For a child to grow up with an appreciation and desire to listen to music is a wonderful gift. Things like going to concerts or buying records is something that can be enjoyed throughout your life and is a fantastic way to experience and feel inspired by the creative output of others. On the...

READ MORE

Music is a versatile subject to incorporate into lots of other subject areas. Whether it’s coming up with a song to help the children remember times tables or to get them listening to a particular style during an art class there can be a lot more scope to bring music into the classroom than you...

READ MORE

Using graphic notation is a great way to combine musical literacy, composition and performance in a way that is accessible for all teachers and students, regardless of prior musical experience. Graphic notation can be used to explore vocal sounds, introduce instruments and to prepare student...

READ MORE

One of the core areas of the delivering the Irish primary music curriculum is understanding how best to assess the progress of the class in music. The purpose of assessment is not simply for fulfilling the curriculum’s requirements, but it is also to instil in the children a sense of...

READ MORE

Last year I collaborated with a number of theatres and arts centres to provide workshops for young people and their families. The workshops I ran were quite successful and it's a great way to get out to different parts of the country. I'm looking to expand our outreach programme in 2019 and...

READ MORE

As we near the end of the year, we thought it might be nice to start a new tradition of a final soapbox post of our learnings and thoughts from the year. Whether you’re a teacher, parent or music enthusiast we hope that by continually sharing our growing knowledge of music education it might...

READ MORE

'Tis the Season for Singing! There's music everywhere over the next few weeks in the run up to Christmas. What better way to spend your time than making some of your own in the classroom. Below we've compiled a list of 15 well known Christmas carols which you can incorporate into your...

READ MORE

50 years ago the Beatles released their 9th studio album called ‘The Beatles’ which then became more commonly known as The White Album. Many of the songs were written while they were in India during a transcendental meditation course. It was then recorded in London at the famous Abbey Road...

READ MORE

One of my best musical memories from a few years ago when I briefly taught singing in a musical stage school in Dublin on a Saturday morning. Attending the school, were a group of about 15 kids who I remember taking for a class. In the previous weeks before I had arrived, they had been learning...

READ MORE

Delighted to be asked to give a presentation at the upcoming Evening of Extraordinary Ideas. It features a stellar lineup of artists, comedians, musicians and thinkers - 'part TED talk, part Burning Man' as the Greystones Guide describes it! The Whale Theatre in Greystones is the venue and the...

READ MORE