Kentucky Irish Music Academy is our partner in Irish music education and enrichment. They just concluded the Winter 2021 Term.
INSTRUCTORS
The Kentucky Irish Music Academy is led by acclaimed and award-winning musicians and educators Justin Bridges and Jeremy Wade. Additional instruction for the Winter Term was provided by Anna Bumiller Boman. Stay tuned for more information about their next term of classes!
COURSES
Winter 2021 Term classes were on Fridays and Saturdays, February 5 through March 13. These classes were for teenage and adult students.
Irish Fiddle for Violinists and Fiddlers, Fridays, 6:00-7:00pm Eastern US/Canada
Session Tunes, Fridays, 7:00-8:00pm Eastern US/Canada
Irish Language for Beginners, Saturdays, 12:00-1:00pm Eastern US/Canada
Music Theory for Irish Dancers, Saturdays, 1:30-2:30pm Eastern US/Canada
Course descriptions follow below.
Tuition
$120 for one six-week course, discounts for each additional course
Drop-in rates available for single classes
Extracurricular enrichment opportunities included with tuition
How to enroll
Visit our online store and scroll to Kentucky Irish Music Academy.
Add courses or individual drop-in classes to your shopping cart and check-out.
Your course instructor will email to welcome you and provide you the virtual access link(s).
Questions?
Contact info@kyirishmusic.org.
Class Descriptions
Irish Fiddle for Violinists and Fiddlers
What’s the difference between Irish fiddle and Bluegrass fiddle? How can someone with a Classical background put a little more lift in their jigs and reels? In this class, award-winning Irish fiddler Justin Bridges will help uncover the subtleties of traditional Irish music for intermediate and advanced fiddlers and violinists. Much of the technique used in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Classical playing doesn’t suit Irish fiddling, but with a bit of tweaking those hard-earned skills can generate the liveliest dance music, or the most mournful slow airs! We’ll also sharpen our ears and explore some of the vastly different styles of Irish fiddle playing!
Session Tunes
Have you ever walked into a pub and seen a group of Irish musicians sitting in a circle playing music for hours on end? The Irish session is an informal gathering of musicians looking to share tunes, stories, and camaraderie. In this class, celebrated professional Irish musician Justin Bridges will teach tunes commonly played at sessions around the world, as well as a bit of session etiquette. Weekly Irish sessions have sprung up from Dublin to Dallas, Tokyo to Toronto . . . with a few standard tunes under your belt you’ll be ready to jump into an Irish session anywhere in the world!
Irish Language for Beginners
Have you ever wanted to learn Irish Gaelic, but just didn't know where to start? This class is for you! Irish dancer and musician Anna Bumiller has spent hundreds of hours learning from and conversing with native Irish speakers, and will bring this vibrant living language to you in a fun, stress-free class. No experience necessary; complete beginners are welcome, or if you've had a head start on DuoLingo that's great too! You will leave this class with the ability to have simple conversations with a good grasp of pronunciation, and with resources to continue using your Irish at home and in the global Irish-speaking community. Bígí linn - join us!
Music Theory for Irish Dancers
Are you an Irish dancer who wants to know a bit more about the music you’re dancing to? Do you want a better understanding of how to differentiate between a reel and a hornpipe; or how to count a slip jig? In this class, acclaimed Irish musician and dancer Jeremy Wade will lead participants through the rhythmic anatomy of each of the common Irish dance tune types. Beginning with a crash course in music theory, dancers will analyze how rhythms are incorporated into various time signatures and tempos, and will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge to some basic dance steps. By the end of this course, participants will have an improved understanding of how to identify and count through reels, hornpipes, jigs, and slip jigs (and maybe even a polka or slide).
This class is distinct and entirely separate from the CLRG-affiliated McTeggart Irish Dancers; all are welcome!