Monday, July 19, 2021 by Therese Porter | Uncategorized

With the summer season under way, it is now time to pre-enrol for September.  We take your decision to enrol yourself or your child very seriously.  You are not just a name or number – you are a valued member of our music community. 

As a member of our community, you have access to workshops, concerts, end-of-term assessments, access to a library of books, access to the school software which allows you to check your scheduled lessons, payments made to the school, check attendance, use of the Practice log, the opportunity to interact with your tutor through notes, to name just a few benefits. 

We have two FREE (for enrolled students only) online events planned for Term 1 so far. 

·           Parenting and Music Practice – a discussion with parenting mentor Anne Brannick (this event ties in with our fabulous new competition, more details to follow) and 

·           Musical Expression with RIAM examiner and WSMD tutor Rachel Factor. 

Our tutors have many years of teaching experience and are all seasoned performers.  They tailor lessons to each student; whether the student is learning for their own enjoyment, or they wish to pursue exams with RIAM, ABRSM or Trinity College London.  We have excellent results from all exam boards.  

Fees for 2021/22

A 30-minute individual lesson costs only €25.  If you have reached grade 6 standard you are required to take 45-minute lessons at a cost of €37.50.  Longer lessons can also be arranged.

Our Annual Registration fee is €40 which is reduced to only €5 for second or subsequent family members. Note: when you prepay a full year’s fees, the administration work is reduced and as a result you are not charged for it – see Special Offers below. 

We offer a 5% discount on music fees for third and subsequent family members.

Our Concert (subject to COVID restrictions) fees remain at €10 per family per term (max. two terms).  The concert fees cover all family members – parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.

We offer a monthly Standing Order payment option which spreads the cost of tuition throughout the academic year.  A 5% charge applies to Standing Orders to cover the associated bank fees.  If you wish to avail of this payment option, please contact the office as soon as possible.

New Musical Theatre course

We have an exciting new Musical Theatre course this year.  The course will build confidence in stage acting and vocal expression.  Activities and exercises are designed to draw out the individual in a safe, nurturing, and happy environment.  The course provides an opportunity for participants to learn techniques that preserve the voice and develop natural resonance across all of the individual vocal range.  It will provide practical training to prepare for the Leaving Certificate Practical Voice and for 3^rd level courses in the Performing Arts.  This course is more suited to students aged 12 years and older.  For more information log onto our website.  

Competition

We are launching a new competition over the next few days for enrolled students with the winner receiving a massive €200 discount from Term 2 fees.

Special offers

·          Pay for the year in full by 1^st August and avail of NO Registration Fee, NO Concert fees, NO Exam administration fees and protection against any fee increase during the year.
  Availing of this offer will also give you first refusal on your existing time/day/tutor, subject to tutor availability.

·          Pay for Term 1 in full by 1^st August and avail of a 50% reduction in the Annual registration fee.  You will also get first refusal on your existing time/day/tutor, subject to tutor availability.

·          Pay €100 deposit to secure your place in September.

Any times not already secured by payment in full for the year or Term 1 by 1^st August will be open to all other students.

New school year start dates

The new academic year will start on Wednesday, 1^st September in East Glendalough School, Wicklow town and on Monday, 6^th September in Newcastle Parish Centre. There are 32 weeks of lessons in EGS and 34 weeks of lessons in NPC.  The Musical Theatre course begins on 1st October and runs over 29 weeks in NPC.

Registration form 

Don’t forget to logon to our website, review our Registration conditions and sign the Registration form – we need an up-to-date form for each student before lessons can commence.

NB: COMING SOON - STRIPE for online portal payments!!

Saturday, August 22, 2020 by Kerry Anderson | Uncategorized

Well here we go folks.   

Just hours after I had posted our new socially distant schedule, the government announced further restrictions on groups.

So a recap of all that has changed since the advent of 'lockdown'

Both of our Musical Theatre Tutors have decided to change direction.  So a very fond farewell to Caroline Hill and Clare Dixon - words are not enough! But I know we'll meet again one COVID-free day!  Caroline and her husband John were an absolute powerhouse of production and I will miss those heady days of panto magic!  Caroline is moving into film set design and we all wish her well on her road to success!

We'll miss Clare's fun-and-games apporach to tuition.  She got great results from the team of singers and we wish her all the best as she goes further into choral directing (such as it is right now!!).

Now we have intimate theatre to look forward to with Maura Flynn.  Maura has produced many, many shows and jumped at the chance to work on this new course.  She's preparing the details as I write this and will feature on the website page shortly.

We've advertised 10 in a group; now we will reduce that to 5 and see how the COVID situation unfolds.  Praying that the virus has modified itself (as they are want to do) into something more in line with common flu.  In the mean time, I will be taking zinc supplements and D3 as the winter months approach.

Note the musical theatre course is now running each Saturday at 3:30 in Newcastle Parish Centre (A63X782) in the enormous Hall and their giant doors will be wide open until the cold sets in...

We are offering Musicianship ONLINE for beginner to grade one standard each Saturday at 2:00pm.  I will run these classes, and a curriculum will commence in October, but the class starts in September.  This means that in September we can get established as a small community, sharing our taste in music, and establishing what we already know and need to work on.  There is room for up to 12 students, and I am hoping to have something prepared for our virtual Christmas concert.  

Maura is running the intermediate Musicianship course each Saturday morning at 8:15-9:00am. Students are teens and are at grade 2 to 4 instrumental standard.  This course is on-site in East Glendalough School.

All instrumental tuition is running as usual ON-SITE.  But I hasten to add that our students/parents must agree to a default of online delivery should lockdown conditions return.

In the world of opera Pagliacci, the sad clown, sings 'Vesti la Giubba!'  On with the show! 

But let's not be sad.  

Best wishes everyone!

Kerry

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 by Caroline Hill | Uncategorized

Hello girls and boys !!

We are all adapting to making our short 3 minute videos of our performances and they are a delight to do and watch! Rosie and I were howling with laughter at our last attempts at the Austrian dance. However we kept a straight face during our performance.It was also a welcome distraction during the day to search for costume items and to paint our faces!  Please send the videos directly from your phone to Kerry or me or Clare on Whatsapp which is much easier and quicker than wetransfer.

It's fabulous to see you perform and we would love you all to take part.

So your task for the next two weeks is as follows : 1. Listen to Edelweiss on your backing track that Clare gave you or find it on youtube. Listen to it a few times with your eyes closed and allow your mind to imagine how you would dance to this piece which is a very gentle song. Clare spoke at the last class about the timing of this piece. Please have a read of the email that is sent to you that discusses the timing and movement of Edelweiss. Think of where the song is performed and by whom- by Captain Von Trapp at the concert and also with the children and Maria. It was written by  Rodgers and Hammerstein -the  composers of the musical -and i was meant to sound like folk song and expresses the singers love of the land that is Austria.

Please wear something white and remember this is a simple folk song. Have fun making your video.

2. I thought you would like to try working on a few different musicals for a while, if you've always wanted to play the lead (which is the main character of the story ) here is your chance ! Choose from Charlie and the Chocolate factory, Mary Poppins, Aladin, Oliver, The Lion King, Annie ....to name but a few, so find one of the lead characters in any musical and look for a section when he/she is speaking with someone, which is called the dialogue or a section when they are only speaking this is callled a monologue. You could google monologues from childrens musicals . Next learn the piece and present it to the camera with some hand movement and some  facial expressions as needed. This will help to make the character come alive; maybe find an item for them to hold called a prop...for example an umbrella, or a golden ticket...try not to stand there doing nothing ...Also find out as much as you can about the character, because when you are playing a characer /acting - it really helps you,  to know what it feels like to BE that character, or to be in their shoes. Find out their hopes and wishes, things they are scared of, what kind of family do they live in? What do they do every day? Find out as much as you can. If you choose a dialogue then just get the person filming you to say the other person's words/lines  quietly to you so you can carry on the conversation as it's written and video it like that!

Then present your monologue or dialogue in a 3 mins max video in costume :)  

Please send the two videos to us before May 1st which is the  date of the next class. Goodluck and Enjoy yourself !