Classes & Workshops
Clas s Description
Fall 2019 Classes
Welcome to Fall classes at the Vermont School
of Irish Traditional Music!
Dates: Wednesday evenings, October 16th through November 20, 2019
Place: Waterbury Congregational Church, 8 North Main St., Waterbury, VT
For all melody instruments and all ages, from 8 through 80.
Registration deadline: Wednesday, October 9th.
E-mail benedictandhilari@gmail.com to register.
Registrations will not be confirmed until after October 2nd.
Our Goals
Our goal is to help nurture an Irish music community that will serve musicians who want to play in Vermont sessions, or who also might want to join an Irish session elsewhere in the world. Irish traditional music is social music. People get together, trade stories, have some laughs, and enjoy the satisfaction of playing music with others. Social groups come together; new friends are made.
Like a flowing stream, traditional music is not fixed; it is a living thing handed down from generation to generation and each player in turn puts his or her subtle stamp on the music.
Class Options
Group 1 (relaxed pace) 6:00 - 7:15 pm
For all melody instruments
How competent on my instrument do I need to be? Intermediate beginner through advanced intermediate
How much should I know about Irish music? Students who are new to Irish music, as well as more experienced musicians who want to learn at a slower pace, are all welcome.
Class description: Students learn one tune per week by ear, and practice the technique of playing music together with other musicians in class. Recordings of the assigned tunes are provided a week in advance.
There will be discussions on how to join a session, different tune types, and tips on getting the most out of your instrument. Guest teachers will be invited to help with individual instruments. Students in this group are welcome to either observe or join the later class as well.
Group 2 (challenge yourself) 7:30 - 9:00 pm
We generally assign a set of two tunes per week, and you are given recordings of the assignment a week in advance. Guest teachers and the occasional guest celebrity is invited to help with technique on individual instruments, or to provide some some perspective on playing Irish music.
Theme for this Fall
The Flagstone of Memories:
The Music of Vincent Broderick
This fall we will be teaching tunes by a beloved musician and composer, Vincent Broderick,whose music forms an essential part of Irish repertoire today. Like many Vermonters, he had a particular attachment to the countryside from which he drew his inspiration. “You hear the lark singing, the frog croaking in the bog hole or the wind whistling through the heather. All these things seem to record inside your brain,” he explained as he described the process of composing tunes.
We have taught a few of his tunes in the past, and look forward to going more deeply into his rich and popular repertoire.
A note about out-of-state students
We have occasionally offered the class to interested musicians who do not live in Vermont. The word has gotten out and now we find that we are getting many requests from out of state musicians who want to join us via Dropbox. Because the recordings we give to students cannot be shared, we can offer no more than 5 slots to “distance” students in order to have some control over this. Please contact us immediately if you are interested.
Registration will open September 15th
Registration deadline: October 9th
E-mail to register.
Please specify which group.
Tuition
$150, including six weeks of tuition and teaching recordings.
(Musicians 18 years and under are taught for $30 to cover the cost of materials).
Out of state students (limit 5): $100
Pay in advance, or at the first class. Checks can be mailed to
70 Markham Rd., East Montpelier, VT 05651
Contact us to inquire about full or partial scholarships!
We are pleased to announce the Charlie Clarke Memorial Scholarship,
generously donated by OssianUSA
CLASS LOCATION:
WATERBURY CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
8 North Main Street
Waterbury, VT
