I was one of those fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship to attend Directors' College VII, an almost complete novice director with only occasional experience of leading warm ups or section practices. However, you never know when you might suddenly find yourself in front, and you hear of people who start out by being flung in at the deep end. I went to college wanting to learn basic directing skills properly from the start, as much as for any future opportunities as for present ones. I was looking forward to it and felt pleasantly nervous but not alone, as there were many novices.

After a nice dinner on Friday we were introduced to the faculty, familiar and respected faces from BABS and LABBS, and guests from outside the barbershop world. Mike Brewer, the keynote speaker, led an energetic session, demonstrating and explaining how he works with the National Youth Chorus and other choirs. In a very short time, we were singing a 5/4 time African song. As well as the bonus of having a good sing it was fascinating watching him work and listening out for his tips. Not sure I could get away with attempting all the accents he produces though.

On Saturday the novices/not novices were split up. Paula Williams, Monica Funnell and Rob Barber were in charge of the novices, and did an excellent job of working as a team to teach, correct and coach us in the basics of how to stand and keep time, and the importance of eye contact. I'd learnt time signatures at school, but never how to show them clearly so it was good to practice these, and the morning flew past. On Sunday we were all to get 11 minutes being coached while directing real singers and we split into groups to practice and talk about what we would do, and to let our coaches know what we wanted to work on. We had brainstormed our aims for the weekend at the start and were able to tick many of them off by lunch. As promised, we were getting some confidence, which we were discovering is what it's all about.

Saturday afternoon had pick-and-mix sessions, which for the first time were open to novices, and we were encouraged to push ourselves. It was a little hard to judge what sessions would be most useful, because some discussions were hard to join in with when you had no experience to refer to. With hindsight I can see that I needed practical/teaching sessions, and to find out whether my arms were communicating what I wanted them to. My favourite session was on freestyle directing, which was just such a chance to experiment and see what worked.

It was clear how keen the faculty are to improve the college, and a new format was used for the session on 'Leadership and Management' following feedback from last year. Paula, Rhiannon Owens-Hall and Neil Watkins gave presentations on how their choruses are structured and how rehearsals/years are planned. I enjoy planning so this was an interesting session for me, and the Q&A session showed that it was useful for those already involved in chorus management. Neil demonstrated the interpretative role a director plays in his session 'From Page to Stage'. The chord analysis left me feeling a bit rusty and aware of what courses to sign up for next time I go to Harmony College

Saturday evening after dinner was more familiar ground for me, singing in the delegate chorus while we were warmed up by Mike Brewer and later directed by two delegates while they were coached. I've always enjoyed watching coaching under glass, and it was even more interesting given what I had learned that morning. Saturday night had a good afterglow, interspersed with people practicing for the next day and followed by another early start the next morning.

Sunday had as strict a timetable as any contest, and was very well organised. During the day you were either in a teaching session, or being coached individually. The discussion sessions were easier to be involved with on this day, as everyone had an opinion on how to choose and interpret a song in an original way in Neil's session, what being a coach for your chorus involves in Rhiannon's, and what to address in warm ups in Mike's. There was a lot of information to take in and I started to appreciate how exhausted I would be when I got home that evening.

The octet we were to direct, of Retro and Cadence, did a fantastic job, singing so enthusiastically, responsively and with so much energy throughout the day. Paula, who was coaching me, was wonderfully positive and encouraging in how she corrected and improved what I was doing. The session was videoed, and watching afterwards I was amazed at how much we had got through in so little time - not a second was wasted, yet it didn't feel rushed. Having practiced beforehand helped a great deal, and having discussed what I wanted to work on. Immediately after the session, we watched the video together, which was very useful, as I'd been asked once to 'do that again', and I wasn't entirely sure what I'd done! Thanks to the excellent way this session was organised, I was able to achieve everything I wanted to, and some things I hadn't thought I could do.

Soon afterwards the college finished, following a closing session to thank all the people who had worked so hard to make it all run so smoothly, and my same thanks go to those people. Overall, the weekend was a demystifying process for me. Some of it expanded on things I vaguely knew directors do (coaching, leading, managing, planning, choosing songs), some of it on things I knew a little of (keeping time), and other things which were a complete first (freestyle directing, having real singers to direct, and getting individual feedback). I've got information and techniques I can refer to for many years, and am more aware of the wealth of information available on the BABS Education website.

I would recommend the college to anyone who has an interest in directing, no matter how novice - my only particular advice is to get as much sleep beforehand as possible! My very grateful thanks to the Harmony Foundation for awarding me the scholarship to attend - the weekend more than fulfilled my expectations and has left me far more confident for if I am ever flung in at the deep end myself.

Fiona Skilling (White Rosettes)