Vermont School of
Irish Traditional Music

Welcome to our Spring 2023

Repertoire Series!

​

*********

This spring we will offer classes

on Wednesday evenings: 

April 12

April 19

April 26

(two week break)

May 15

May 25

May 31

 

Registration opens

March 27, 2023

Registration deadline:

April 7th, 2023

​

***********

 

Which class should I choose?

Read the class descriptions below and decide for yourself.  

In-person students are also welcome to switch classes, or to stay for both.

​

NEW!

Introduction to

Core Irish Repertoire

(in-person only)

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

This series is designed for people who can play an instrument, but don’t yet have a strong Irish repertoire.

 

The goal of the class is to meet other musicians, and build a solid Irish repertoire.

 

We'll offer lists of important Irish tune sets, as well recordings that you can study at your own pace, both during the series and after classes are over.

​

One tune will be assigned each week, and we'll practice in class to help you become accustomed to playing with others.

​

By the end of the series you'll have three sets of popular Vermont session tunes, and many more tunes to choose from over the summer!

 

Dates 

Wednesdays, April 12, April 19, April 26

(two week break)

May 15, May 25, May 31

 

Time:

6:30 - 7:30 pm

​

Location for in-person classes:

Waterbury Congregational Church

8 North Main St., Waterbury Vermont

(use side entrance)

 

***************

Advanced

Repertoire Classes

 Online and/or in-person 

​

​

 

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

This class is for musicians who can play their instrument at an intermediate to advanced level, and have a reasonably good Irish repertoire. 

​

Theme for Spring 2023

Advanced Repertoire:

The Music of Sliabh Aughty

​

 

 

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

Sliabh Aughty is a mountain range spanning both Clare and Galway in the west of Ireland.  It represents an iconic musical region from which many of the great names in Irish music come.

 

The musicians who emigrated from this area to America were the subject of an article written by concertina-player, Tim Collins entitled “Tis Like They Never Left”.

In fact, the music of this region has had an enormous influence on the session repertoire we all play today and we look forward to exploring it in this series.

​

Online Series:

The self-paced online “classes” will feature weekly assigned tunes, teaching tracks, video clips, and stories behind the tunes using both email and Google Drive.  We will also offer practice suggestions.

You can download and work with the audio files at your convenience.

 

In-Person Series:

You will receive the same material offered in the online option above. 

 

In-person classes this spring are going to focus on learning to play a tune at different speeds. We'll work on exercises that will help you increase your speed (if you wish), without playing at a faster tempo than you are ready for.

 

You will be assigned one tune from Sliabh Aughty repertoire a week so that you can practice playing at different speeds.

​

But we’ll also be giving you interesting optional tunes that we’ve recently put on our “session list” - just because they appealed to us!

​

 

Advanced Repertoire

Dates 

Wednesdays, April 12, April 19, April 26

(two week break)

May 15, May 25, May 31

​

Time

7:30- 9:00 pm

​

Location

Waterbury Congregational Church 8 North Main St., Waterbury Vermont (use side entrance)

 

***********

 

Who can register?

This series is open to Vermonters and out-of-staters alike - with the understanding that no class audio files may be shared outside the class. 

 

What is the tuition?

​

We want to keep classes affordable for everyone, so we’re asking for a base registration fee of just $100 USD. 

If you are not able to afford $100, just contribute whatever you can.  

If you are able to chip in more, we're hugely grateful.

 

How to register:

You can register simply by emailing us at benedictandhilari@gmail.com.

Specify which class you are registering for.

We will confirm your registration and let you know how to pay tuition.