PPMTA Webzine - September 2011
PPMTA 15th Annual National Conference
Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin from the 21st - 23rd October 2011
The conference fee is €99 for the weekend. This price includes tea/coffee throughout the weekend, lunch on saturday, conference banquet on saturday night and attendance at all workshops and presentations plus the chance to engage in our Trades Exhibition and Research Poster Presentations.
Our inspirational keynote speaker will be Marc Jaffrey from UK (Manifesto UK, Music Education A Burning Platform).
The Programme will include the following:
Teaching strategies for Junior and Leaving Certificate Melody Writing
Colin Durrant Choral Workshop
Musicals and the Role of the Musical Director / Producer
Teaching Irish Music in the classroom
Gerald Barry Set Work
New Junior Certificate Report
GCSE Curriculum and Resources
I am delighted to report that the PPMTA has formed a partnership with the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST).
For any of you who missed out on any part of the trilogy this will be your chance to participate as the three workshops will be repeated for the last time.
All three workshops will run concurrently so you will be able to choose one that you may have missed or alternatively revisit one that you enjoyed and benefited from.
The Creative Use of ICT in the Classroom
The Creative Use of Singing in the Classroom
The Creative Use of Composition in the Classroom
Finally, our conference staples will also take place, i.e., Junior and Leaving Certificate Exam reviews, Returning/Existing and Newly Qualified Teachers' Forum, Lightbulb Moments (including all previous years lightbulbs!!!) and Annual General meeting and Elections.
If any of you are participating in courses of study and interested in getting involved in our Research Posters Corner, let your supervisor know and please email ethel.glancy@gmail.com
Accommodation has been organised with the four star Croke Park Hotel.
Prices are as follows:
B&B per night: Double €65 pps, Single €90
2 nights B&B plus one dinner: Double €145 pps and Single €210
You will need to book directly with the hotel. A limited number of 50 rooms has been block-booked for all delegates at this special conference rate until SEPTEMBER 16th. After this date the normal room rate will apply.
A letter to your principal and Application form are on their way to your school.
Looking forward to an exciting and valuable weekend.
Traditional Music, Song and Dance Programme
National Museum of Ireland –Country Life
Opportunity for Transition year students 5 Day Course. Traditional Music, Song and Dance Programme
17th – 21st October 2011 10.00am - 4.00pm
Dust down that fiddle and polish up the accordion! Join our team of well known traditional musicians. Learn about percussion and rhythm with Jimmy Higgins, song writing with John Hoban and dancing with Ashline Cunningham. Practice Irish music and compose new tunes with Joe Byrne and record work with Donal Siggins. If you can play a few tunes we want to hear from you! Contact the Bookings Office by 30th September with expression of interest.
The Traditional Music, Song and Dance Project has proved to be an outstanding success as a transition year project. Due to its success the course will be run again as part of our Post-Primary Schools Programme 2011 -2012. Its explores aspects of percussion, music, song and dance. Students have a rare opportunity to work with a team of well known traditional musicians. Applicants need to be transition year students with some musical background that can take part in the 5-day course. The deadline for November applications is 30th September. A €20 deposit per student is required to secure a place. Deposits are refunded on completion of the course. Contact the Bookings Office on 094 9031751 or by emailing educationtph@museum.ie.
Do you have The Voice of Ireland?
Open auditions are not being held for the show, so if people think they have what it takes, they need to apply online at www.rte.ie/thevoice. The closing date for applications is Monday September 19, and those successful will be called to take part in closed auditions in Dublin from September 22. The show will be hosted Kathryn Thomas and Eoghan McDermott, and the winner will bag a recording contract with Universal Music. The Voice of Ireland will consist of three phases: a blind audition, a singing battle and the live performance shows.
http://www.rte.ie/ten/2011/0906/thevoice.html
Singing Our Cares Away
Singing Our Cares Away! A FREE Singing Workshop to celebrate positive mental health
Saturday 8 October, 11am-3pm Carmelite Community Centre, Aungier St, Dublin
SoundStories, Voices in Harmony is a recently launched initiative to promote group singing. As our contribution to this year’s National Choral Singing Week in October to mark World Mental Health Day, we are offering a free singing workshop to everyone interested in positive mental health. The workshop will celebrate the power of singing to enhance our mental wellbeing.
The workshop, Singing Our Cares Away, takes place on 8 October in Dublin’s city centre and is open to absolutely everyone, regardless of singing ability and age. We will sing a range of easy-to-learn, uplifting and inspiring songs from all over the world. We will also learn about some ways of using the voice to reduce stress and enhance wellbeing. There will be no solo singing and you don’t need to be able to read music. The workshop is facilitated by Rachel Dempsey, who runs Global Harmonies. www.dublin.ie/globalharmonies. The workshop is free but booking is essential. Donations to cover costs will be accepted on the day. Please email soundstoriesireland@gmail.com, or phone 086 309 7232 to book your places by October 3rd at the latest.
Free Audio Files to get people singing in harmony To give you an idea of what to expect at the workshop, we have attached a file of one of the songs we will learn. It’s called ‘Fire Fire’. You can also hear and download the harmony parts for a Cherokee song meaning ‘I am of Great Spirit’ and a Zimbabwean funeral song, ‘Famba Naye’ at http://soundcloud.com/soundstories-1. If you can’t attend the workshop, why not try to get your own group together and give signing a go! You can use these free audio files, specially created by SoundStories, Voices in Harmony, to get you started singing in harmony. They are divided into different parts for easy learning and you get to hear how the parts come together in harmony as well. The words are also included in a file on the site. You are free to share these files and songs but acknowledgement of SoundStories,Voices in Harmony is appreciated.
Find out more about SoundStories, Voices in Harmony Want to know more about the singing workshops, audio downloads of songs and special offers from SoundStories,Voices in Harmony? Subscribe to our e-newsletter by emailing soundstoriesireland@gmail.com or join us on Facebook SoundStories Singing. Upcoming workshops in Dublin include:
imerick Bach Workshop (26th October 2011) Supported by the PPMTA
A Leaving Certificate Guide to CANTATA BWV 78 JESU, DER DU MEINE SEELE by J.S. Bach
A PRESENTATION IN TWO PARTS
St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, 26 October, 2011
6.30 p.m. Demonstration and Talk A demonstration and talk aimed at Leaving Certificate Students. The demonstration will involve a movement-by-movement talk on the work with musical illustration by the choir, orchestra and soloists. The focus will be on the chief musical features of this Cantata, particularly with reference to those recurring elements so characteristic of music of the Baroque era.
7.30 p.m. Full Performance A complete live performance of the Cantata with the full forces required. The choir will consist of the combined singers of St Mary’s Cathedral Choir and Ancór Chamber Choir, together with full orchestra and vocal soloists.
The conductor will be Cecilia Madden who is a music teacher at Ardscoil Mhuire, Limerick and director of Ancór.
Peter Barley - Presenter Peter Barley has been working as Organist and Choir Director at St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, since November 2010. Prior to this, he spent eight years as Organist and Master of the Choristers at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, having previously worked for more than a decade as a freelance musician in London, where he was based at St Marylebone Church as Director of Music. Peter is also a former Director of the Edington Festival. The foundations for Peter’s interest in organ and church music were laid through his studies at King’s College, Cambridge (where he was an organ scholar) and at the Royal Academy of Music, London where he completed his postgraduate studies.
For an application form click here
Dublin Branch Meeting March 14th 2011
After a dormant few years the PPMTA Dublin Branch has revived again and had a first meeting on March 14th 2011.
The “Welcome to the Orchard!!!” meeting as it was coded by Ethel Glancy because we all brought our Apples (Apple Mac computers!) was an excellent training session by Ben Murray. Ben made his classroom in Alexandra College available for the evening and eighteen members signed up to attend.
Firstly, Ben assessed the level of expertise in the group and although there were some who use the macs a lot, most were there as beginners. Ben gave us an overview of the resources he uses in his teaching. Then we had a session on Garageband, a very useful application on the Mac. It offers great possibilities to begin composing, recording and producing student compositions on CD. This will be very useful in many classroom contexts but especially in Transition Year where there is time to experiment and be creative. Indeed it could be a resource to encourage more students to consider the composing elective at Leaving Certificate as it provides the tools to develop the skills creatively.
The group was lively and animated in the discussion and sharing of ideas for using this technology and all agreed that further sessions would be invaluable to progress our learning, maybe in the new academic year. Ben advised us to experiment and practise using Garageband before further input. Hopefully many of us have managed to do so during the summer holidays!
Towards the end of the meeting we shared some resources that members had brought to the meeting as Ethel had suggested. This is indeed something we hope to develop and encourage in the future as collaboration and sharing using the online PPMTA Forum has been welcomed and embraced by members nationwide.
The Dublin Branch Meetings for 2011-2012 academic year will be posted and circulated soon and we look forward to working together in the future.
Mary McFadden
Chairperson, Dublin Branch
Results for Music in the 2011 Exams
Click here to access the stats for the LC Music results
Click here to access the stats for the JC Music results
Review of AOIC Choral Conducting Course
The Association of Irish Choirs ran a course in Choral Conducting in Trinity College this Spring. The course took place on weekends in six afternoon sessions. Participants came from as far away as Cork to take part. There were several observers also present who, for a nominal fee, sat in on the sessions and formed a small choir for the conducting students to work with. The course was offered at two levels: Basic/Intermediate – taught by Bernie Sherlock and Advanced – taught by David Brophy. I sat in on the Advanced class for two sessions.
The conducting students were treated to short lessons in technique. These were given based on issues that arose in the course of rehearsing the set pieces. Some of the important technical issues raised included:
David Brophy also delved into the realms of Rehearsal Technique. He stressed the importance of effective communication and use of rehearsal time. Why explain your wishes for dynamics and shape in words, when you can do it just as effectively (and often more so) by showing the choir with your hands and face. Indeed, Brophy was adept in showing just as much with his face as with his hands!
Back in 2006 I was lucky to study conducting for a year, since it was part of the music degree I was doing. And having worked with various choirs since then, I was amazed at how quickly all of this technique seemed to have vanished! However, sitting in on this course brought it all back, or most of it at least. For anybody who takes a choir, in or out of school, if you want to brush up on your conducting technique, take a look at the AOIC website (www.aoic.ie) for information on upcoming conducting courses. Stephen Hennessey, April 2011.