Spring
2004 Irish Arts Classes March
1 - April
30
Next session will be May 3 - June
23
Here is a grid of the schedule of classes beginning the week of March 1, descriptions for all classes are below.
|
Mon 6 – 7 p.m |
Tin whistle/flute 3 |
Tin whistle 1 |
|
Mon 7 – 8 p.m. |
Irish language 2 |
Irish language 1 |
|
Mon 8 – 9 p.m. |
Fiddle 5 |
Whistle 2 |
|
Mon 5:30 – 8 p.m. |
Step dancing & whistle 1 & 2 (kids 5 – 12) |
|
|
Tues 5:30–6:30 p.m |
Fiddle 3 |
Accordion |
|
Tues 6:30–7:30 p.m. |
Fiddle 2 |
History of ITM |
|
Tues 7:30–8:30 |
Fiddle 4 |
Accompaniment |
|
Sunday 5 –6 p.m. |
Fiddle 1 |
Music by ear |
|
Thursday 6 – 7:30 |
Set dancing |
|
Irish Whistle/Flute
classes I, II, III Deirdre Harnedy & Helen Gubbins
Beginning class (I) will start out on Irish tin whistle, learning how to
play a scale and moving on to easy tunes. In the course of learning how to
play your tin whistle, you will also learn about the different types of
tunes in Irish music and a bit about the traditions and culture surrounding
traditional music.
Irish
whistle/flute I (Helen): Tuesdays, 5:30 - 6:25 pm, 8 weeks, beg.
Mar 1; $60
Intermediate (II) – continuation of any beginner
class we’ve offered in the past. You
will learn a variety of new tunes, add basic ornamentation and improve you
learning-by-ear skills.
Irish whistle/flute II (Helen): Tuesdays, 8.00 - 8.55 pm, 8 weeks, beg.
Mar 1; $60
Advanced (III) – continuation of intermediate
class, or for anyone who has been playing whistle or flute regularly for at
least a year. Focus on learning tunes by ear, making tunes sound
“traditional” with ornamentation and stylistic variations and mastering tunes
with rhythmic challenges.
Irish whistle III (Deirdre): Mondays 6:00 – 6:55, 8 weeks, beg. Mar
1;
$60
We have Acorn brand tin whistles available for purchase for $8.
Button
Accordion classes, Helen Gubbins
Helen
will be teaching beginning button accordion, starting with the absolute basics -
which way is up! - and working towards a number of tunes by the end of the
session. It is not necessary to have your own instrument; CMCAA has a
number of accordions which can be rented for the duration of the class.
This is lots of fun!
Tuesdays,
5.30 - 6.25, 8 weeks; $60 (not including accordion rental)
Irish
Fiddle classes I, II, III, IV, V Deirdre Harnedy
Beginning class (I) is for people
just learning to play the fiddle/violin. It will cover general techniques
starting with care of the instrument, fingerings and playing scales and
progress to playing easy tunes. Students should have an instrument.
Irish Fiddle I: Sundays 5:00 – 5:55 pm, 8
weeks; $60
Beginner
continuation (II & III) builds
on the beginner class, introducing new tune types and reinforcing the techniques
necessary to play fiddle, as well as adding some basic ornamentation..
Irish Fiddle II: Tuesdays, 6:30 – 7:25 pm,
8 weeks;
$60
Irish Fiddle III: Tuesdays, 5.30 - 6.25
pm, 8 weeks; $60
Intermediate
(IV) is for people with at least a year of experience playing fiddle/violin, who are
interested in learning Irish traditional style playing. This class will work
on playing Irish tunes in an authentic style,
emphasizing rhythm, style, and ornamentation.
Irish Fiddle IV: Tuesdays, 7.30 - 8.25 pm, 8 weeks; $60
Advanced
(V)
is
for people who have been playing Irish fiddle for a few years, who are
interested in expanding their repertoire and learning new tunes.
Irish
Fiddle V: Mondays, 8.00 - 8.55, 8 weeks; $60
History of Irish Music,
Helen Gubbins
We’ll explore through discussion, readings and recordings the musical
roots and influences in the evolution of Irish music, important
figures/composers/collectors, social and political context of traditional
music and more. This should be a very interesting class for musicians or
non-musicians.
Tuesdays,
6.30 - 7.25, 8 weeks; $60
Irish music accompaniment for chord instruments (piano,
guitar, other strummed things), Helen Gubbins
Back-up instruments are an
important part of traditional music and have specific roles to fill, adding to
the texture, balance and variation of tunes. Great back-up playing is an art
of its own! Helen will talk about chord choices, variations, rhythm patterns
and interactions between melody and backup instruments in a jam session or
performance setting.
Tuesday,
7.30 - 8.25, 8 weeks; $60
Music-by-ear techniques,Helen Gubbins
People who learned to play an instrument by reading
sheet music often find it very difficult to transition to a traditional or
folk style of music where tunes are mainly passed along from person to person,
learning by ear. This class will help strengthen your "ear"
for music, with techniques and exercises designed to help you listen better
and retain melodies you hear.
Sundays,
5.00 - 5.55, 8 weeks; $60
Irish Language (Gaelic) I,
Helen Gubbins
Basic conversational Irish for beginners.
Focus is on speaking and reading Irish and learning to
pronounce unfamiliar letter combinations. You'll also learn a bit about the
history and culture of Ireland and understand why this language that was
nearly "dead" is now thriving. Munster
dialect.
Mondays,
7.00 – 7:55, 8 weeks; $60.
Irish language
continuation, Deirdre
Harnedy
For people who have taken any beginning Irish class. Emphasis
on being able to carry on a conversation. Munster dialect. We’ll
use the Buntús Cainte book plus other resources. (Dependent on enrollment).
Mondays,
7.00 – 7:55, 8 weeks; $60.
Children's
Step Dancing, ages 5 - 12, Colleen Deisner, &
Children's Whistle, Helen Gubbins
MU
student Colleen Deisner has studied Irish dancing in St. Louis for many years and
will teach a children's step dancing class beginning in March. Because
Irish dance and music are so important to one another - most Irish music is
dance music - we feel that it is essential that dancers have a basic grounding
in tune types, rhythms, and how they relate to dance steps (and vice
versa). We will be offering a whistle class to run in conjunction with
step dance.
Mondays,
6.00 - 8.00, 8 weeks; $60 (DANCE ONLY) / $110 (DANCE AND WHISTLE)
Irish Social Dancing,
Christine Harker (for adults and teens)
Remember the party scene in
the movie "Titanic?" where the Irish immigrants were dancing? If
that looked like a lot of fun, this class is for you. Traditional Irish
Céilí and Set dances are low-impact group dances in circles, lines and
squares, accompanied by traditional Irish music. No experience and no partner
are necessary.
Thursdays,
6.00 - 7.30, 4 weeks; $30
Details about classes and registration information will be posted on our web site. We still have several loaner instruments available for beginners. Just ask!