Ireland's Online Resource for Parents & Teachers
www.newschool.ie/outreach
e: info@newschool.ie
69 South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2
Ph: 01 478 1884
Outreach Music Programme
The goal of the New School's Outreach Programme is to provide opportunities for active music making that may not otherwise be available in the primary and post-primary school classroom. Our intention is to expand children and young people's musical knowledge and encourage imaginative thinking, creativity, a positive self image and a respect for their own and others’ cultural heritage.
OUTREACH WORKSHOPS
Since 2001, the New School’s Outreach Workshops have taken place at over 300 schools, youth centres and special needs organisations nationwide, as well as at the Ark, the National Concert Hall, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, and arts centres throughout the greater Dublin area. Our intention is to expand children and young people’s musical knowledge and encourage imaginative thinking, creativity, a positive self image and a respect for their own and others’ cultural heritage. Our workshops include:
Capoeira in the Classroom
Drumming Around the World
Inside Rock
Introducing Music Technology
Musical Theatre in the Classroom
OurSong (songwriting workshop)
Sounds African
Sounds Indian
Sounds Irish
Sounds Samba
Except Introducing Music Technology, all of our workshops take place on-site at your school or centre. Introducing Music Technology and OurSong are taught by individual facilitators. All other workshops are team-taught by two facilitators at all times.
Although individually tailored to suit the needs of different age groups, all workshops aim to:
Cultivate musical curiosity
Encourage participants to explore their creativity and generate their own musical ideas
Introduce musical concepts through experiencing them
Show participants that music is fun and accessible, and develop their confidence through it
Teachers/supervisors, who are asked to participate, are provided with suggested follow-up activities for classroom use.
IN-SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAMME
Introduced in 2004, our In-School Music Programme consists of a range of music courses and lessons that take place on-site at primary schools, post-primary schools and youth centres throughout the greater Dublin area, either during or after school hours. It provides the opportunity for every student to have the enriching experience of learning music or a musical instrument at first hand. We offer a range of subjects and instruments, including:
African Music & Dance
Bodhrán
Capoeira
Exploring Percussion
Guitar
Irish Fiddle
Junior & Leaving Certificate Music
Music for Me (pre-instrumental music)
Music Therapy
Singing for Fun
Tin Whistle
Violin
One of our teachers will be assigned to your school for a residency, usually ranging from 10 to 30 weeks. He/she will teach weekly classes or lessons that can take place either during school, and integrated into the weekly timetable, or after school. In-school programmes can be paid for by the school, parents association or parents themselves. Residencies can be one-off, they can continue for another period subject to student interest, or you can opt for a different instrument or subject for their next residency. Residences can also be directed towards a final ‘showcase’ performance for other students and teachers of the school.
The courses, while providing sound instrumental or vocal tuition, aim to do more than that. They are also designed to engage participants in all aspects of active music making: listening, composing and performing. In other words, participants learn the fundamentals of music along with their instruments. Our purpose is to introduce a core subject, music, with an element of fun to young people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience it, or simply to provide an accessible and rewarding start to further music education.
TEACHER TRAINING
Classroom Music Made Easy is a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course granted approval by the Department of Education and Science for EPV days. In this course we 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. The course includes:
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 science, etc.
Confidence. Above all, participants will gain confidence in their abilities as facilitators of music. Everyone has the potential to be a music-maker: it’s simply a matter of a little training and confidence.
‘A practical and content-rich course provided by enthusiastic facilitators.’
– H. Corcoran, Froebel College, Blackrock, Co. Dublin
‘This is a fantastic course if you lack confidence when teaching music.’
– S. Corcoran, Rathfarnham Educate Together National School
‘Lots of information and ideas to take back to the classroom.’
– K. Doyle, St. Brigid’s Infant School, Killester, Dublin 5
Sarah Cunningham
Outreach Co-ordinator
Waltons New School of Music
69 South Great George's Street
Dublin 2
T: (01) 478 1884
F: (01) 475 1346
E: scunningham@newschool.ie
