Since 1990 our summer courses have offered young musicians of all ages the opportunity to play together and explore a variety of musical styles and experiences.
Fantasia Music School runs summer courses for young musicians aged 7–18 that offer a welcoming, inclusive environment for instrumentalists to play together in small and large groups, exploring a wide variety of musical styles and experiences.
Fantasia takes place over one week in August every year and tailors its programme to the specific needs of children of different age ranges and instrumental abilities.
August 16th–21st, 2026
The Prebendal School, Chichester
Our music courses
Fantasia provides a carefully structured mix of group teaching. The focus is learning to play and sing together in a variety of settings and sizes. The core programme consists of orchestra, sectionals, choir and chamber groups.
Depending on the age and standard of the student, there are opportunities to play in folk band and swing band. Extra options for all students include piano, recorders, improvisation, part-singing and composition.
In addition there are three core performance activities: an informal student concert in which any student can play to their peers, a staff concert in which staff perform for the students and parents, and a final student concert at the end of the week.
“Fantasia is about so much more than just creating music: it is about community, and about working and living as a group of people from different backgrounds and across the generations. What we all have in common is a passion for music and a desire to become better people through our art.”
— Sam Sutton, Course Director
Dates & fees for 2026
In 2025, Fantasia will run from August 16th–21st. Residential students are expected to arrive on the afternoon of Sunday 16th and leave after the student concert on the afternoon of Friday 21st. Day students are expected to attend all day from Monday 17th to Friday 21st. The fee for day students includes lunch.
Day: £600
Residential: £700
Family discount
We offer a special discount for individual families registering more than one sibling. If you register two children, you will receive a 5% family discount on all your fees. If you register three or more siblings, you will receive a 10% discount on all fees.
Payment terms
Once we receive your registration details, we will contact you by email or phone to confirm your registration and arrange payment. For registrations made before the end of April, full payment is then due in full within 30 days. For later registrations (May—August), payment is due within 7 days.
Residential places
We will do everything we can to accommodate everyone who wants to be part of Fantasia, but please be aware that residential places are limited, and are only guaranteed once payment has been received in full.
Values & care
“When we come away from our everyday lives to be at Fantasia, my hope is that we can feel safe in a place where we can all work hard, meet new people and perhaps discover a few new things about ourselves.”
— Sam Sutton, Course Director
The Fantasia Family
Fantasia was built on the belief that by coming together to share our love of music in a holiday atmosphere, we can pass on a sense of joy, community and creativity.
While always careful to welcome newcomers, we also have a high proportion of returning students, tutors and staff — all of whom have been part of our extended family for many years. We are proud that an increasing number of our music tutors are ‘home grown’, having been Fantasia students themselves.
Pastoral care & First Aid
We know that the pastoral care of our students is just as important as their musical tuition. Nikki Ridley, our Head of Pastoral, is a fully trained first-aider, and is herself a skilled musician who was a long-time Fantasia student.
Wellbeing & Safeguarding
We take the wellbeing and welfare of every student seriously, and have a robust ‘Safeguarding Policy’ and comprehensive ‘Code of Conduct’ to which all tutors, staff and volunteers must adhere.
Our safeguarding policy has been drawn up on the basis of the body of current law and guidance that seeks to protect the children. Statutory government safeguarding guidance includes advice around safer recruitment. We ensure all our tutors are DBS checked and thoroughly referenced.
Nut-free school
Our Course Director, Sam Sutton, is herself a mother of a child with severe allergies and we take the matter of food allergies extremely seriously.
We are a strictly nut-free school and our kitchen staff will work carefully with any allergies that parents alert us to.
Thank you, Fantasia!
Thank you so much for helping me to have the most amazing time at your course in the summer! I am already planning exactly what I’m going to do at the next one. I had a fabulous time socialising with my friends, and of course making a lot of music.
Having just started secondary school as a music scholar, I have signed up for as many ensembles as possible, because of how much I enjoyed playing in the groups at Fantasia (especially the folk group). In fact, I had my first rehearsal for wind ensemble today, and, although it was with new people and new music, it made me remember just how much I enjoyed playing with others over the summer. I hope that this course goes on to inspire others just as it has done for me — keep up the good work!
Best wishes and many thanks,
Sophia Nicholls (current Fantasia student)
