Course Description

Do you love to sing? Have you ever been told that you had a good voice and 'must get it trained'? Would you like to know what actually goes on in singing lessons? This summer version of Introducing Singing for Adults – featured on RTÉ Radio One's Morning Ireland programme and one of Waltons New School of Music's most popular courses – is designed to take some of the mystery out of singing, improve your confidence in singing before an audience and introduce you to the fundamentals of voice training. Along with a small group of like-minded adults, you will observe and participate in basic singing tuition. You will learn how to choose songs (from a range of musical styles) that suit you and your voice. And you will begin to explore the technical side of singing, discovering the application and use of Focus and Support. (We will also discuss how to work with a voice/singing teacher to achieve your singing goals.) But most of all you will learn – in a relaxed and supportive environment – to sing with and in front of others. For those who want a basic understanding of technique, as well as for those who want to begin a lifetime of study (the great opera singer Luciano Pavarotti took a singing lesson every week for most of his life), this course is the perfect introduction to the singer's art.

Please note that although Introducing Singing for Adults is an excellent way to build your confidence as a singer, it is not a course for the timid. You will be asked to sing with and in front of others on a weekly basis.

Enrol in this course.

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Questions about the course?

CONTACT US

or call us on (01) 478 1884.

Have you enrolled in this course?

Download our Introductory Handout
for tips on how to get the most from it.

This course covers Stage 1 of the New School's ten-stage system of student progress and assessment, which culminates in a teaching or performing qualification (Stage 10) should the student progress that far. Participants who successfully complete the course can be issued with a certificate of completion of Stage 1. If you are taking the course, please let the school office know if you would like this certificate. See About Our Stage System for more information.

Summer Introducing Singing for Adults is one of the New School's group courses. We also offer private voice (singing) tuition for students of all ages and skill levels. See Voice (Singing) Tuition for more information.

Ana Dundovic

Hailing from Croatia, Ana started music at an early age, first by joining a children's choir and then by taking singing lessons. Later she developed an interest in rock music and joined her first rock band, touring across Europe at the age of seventeen. She began attending opera singing classes shortly after and received a scholarship to study in the BA Music programme at the University of Arts in Osijek, Croatia. As one of their most promising students, she performed in Italy, Hungary, Montenegro and other countries, with a highlight singing before thousands of people in Venice's Piazza San Marco. She is currently studying at the TU Dublin Conservatoire. Ana had won several singing competitions, both as a soloist and a part of the vocal ensemble. And she has performed in the Croatian National Theatre in Osijek in productions of Nikola Subic Zrinjski, Gianni Schicchi, Nabucco and The Magic Flute. Besides opera, she continues to pursue her rock career with a band called Piano Black. Ana is also a certified yoga and pranayama teacher, and she uses their techniques to help students with performance anxiety. Her professional training and versatility, as well as her extensive experience as a teacher both in Croatia and in Ireland, make her an ideal teacher for students of all ages interested in classical singing, as well as rock, metal, pop and jazz.

Sinéad Flynn

Sinéad received a BMus in Music Performance from the DIT Conservatory of Music and also trained in the Gaiety School of Acting. She has sung and acted in a wide range of theatre, opera and musical theatre productions, as well as on television and film. She has performed in the National Concert Hall, the Gaiety Theatre, the Peacock Theatre, Cork City Hall and Waterfront Hall in Belfast, as well as in Germany and the USA. Sinéad's favourite singing roles include Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas and Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Her chorus work includes Puccini's Tosca, Mozart's The Magic Flute and Glucks' Orfeo ed Euridice. And her favourite acting roles include Grusha in Bertolt Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle and the title role in Terence Rattigan's The Winslow Boy. Sinéad has won numerous prizes, including the Gilbert and Sullivan Cup in the Feis Ceoil and the Light Opera Cup and Margaret Dillon Memorial Prize in the Feis Maithiú, Cork. She has written and devised many of her own plays and performances, including The Box of Earthly Delights (the Pearse Centre, Culture Night), Discord (Phizzfest) and 10 x 10 Short Plays (Cork Arts Theatre). In addition to her work teaching voice, musical theatre and the Musical Theatre Workshop with the New School and singing for our Outreach Programme since 2006, Sinéad has created and directed performances for several community and classroom groups. She has a particular interest in outreach education.

Siobhán Kavanagh

Siobhán is a singing teacher and music facilitator specialising in live performance, building repertoire and adapting to the needs of each student. She has a diverse musical background, having studied jazz, classical singing, opera performance and interdisciplinary vocal techniques. She was awarded the Paul Brady Bursary to study Irish traditional styles of singing, including unaccompanied singing such as séan-nós. She holds a First Class Honours BA in Music and Anthropology from Maynooth University and studied opera performance for an Erasmus year at the renowned University of Oslo in Norway. More recently, she received a First Class Honours MA in Ethnomusicology from the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance at the University of Limerick, where she continued her studies of Irish traditional singing, researched unaccompanied traditional singing circles in Dublin and unravelled some of the history behind traditional songs, as well as exploring Middle Eastern singing techniques. Singing has provided Siobhán with many performance opportunities, and she has toured extensively with live bands on national and international stages. She also works collaboratively with artists, composers, dancers, curators and circus practitioners and has been commissioned to compose songs, music and soundscapes for films, live art performance and music events.

Dav McNamara

Hailing from Sligo, Dav McNamara has long been one of Ireland’s leading session singers, with many well-known radio and TV ads to her credit, including campaigns for Guinness, the National Lottery and Dunnes Stores. Her work has covered a wide range of styles and genres, and as well as singing in English she has also sung in French, Spanish, Italian, Irish and even Serbo-Croat! Over her long career, Dav has worked with a number of jazz luminaries both in Ireland and abroad, including the late, great Ray Charles, Jimmy Smith and bassist Paul Langosch (Tony Bennett band). She has also regularly performed in various Dublin venues – including The Globe, J.J. Smyth's and Bewley's Café Theatre – as well as numerous regional venues around the country, and she has appeared and sung a number of times on national television. Dav has taught with the New School since 2001.

Reviews • Testimonials

'Relaxed but progressive atmosphere. Good quality tuition. Professional teacher.'
– K. Ackland

'A very nice introduction to the basics of singing. You learn how to sing great songs step-by-step, without having to be able to read music.'
– F. Bulcke

'This course is a great introduction and confidence builder. Before you realise it you're singing in front of people and loving it!'
– E. Donnelly

'I enjoyed the course thoroughly and learned a lot. I would definitely recommend this course and Waltons New School of Music to anybody thinking of taking up singing lessons. The atmosphere is friendly and professional, I personally learned a lot and have decided to sign up for further lessons!'
– M. Dunne

'Very enthusiastic teacher and great breadth of genres taught. Really enjoyable – didn't miss a class!
– P. Dunne

'I really enjoyed the course and gained confidence in my singing abilities as well as learning new techniques, and I had fun singing songs I would not normally have considered “suitable” for me.'
– R. Ferguson

'Great fun. Relaxed atmosphere. Learned loads!'
– K. Finn

'I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the singing/voice classes I have taken with Fiadh Rua Gregg: the mix of exercises, technical knowledge and skills, learning new songs, and the experience of singing with other people. I also enjoyed listening to and learning from other people in the group. I have learned so much about my voice, and I really value this learning – considering how much I use my voice in my work. The whole experience has been deeply enriching. I appreciated how Fiadh pitched and paced each class with a blend of tasks that provided a challenge while also offering a sense of achievement. While I attended all classes online, I felt very much part of a group, and this was due to Fiadh's skill as a teacher, as she created such an encouraging, facilitative and supportive atmosphere. I had wanted to take singing/voice classes for years, and I'm so glad I did!'
– N. Giffney

'Excellent teacher and class environment in which to (re)learn singing!'
– T. Hennessy

'It is a great singing experience. Besides learning the techniques, you gain confidence in yourself. It is also a relaxing time.'
– M. Laboureur

'A great introduction to singing and the different genres of music. The course definitely made me want to pursue further vocal training.'
– R. Lee

'A very enjoyable course. The teacher was very experienced, and all participants improved hugely, even shrinking violets!'
– E. Loughrey

'If you love to sing but are not sure how to progress, give the singing course a go. Hugely enjoyable and a great way to progress in a small group. It helps with wobbly nervous voices too! Highly recommended.'
– A. McCabe

'Gave me confidence to try for the high notes in the choir I'm in.'
– B. Mac Ceallaigh

'The course was so much more than I expected. I learned so much and gained confidence within myself. The teacher was an inspiration!'
– C. McGowan

'For me, as an aspect of personal development, the classes were hugely enjoyable and rewarding.'
– E. McGrath

'I enjoyed the course immensely and learned a lot. The teacher was excellent and I liked the whole welcoming set up in Waltons New School of Music.'
– A. Molony

'Excellent tuition. I really enjoyed getting to know different voices and different styles of singing.'
– P. Murray

'It was so enjoyable that I never noticed the time passing and was always surprised when the time was up!'
– N. O’Reilly

'I have been singing 'au natural' for years, but in the class I learned about the importance of breathing correctly when singing, and also posture and other things that helped me feel that I could improve.'
– E. Wynne

Have you taken – or are you taking – this course? We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback in a brief online questionnaire about it.

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2025 Summer Term
Course Schedules

JULY COURSE
5 weeks, 1 – 29 July 2025
Tuesdays 6.30 – 8 pm
Teacher: Ana Dundovic

AUGUST COURSE
4 weeks, 6 – 27 August 2025
Wednesdays 6.30 – 8 pm
Teacher: Siobhán Kavanagh

Tuition Fees

JULY COURSE
Standard Fee: €160
Discounted Fee: €144 *

AUGUST COURSE
Standard Fee: €130
Discounted Fee: €117 *

* Students taking more than one Summer Term group course, either concurrently or in another part of the Term, receive a 10% discount off the second group course. The discount applies both to courses taken concurrently (in the same part of the term) or in two different parts of the term. It can only be applied to Summer Term courses and to a second course with the same or lower tuition fee than the first course.

Enrolment

Enrolment for this course requires a completed Enrolment Form and full payment of the course fee. Places in each course are limited to eight and are available on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the date of enrolment. A number of our group courses fill in advance of their start dates, and early enrolment is recommended.

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Purchasing this course as a gift?
Please complete a Gift Certificate Booking Form.

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Questions about the course?

CONTACT US

or call us on (01) 478 1884.

What happens after the course?

Two weeks before the end of each Introducing course, participants will be given options for continuing their tuition with the New School if they would like to do so. Although an 'improvers' or continuation course cannot be scheduled on the same day/time as the Introducing course, one can be arranged if enough course participants would like to continue and the teacher has timetable availability or there is timetable availability with another teacher. Participants can also continue their tuition with private (one-to-one) lessons or 'partner' lessons with another class member. (See Tuition Options – Private • Partner • Small Group Lessons.) Or they can continue their tuition with another course or ensemble:

• Jazz Vocal Workshop or Musical Theatre Workshop.
• Sing Your Heart Out Choir or Sing & Swing Jazz Vocal Ensemble.

We are happy to discuss these options with you.