidays. Booking either annually on a 6-weekly direct debit or by booking 5-lesson units (more info below) Location: Online on zoom – limited in-person spaces in London HA3 Participants: players of melodic instruments from intermediate to advanced. Fee: £60/£45 concessions for 1 Unit of 5 weeks (half a term). Discounts when signing up until the end of the academic year   Booking Page: Click here to read details of payment and sign up for the course. Read below for extra events, extra discounts and all-inclusive fees. Watch Information Videos and including small demonstrations. Detailed Information The Balkan region is known for its rich and diverse musical heritage, which has been influenced by various cultures and traditions over the centuries. I am launching this new course to share the finer things about Balkan music. The correct notes can be played by any musician, but how often do I find myself in tears when listening to a great musician who gets it so wrong, simply because they did not have the opportunity to travel, listen, and learn from native masters? Instead, they might have learned it third-hand or from a piece of sheet music. Western classical music notation cannot fully capture the essence of other types of music, and a metronome can stifle the authentic phrasing of asymmetric Balkan rhythms. I am not a native Balkan music master either, but I feel very privileged that I had the opportunity to learn from several of them, and engage in endless, wild jam sessions. In this course, I aim to convey not only the right musical feel but also the fervour and passion for this music. The weekly course primarily targets melodic instruments. Tunes will be taught by ear, initially using the voice (sheet music will be sent out beforehand), and then practiced on the instrument. Special attention will be devoted to phrasing, articulation, and, of course, the typical charisma of Balkan music to give it that truly magical sound. Whilst I am a violinist and will demonstrate and lead with the violin and voice, the course is suitable for any melodic instrument. The level is aimed at intermediate to advanced players, although ambitious and diligent lower-intermediate players will also do well. We will briefly cover accompaniment aspects, including chord progressions, rhythm patterns, and techniques. Dedicated workshops for chordal instruments and percussion will be offered as we progress. The course will run weekly and continuously, with no regular sessions during usual UK school holidays. Booking will be in advance in 5-session units. Each unit can be booked individually, or you can sign up for an annual booking and pay in 6 instalments distributed over the whole year, receiving a 20% discount on the total course fee. For precise dates and a detailed payment plan please visit the BOOKING page. Information Videos about the general aims and philosophy of the course how to achieve expressive ornamentation how the accompaniments relate to the tunes Additional Events Balkan Academy Jam Session: A music making session, 3 times a year (towards the end of each term), online and in person, where course participants and their friends can play the studied material with a full-on group, including rhythm section and vocals.  Fee: £9 for course participants, £12 for others - sheet music downloads included Dates to be announced.   Chord Progressions and Accompaniment Special: A special workshop three times a year for guitars, accordions, pianos, bass players, and similar instruments, both online and in person. This workshop delves into the details of chord progressions and accompaniment patterns, including riffs and breaks. It will be co-hosted by an experienced guitarist. Fee: £9 for course participants, £12 for others. Dates to be announced. Balkan Percussion Special: A workshop designed for percussionists to study the rhythm patterns and techniques related to the course material. This workshop will be co-hosted by an experienced Balkan percussionist. It is tailored to friends and bandmates of the Balkan Melody Mastery course participants, allowing the pieces to be performed together in your own groups and jam sessions.  Fee: £9 for course participants, £12 for others. Dates to be announced.

To understand psychopathology, one must learn a foreign language, lend an ear as it were to a language that is complex and symbolic. We aim to explore the lived experiences on irregular perceptions of reality with an open mind. Each Saturday includes: a live dialogue between Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and an International Existential Therapist; a moment to share your thoughts and feelings with the teachers; and a final integration facilitated by Bárbara Godoy. This series of ten dialogues set out to explore the multifaceted dimentions and complexities associated with Existential Therapies. It attempts to engage with various interpretations of insanity through the lens of patients often painful, confounding, and deeply unsettling life experiences. Character- between Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and Prof. Robert Romanyshyn “I begin with the term psychopathology to emphasize that the word is about the logos—the thinking/speaking—about the sufferings of the psyche. To understand psychopathology, one must learn a foreign language, lend an ear as it were to a language that is complex, symptomatic, symbolic, and embodied. As complex, psychopathology reveals and conceals the sufferings of psyche. As symptomatic, psychopathology reminds one of things too important to forget but which are forgotten because they are too painful to remember. As symbolic, psychopathology is neither about facts nor ideas but about images, alchemical vessels that not only hold and contain psyche’s sufferings, but also cooks them. As embodied, psyche’s sufferings are inscribed in the flesh, etched as lines of character. To practice psychotherapy as an existential therapist situates therapist and patient in a dialogical field that is complex, symptomatic, symbolic, and embodied as a gestural field between them.” Prof. Robert Romanyshyn. Prof. Robert D. Romanyshyn, an Affiliate Member of The Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts, a Fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, and a Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, was recently awarded the Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Humanistic Psychology Award from the Society for Humanistic Psychology APA Division 32. He has published eight books and numerous articles in psychology, philosophy, education, and literary journals. He is also a published poet and has written a one-act play about Frankenstein. In 2009 he created a multi-media DVD entitled Antarctica: Inner journeys in the Outer World, which offers a psychological reflection on the melting polar ice. In addition to online seminars and interviews, he has given lectures and workshops at universities and professional societies in the U.S., Europe, Australia, South Africa, Canada, and New Zealand. Prof. Ernesto Spinelli was Chair of the Society for Existential Analysis between 1993 and 1999 and is a Life Member of the Society. His writings, lectures and seminars focus on the application of existential phenomenology to the arenas of therapy, supervision, psychology, and executive coaching. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS) as well as an APECS accredited executive coach and coaching supervisor. In 2000, he was the Recipient of BPS Division of Counselling Psychology Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession. And in 2019, Ernesto received the BPS Award for Distinguished Contribution to Practice. His most recent book, Practising Existential Therapy: The Relational World 2nd edition (Sage, 2015) has been widely praised as a major contribution to the advancement of existential theory and practice. Living up to the existential dictum that life is absurd, Ernesto is also the author of an on-going series of Private Eye novels. Date and Time: Saturday 3 May from 2 pm to 3 pm – (UK time) Individual Dialogue Fee: £70 Venue: Online Zoom FULL PROGRAMME 2025: 25 January “Knots” with Prof. Ernesto Spinelli and Bárbara Godoy 22 February “Healing” with Dr. Michael Guy Thompson and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 22 March “Difference” with Prof. Tod DuBose and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 12 April “Polarisation” with Prof. Kirk Schneider and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 3 May “Character” with Prof. Robert Romanyshyn and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 21 June “Opening” with Dr. Yaqui Martinez and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 19 July “Meaning” with Dr. Jan Resnick and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 25 October “Invention” with Dr. Betty Cannon and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 15 November “Hallucination” with Prof. Simon du Plock and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli 13 December “Hysteria” with Bárbara Godoy and Prof. Ernesto Spinelli Read the full programme here > Course Organised by:

LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION, NON-FICTION Una is a Rights Agent at Susanna Lea Associates and am starting to build a client list. She grew up in London and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA in English in 2021. At university, Una was particularly interested in contemporary West African and South Asian literature. She started as an agent's assistant at SLA London in 2022 and now handles some translation rights and provides support with editorial work and submissions. Una's favourite reads always set her at ease right away and draws her in with impressive and accessible storytelling, memorable characters or an original hook. Una enjoys writing which expands her worldview, makes her laugh out loud or keeps her on her toes with its twists and turns. She welcomes submissions from debut authors and would be keen to read across a wide range of genres and styles. She is looking for literary, upmarket and book club fiction, and is always drawn to stories that explores the challenges and complexities of love and relationships in all its forms —within families, between friends or in romantic relationships. Una loves the way in which familial relationships are dissected in The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright and the impact of the local community in Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson. She is always drawn to novels with a strong sense of community, whether they are unified by geography, culture, or in other unexpected ways. Una has always loved reading international and translated fiction and welcomes submissions from authors writing contemporary fiction that engages with cultures and traditions from around the world, such as in voices of the deities in Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi or the subversive tales of Sayaka Murata. She is not looking for children’s or YA titles, science fiction or high-concept fantasy, but is open to submissions from authors writing in the speculative fiction space, and books with fantastical or otherworldly elements, be that magical realism or supernatural horror, such as Mona Awad's campus novel with a twist, Bunny. Una would also love to read more writing that engages with the natural world and reminds us of the limitations of human understanding. In non-fiction, Una enjoys books that furthers her understanding of wider societal issues — nature and the environment, culture, and little-known history. Her recent non-fiction favourites are Eve by Cat Bohannon, Doppelgänger by Naomi Klein and Unearthed by Claire Ratinon. Una would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 page synopsis and the first three chapters or 5,000 words of your manuscript in a single word document. (In addition to the paid sessions, Una is kindly offering one free session for low income/under-represented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print).  By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Wednesday 20th August 2025

This course aims to assist adult learners in improving their pronunciation skills and reducing their accents to enhance their overall communication in English. Through a variety of exercises and activities, participants will focus on specific sounds, stress patterns, intonation, and rhythm to develop clearer and more fluent speech. Course Duration: 10 weeks (20 sessions) Course Objectives: By the end of this course, participants will: 1. Identify and produce accurate sounds, stress patterns, and intonation in English. 2. Develop awareness of their own pronunciation challenges and strategies for improvement. 3. Reduce their native accent to improve overall intelligibility. 4. Enhance their listening skills and ability to distinguish between different sounds. 5. Increase their confidence in spoken English communication. Course Outline: Week 1: Introduction to Pronunciation and Accent Reduction - Assessing participants' pronunciation strengths and areas for improvement - Understanding the importance of pronunciation in effective communication - Introduction to key concepts: sounds, stress, intonation, and rhythm Week 2: Vowel Sounds - Identifying and producing English vowel sounds - Practice exercises and drills for accurate vowel pronunciation - Common pronunciation challenges and strategies for improvement Week 3: Consonant Sounds - Identifying and producing English consonant sounds - Focus on challenging consonant sounds and their correct articulation - Practice exercises and drills for accurate consonant pronunciation Week 4: Word Stress and Sentence Stress - Understanding the concept of stress and its role in English pronunciation - Practice exercises for placing stress on the correct syllables in words and sentences - Intonation patterns in different sentence types Week 5: Rhythm and Linking - Developing a sense of rhythm in English speech - Practice exercises for linking words together and maintaining flow - Awareness of connected speech phenomena Week 6: Intonation Patterns - Recognizing and producing different intonation patterns in English - Practice exercises for conveying meaning through intonation - Intonation in questions, statements, and emotions Week 7: Pronunciation of Commonly Mispronounced Words - Identification and correction of commonly mispronounced words - Practice exercises for improving pronunciation of specific words - Strategies for self-correction and continued improvement Week 8: Accent Reduction Techniques - Understanding the impact of native accents on English pronunciation - Techniques for reducing native accents and improving intelligibility - Practice exercises for adopting a more neutral accent Week 9: Listening Skills and Discrimination - Enhancing listening skills to better distinguish between sounds - Practice exercises for recognising and discriminating between similar sounds - Developing an ear for correct pronunciation through listening activities Week 10: Review and Fluency Practice - Reviewing course content and addressing individual needs - Fluency practice exercises and activities - Final evaluation and feedback session Note: This syllabus is a guideline and can be customised based on the specific needs and preferences of the participants. You can opt in and out of different modules. 

Despite being a requirement under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017), in 2023/24 the SRA found that 19% of files reviewed did not contain a client and matter risk assessment (CMRA), with a further 12% of files containing ineffective CMRAs.  At best, the firms conducting these files were putting themselves at risk of regulatory action for failure to comply with the MLR 2017. More seriously, firms may have been facilitating money laundering through their failure to adequately assess and address the risks posed by clients and matters.  The SRA has issued a number of significant fines to firms with no, or insufficient, CMRAs in place. In the year August 2024 to July 2025, firms were fined over £950,000 where ineffective or missing CMRAs were noted.  Although a firm’s MLRO, MLCO or its managers bear ultimate responsibility for ensuring its compliance with the MLR 2017, it is the responsibility of all those working on behalf of the firm to conduct and document the appropriate processes and checks on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, it is imperative that all staff understand not only how to complete a CMRA, but also the importance of doing so thoroughly and correctly.  This course will assist fee earners and support staff in confidently and competently completing client and matter risk assessments, understanding the types of risks to be identified and the importance of correctly identifying these.  Where the SRA has found failings at firms in respect of CMRAs, it has almost unanimously also found shortcomings in other areas of AML compliance. Where concerns are raised regarding a firm’s compliance with any aspect of the MLR 2017, the SRA will probe further and look into all areas of AML compliance. For information about DG Legal’s full range of AML training courses, please visit https://dglegal.co.uk/training/upcoming-premier-training-courses/.  Target Audience This online course is suitable for staff of all levels, from support staff to senior partners. Resources Comprehensive and up to date course notes will be provided to all delegates which may be useful for ongoing reference or cascade training. Please note a recording of the course will not be made available. Speaker Paul Wightman, Consultant, DG Legal A qualified barrister, Paul graduated in Law from Birmingham University and was called to the Bar in 1994. He subsequently spent almost 20 years working for the Law Society of England and Wales, initially within the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, then the Legal Complaints Service (LCS), and ultimately the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Paul is adept at undertaking audits and providing succinct reports on areas for improvement and can assist firms with advice on all aspects of SRA compliance and Anti-Money Laundering procedures.

Source of funds and source of wealth are two important verification steps a firm can take to identify potential money laundering activities or other financial crime. The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLR 2017) require firms, where necessary, to scrutinise the source of funds of a transaction to ensure they are consistent with their knowledge of the customer, their business and risk profile. In addition, where a matter is considered to be higher risk and therefore subject to enhanced due diligence, firms must also investigate the client’s overall source of wealth. Law firm staff must be able to differentiate between source of funds and source of wealth, having knowledge of how to verify each and identify any anomalies that do not align with their understanding of the client or the matter. Staff must have the knowledge and confidence to challenge clients and seek further clarification where the source may be unclear or highlight concerns. A number of firms who failed to sufficiently identify the source of funds and/or source of wealth have recently been fined by the SRA. In the year August 2024 to July 2025, fines in excess of £475,000 were recorded for AML breaches that included source of funds and source of wealth failings. This course will assist fee earners and support staff in understanding the difference between source of funds and source of wealth, enabling them to capably identify and verify funds in a matter. Where the SRA has found failings at firms in respect of source of funds or source of wealth, it has almost unanimously also found shortcomings in other areas of AML compliance. Where concerns are raised regarding a firm’s compliance with any aspect of the MLR 2017, the SRA will probe further and look into all areas of AML compliance. For information about DG Legal’s full range of AML training courses, please visit: https://dglegal.co.uk/training/upcoming-premier-training-courses/. Target Audience This online course is suitable for staff of all levels, from support staff to senior partners. Resources Comprehensive and up to date course notes will be provided to all delegates which may be useful for ongoing reference or cascade training. Please note a recording of the course will not be made available. Speaker Paul Wightman, Consultant, DG Legal A qualified barrister, Paul graduated in Law from Birmingham University and was called to the Bar in 1994. He subsequently spent almost 20 years working for the Law Society of England and Wales, initially within the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, then the Legal Complaints Service (LCS), and ultimately the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Paul is adept at undertaking audits and providing succinct reports on areas for improvement and can assist firms with advice on all aspects of SRA compliance and Anti-Money Laundering procedures.

CRRUK equips professionals with the concepts, skills and tools to build conscious, intentional relationships, and to coach relationship systems of any size.

LOOKING FOR: ADULT FICTION, NON-FICTION Liza represents a range of fiction and non-fiction. On the fiction side, she is looking for historical fiction that is well researched, immerses readers in the era, and looks at overlooked characters from the past, or perhaps gives a new spin on someone we think we know. On the literary and upmarket side, she is looking for novels infused with emotions that capture the human experience and make readers think. If your literary novel is something that A24 productions might turn into a movie, this is Liza’s taste. When it comes to fantasy, she loves urban and grounded fantasy (no sci-fi please!), and is always happy to look at anything with a vampire, werewolf, witches, warlocks, fairies, and perhaps a sinister selkie or two. She is also very much looking for romantasy and is the best person at the agency to submit that too. For thrillers, send her anything set in an exotic location, high-concept, or things with a speculative twist. She loves when characters are put in situations she would never want to be in, and then they have to get out of it. Her recent favourite fiction includes: Notes on an Execution, Lady Macbethad, Hamnet, A Discovery of Witches, House of Earth and Blood, The Starless Sea, Piranesi, Our Wives Under the Sea, The Pisces, Such A Fun Age. When it comes to non fiction, she is looking for books that teach her something new or reframe a topic from an alternative point of view. This can include cookery, pop science, and social history. Liza’s recent favourite non-fiction include: The Five, A History of Art Without Men, Messalina, The Authority Gap, Finding The Mother Tree, Cook This Book, Dessert Person. Liza would like you to submit a covering letter, 1 - 2 page synopsis and the first 5000 words of your manuscript in a single word document.  (In addition to the paid sessions, Liza is kindly offering one free session for low income/underrepresented writers. Please email agent121@iaminprint.co.uk to apply, outlining your case for this option which is offered at the discretion of I Am In Print).  By booking you understand you need to conduct an internet connection test with I Am In Print prior to the event. You also agree to email your material in one document to reach I Am In Print by the stated submission deadline and note that I Am In Print take no responsibility for the advice received during your agent meeting. The submission deadline is: Wednesday 27th August 2025

Personal development groups for practitioners with Bárbara Godoy A playground for therapists to expand our perception to metaphor, as a way to connect directly with the experience of the other, guided by folklore and fairytales. "Supportive, thought-provoking, emancipating, grounding" Tuesday Evenings Group 6 pm to 7.15 pm  (UK Time) Friday Lunchtime Group 12.30 pm to 1.45 pm (UK time) Spring Term Phase One - 2025 22 and 29 April 6, 13, 20 and 27 May 3, 10, 17 and 24 June Autumn Term Phase Two - 2025 23 and 30 September 7, 14, 21 and 28 October 4, 11, 18 and 25 November Winter Term Phase Three - 2026 20 and 27 January 3, 10, 17 and 24 February 3, 10, 17 and 24 March Winter Term Phase One - 2025 24 and 31 January 7, 14, 21, 28 February 7, 14, 21 and 28 March Spring Term Phase Two - 2025 25 April 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 May 6, 13, 20 and 27 June Autumn Term Phase Three - 2025 26 September 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 October 7, 14, 21 and 28 November Venue: Online (Zoom) Fee: £350 per term or £900 the whole year Bárbara Godoy M.A., Adv. Dip. Exi. Psy. Existential Psychotherapist Group Leader, Counsellour, Lecturer and Supervisor, MBACP & UKCP accredited, SEA Professional Member, Director of Therapy Harley StreetBárbara’s academic contributions in London since 2008 include lecturing and researching on the theory and practice of Phenomenological Existential Therapy on Doctorate, MA and professional courses at the School of Psychotherapy and Counselling Psychology, Regent’s University and the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling directed by Emmy van Deurzen. Bárbara has facilitated and designed therapeutic Group Work since 1997. She brought her earliest workshop: “Experiences” to large groups in The Netherlands, Italy, France, UK and Argentina. These awareness-intensive processes are a legacy of the human potential movement (HPM) of the 1960s, with techniques such as AUM Meditation Marathons, Psychodrama, Bioenergetics and Primal Feelings work. Organized by:

An evening of mindful stargazing practices, focussing on contemplating our place within the cosmos and our connections to it – scientifically, energetically and spiritually.