News
Tutor news, bookings and prize draw!
8th Dec 2025
SORE FINGERS WEEK 2026 – NEWS UPDATE - 7/12/2025
Sore Fingers Week 2026 – 6th to 10th April, 2026
Arrive: Sunday 5th (pm)
Depart: Saturday 11th (am)
Contents:
• Venue News
• Tutor News
• Bookings
It’s been a funny week where lots has been happening. We’ve also realised we have a house and garden to maintain, so twelve cubic metres of dead leaves and shrub, tree, and plant cuttings later (all taken to the local tip!), we’re back at the S.F. grindstone.
Anyway, here’s where we are:
VENUE NEWS
The move to the new school is absolutely confirmed. The reason we have not published the name of the establishment is that there is still due process to complete and we are not yet in contract. The process is very close to the end, and we expect to be able to divulge the location within the next seven to ten days. We appreciate your patience.
For those worried about getting there, here are some pointers:
The nearest large town is Basingstoke (about ten miles away).
The school is about 15 minutes’ drive from Junction 5 of the M3. Access is straightforward, even in a camper van or when towing a caravan.
London Heathrow Airport is about 40 minutes away by car (via M25/M3). There is also a RailAir Link bus service from the airport to Woking station, which is on the main line to Hook and Basingstoke.
Hook station is on the main line from London Waterloo to Southampton.
We will update our travel page on the website as soon as possible and provide maps, directions, and travel advice for all parts of the country.
In general terms, the estimated extra drive time for those residing in the North of England is about 1¼ hours.
More news as soon as we have it.
TUTOR NEWS
Although S.F.W. is well known across the pond and is a popular place to come and teach, schedules and commitments often get in the way of quick answers. Sometimes it takes several enquiries to secure tutors. On the positive side, I already have seven tutors formally committed for 2027! But that’s about as much use as a chocolate teapot right now…
Anyway, here’s where we are:
Ukulele – Matt Stead
Recommended by Percy, who’s been the leading light on this subject for a while. Matt knows his bluegrass—he’s attended Didmarton and other festivals—and he’s also taught at Old Time camps. (See Booking Notes below.)
Singing – Stephen Mougin
I’ve been chasing Stephen for three years, but we finally have a breakthrough. Stephen “Mojo” Mougin is going to set the singing class alight.
Guitar – Tim Stafford
The legendary guitarist who has been in two of the greatest US bands of the last thirty years, Alison Krauss & Union Station and Blue Highway. Last here in 2001!
Guitar (Not Confirmed) – Michael Daves
More on Michael when—if—we seal the deal.
Mandolin – Jacob Jolliff
We’ve had great feedback about Jacob from one of our French students. We’ve invited him before but schedules prevented him from coming. This time he’s definitely on board.
Bass – Eric Thorin
Eric has been a few times and is a great tutor. He last appeared here in 2012, so it’s time for a comeback!
Full Tutor List
Autoharp – Karen Mueller / Heather Farrell-Roberts
Banjo 1 – Tony Trischka
Banjo 2 – Ned Luberecki
Bass – Eric Thorin
Dobro – Billy Cardine
Bluegrass Fiddle – Becky Buller
Guitar 1 – Tim Stafford
Mandolin 1 – Mike Compton
Mandolin 2 – Jacob Jolliff
Music Development – Andy MacKenzie / Mike Pryor
Old Time Banjo – Luke Richardson
Old Time Fiddle – Mitch Depew
Singing – Stephen Mougin
Ukulele – Matt Stead
Beginners (All Instruments) – Ed Hicks / Peter Earle / Percy Copley (Banjo)
BOOKINGS NEWS
Bookings have been going quite well and we’ve seen a constant flow, which really helps. We know times are tight, so we truly appreciate your commitment. Please keep it up.
Philippa is doing great work with social media, and we are sure this is generating new business too.
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: before COVID, we had cash reserves in the bank and were able to support a few classes that didn’t reach break-even. I’m afraid those good times have gone, and we simply cannot afford to subsidise more than a couple of such classes now.
The new school will easily accommodate up to 350 students, and if we were able to reach that number for three to four years, we’d soon recover our pre-pandemic position.
For 2026, our target number is to reach 300 students. This isn’t a pipe dream—we had 311 for the 20th Sore Fingers Week.
Special Booking Incentive
If we reach 175 bookings by December 31st, 2025, we’ll draw a booking form from a hat and that person will receive a 50% discount on their tuition fees.
If we reach 200 bookings (now that’s a pipe dream!), we’ll draw two booking forms and offer the same discount to both. Worth a try - and your odds are better than the National Lottery: 1 in 150 or 1 in 200!
(Offer not open to sponsored students.)
We’ve only just announced the tutor names, so we’ll allow a reasonable time for things to evolve. We believe in a quality event and giving you the best choices.
Classes at Risk of Not Running
Songwriting – 3 bookings
Ukulele – 2 bookings
Singing – 1 booking
If these classes do not achieve 15 students by the end of January 2026, we will review them and may cancel. These must be new bookings, not transfers from other classes.
If we (i.e., SFSS) cancel a class, you get your full money back, including the deposit—so you can book with confidence.
UPDATES
We have now doubled up on Mandolin and are considering doubling up on Guitar as well.
Mandolin: We have 11 booked for Mike Compton. We’ll need a total of 30 mandolin students to break even across both Mike’s and Jacob’s classes.
Guitar: Thirteen are currently booked. One class is close to target, but we’ll need another seventeen to cover two classes.
Banjo: Only four places left across the two courses! If you want one, act quickly. Leon Hunt is waiting in the wings, and we may announce an extra class with him if demand justifies it.
Other classes currently have plenty of room. We’ll update again later this month or early in the new year.
USEFUL WEBSITE LINKS
Here are some useful links for more information:
Booking Form: https://www.sorefingers.co.uk/booking.php?id=26
The Experience Page: Classroom experience, extra-curricular activities, and Scratch Bands.
https://www.sorefingers.co.uk/experience.php
Which Course Should I Choose?:
https://www.sorefingers.co.uk/whatcourse.php
FAQs: Practical questions such as “What should I bring?”
https://www.sorefingers.co.uk/faq.php
Daily Schedule:
https://www.sorefingers.co.uk/docs/Master%20Daily%20Programme%20Easter.pdf
We - and the whole support team - look forward to seeing you next Easter.