A Summer Course for Primary Teachers
'A practical and content-rich course provided by enthusiastic facilitators.'
– H. Corcoran, Froebel College, Blackrock, Co. Dublin
'I learned so much in a few days.'
– P. Kearney, St Brigid's GNS, Killester, Dublin 5
'This is a fantastic course if you lack confidence when teaching music.'
– S. Corcoran, Rathfarnham ETNS
'Learned lots and the information sheets were excellent. I have a much better awareness of how to teach music in the classroom and how to get children to respond, etc. Helen explained info very well, as music would not be my strong point.'
– A. Bradley, St. Colmcille's GNS, Swords
'Both Helen and Harry were fantastic facilitators and made teaching music fun and less daunting than previously thought.'
– C. Sands, St. Attracta's JNS, Dublin 16
'Helen and Harry delivered the course in a very relaxed, informative and easy way. Great suggestions and ideas were imparted. Giving the teachers an opportunity to present an idea that they use in their classrooms was greatly beneficial as well.'
– S. Donnelly, Coolbock NS, Sligo
'Lots of information and ideas to take back to the classroom.'
– K, Doyle, St Brigid's Infant School, Killester, Dublin 5
'The facilitators were very well prepared and organised. I learnt lots.'
– L. Flynn, St Brigid's GNS, Killester, Dublin 5
'Very practical teacher who had great experience in a school with children of all ages – she really knew what worked!'
– A. Cassidy, St. Peter Apostle JNS, Clondalkin, Dublin 22
'Helen is an excellent teacher and she had a great way of having fun while delivering the course to us. I learned a great amount of material and I feel it will benefit me in my teaching.'
– C. Kinsella, Gorey Music Centre, Co. Wexford
The value of bringing music into your classroom is undisputed. Numerous studies have proven that active music-making in a classroom setting:
- Provides unique and distinct modes of learning
- Promotes higher order thinking skills
- Fosters creativity and self-expression
- Encourages teamwork and cohesiveness
- Develops perceptual and motor skills
- Is a major source of joy and achievement
But can a teacher with little or no music training really teach it in the primary classroom? The answer is definitely yes!
In this course we will introduce a range of practical, user-friendly classroom activities and techniques that will allow teachers and students to explore together the three strands of the primary music curriculum – listening, composing and performing – in a fun and meaningful way.
- Singing and songs, including the rudiments of tonic solfa, intervals, hand signs and expanding upon songs in easy ways such as clapping, using percussion, breaking into groups, asking children to conduct, etc.
- An introduction to the tin whistle (course fee includes a Waltons ‘Mellow D’ whistle, specially recommended for beginners).
- Guided listening (using worksheets, pictures and brainstorming) to some of the great ‘child-friendly’ works (including Peter and the Wolf, The Carnival of the Animals, The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, etc.), as well as music from other genres and traditions, as well as pieces brought in and discussed by participants themselves.
- Equipping a classroom for music activities, using inexpensive classroom percussion instruments and even constructing your own instruments with children.
- A ‘crash course’ in the rudiments of music theory; composing and performing music from ‘standard’ notation and using other approaches.
- Cross-curricular activities that encourage exploration of music and art, music and poetry, music and science, etc.
- Technology for music education. Participants will learn about music education software and web-based resources where they may source further material for classroom use, reinforce aspects of the curriculum and consult with others on methodology.
- Teaching music with confidence. Participants will be given a chance to hone their music presentation skills in a friendly and open atmosphere through a short micro-teaching session on the last day.
This Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course is subsidised by Waltons New School of Music and has been granted approval by the Department of Education and Skills for EPV days.
Course Details (2011)
Details for the July 2011 course will be available on our website in May.
Teachers
Helen Byrne read music at Trinity College Dublin, graduating with honours in 2001, and in 2006 completed a masters by research at Trinity on the Irish music education system. Her thesis looked at the history of music education in Ireland, examining the paths which led us to our current curricula at both primary and secondary levels, and examined the effectiveness of these courses through teacher surveys and analysis of examination results. She continues to pursue her interest in music education, in particular the Kodály and Dalcroze methods in relation to pre-instrumental music. Helen has also studied singing under Toni Walsh at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Philip O'Reilly at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. She was a choral scholar at Trinity (1998-2001) and subsequently conducted the choir (2003-2005). She studied piano at DIT and attended conducting courses with Mark Duley and Geoffrey Spratt. Helen ran the Music for Me pre-instrumental course at the New School (2001-2005) before moving on to the DIT Conservatory of Music, where she now teaches early years music and musicianship. She has worked in a number of schools; as curricular music and orchestra teacher in St. Andrew's Preparatory School Blackrock, singing teacher in St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir School and choir director at Kings Hospital School and St. Fintan's in Sutton. Helen has built up a successful piano teaching practice in the Clontarf area and enjoys working as an accompanist.
Author of The Waltons Guide to Irish Music, Harry Long has devoted a lifetime to the study and teaching of Irish history and traditional music, in all its forms. He has played tin and low whistles for almost three decades and performed with the Irish National Folk Company at St. Enda’s National Historic Park, in international music and dance festivals and throughout Ireland both solo and in sessions. As a teacher he has guided hundreds of students at both private and national schools in Dublin and County Wicklow. Harry has composed and recorded music for RTÉ radio and television documentaries, including Head Waters (1991), on the area where Turlough O’Carolan was born, and A Change of Heart. He has also taught Irish music appreciation and tin and low whistle at the New School for twelve years and has taught tin whistle beginners from all over the world in our summer lessons and courses. His solo whistle playing can be heard on the album Rinka (2002), as well as the Waltons double CDs, Ireland's Best Tin Whistle Tunes, Volumes 1 and 2 and Ireland's Best Tin Whistle Tunes for Children.
Enrolment
Enrolment for this course requires a completed enrolment form and full payment of tuition fees. Places are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. Early enrolment is recommended, as places are limited.
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