Vermont School of
Irish Traditional Music

Welcome to our

Fall 2025

6- Week Repertoire Series!​

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Ever since we began teaching Irish music way back in 2008, we have advertised our traditional music classes as “Irish session repertoire”.

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Here’s our confession:

Our real goal was to foster community - a community of musicians who had enough repertoire in common that they could enjoy playing music together inside Vermont and elsewhere.

And we had another quiet goal: to pass on the concept that playing traditional music is about much more than just accumulating repertoire.

We are proud that our secret goal of fostering community has been more successful than we could have possibly imagined. And we’re proud that our students, past and present, have a wide reputation of of being knowledgeable and respectful when it comes to Irish music.

Most of all, we’re happy to have met so many wonderful people and to have made such good friends, in Vermont and beyond.

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Registration opens

September 3, 2025

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Registration deadline:

September 24th, 2025

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Classes begin:

October 1st, 2025

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Which class should I choose?

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Read the class descriptions below and decide for yourself.  

In-person students are also welcome to switch classes,

or to stay for both.

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​​​Introduction to

Core Irish Repertoire

(in-person only)

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This in-person series is designed for people who can already play a melody instrument, but want to learn more about Irish traditional music and the repertoire that is commonly played.

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  We also welcome more experienced Irish musicians who would like to review and practice core repertoire.

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It's all about community!

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The goal of the class is to help you meet other musicians,  learn some solid Irish repertoire, and enjoy the art of playing Irish music with others.

 

One tune will be assigned each week, accompanied by the story behind the tune, videos, and instructional sound files.

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We'll go through the assigned tune in class, review tunes already assigned, and practice playing them with each other

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By the end of the series you'll have learned some popular Irish session tunes and some of the history behind the music we play.

But you will also make some new friends and be introduced to both the local and the world-wide community of people who love Irish music.

 

Dates :

Wednesdays

October 1st through November 5th, 2025

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Time:

6:30 - 7:45 pm

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Location for in-person classes:

St. Leo's Hall

(behind St. Andrew's Catholic Church)

109 South Main St., Waterbury Vermont

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Advanced Online Classes

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​​This class aims to give musicians a deeper look into Irish music and repertoire, and is geared to musicians who play at an intermediate to advanced level, and who want to learn more about iconic musicians and styles of playing.​​

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We hope that learning about the players and composers of this music (and some of the stories behind the tunes) will help make both the music and the playing of it more meaningful to you.

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The self-paced online “classes” will feature weekly assigned tunes, teaching sound files, video clips, and stories behind the tunes using both email and Google Drive. 

We will also offer practice suggestions to help increase speed and "lift" in your playing.

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

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Advanced In-Person Classes​

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In-person students will receive all of the above.  In addition, in-person classes focus on socializing with other musicians, learning to play a tune at different speeds, from moderate to fast, as well as learning to play comfortably in small to large group setting.

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Time

7:45- 9:00 pm

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Location

St. Leo's Hall (behind St. Andrew's Catholic Church)

109 South Main St., Waterbury, VT

 

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Who can register?

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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 suggested registration fee of just $100 USD 

 

If you are able to chip in more to help those who can't afford it, we're hugely grateful.

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

 

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.

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Theme for the Fall 2025 Series:

 

Music of the Kilfenora Céili Band

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Learning Irish traditional music is about much more than simply amassing repertoire. So every year we try to offer the musicians in our classes a deeper sense of this enduring tradition and the people who have kept it alive.

Yet, in all the years we have been teaching, this is the first time that we plan to delve into the influence of the ceili bands on Irish repertoire..

 

There’s no question that recordings of some of the iconic Irish ceili bands (or dance bands) have had an enormous influence on the music played in sessions today -  for repertoire, tune changes, and for the all-important ‘lift” in its rhythm.

 

The Kilfenora Ceili Band is one of the great bands in Irish music, and one of the oldest, and its repertoire has influenced countless traditional musicians. Formed in the village of Kilfenora, County Clare in 1909, the band was first gathered to play for fundraising dances in their local parish. The band’s lively, rhythmic style quickly gained recognition, and by the 1950s it had become a dominant force in céilí music, winning the prestigious All-Ireland competition three years in a row (1954–1956).

 

Last July in Ireland, we were inspired by a new website created by our friend, Aoife Kelly: “The Sounds of Kilfenora”. https://soundsofkilfenora.com/. 

 It’s a tribute to the generations who played, sang, danced, and kept the tradition alive in the Kilfenora area of County Clare.

 

The Kilfenora region was also notable for the historic participation of women musicians.  According to the website, some 25% of the participants were women.  This may not seem like a large number today, but it was unique for its time. In the early 1900’s fewer women played music in public. Many were skilled musicians, but the demands of family life often kept them from the same opportunities as men.

 

In both Advanced Repertoire and Core Repertoire classes this fall we’ll be teaching some of the wonderful tunes gleaned from recordings of the Kilfenora Ceili Band, emphasizing the particular lift that Irish music is renowned for, and discussing what would might a good “change” between tunes.  We might even try out a few dance steps in the in-person classes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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