So in the couple of months since I received the news that my fellowship had been funded by Fund For Teachers I have been working in preparation for my journey. While I have been teaching for almost twenty years, and playing music most of my life, I am quite unfamiliar with traditional Irish music. A major inspiration for my decision to design this particular type of professional development was that I could learn something altogether new, and then immediately share that knowledge with my students. Very often, especially for veteran teachers, there is a disconnect between the students and the teacher-as-student. Simply put, it is easy for teachers to forget what it is like to learn something new, especially in their subject.
To that end, I have started to take Irish fiddle lessons with Matt Brown at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Irish traditional music is, in large part, folk music, not art music. It is music played by people of all experience levels. While performed on stage and in concert halls in some instances, Irish traditional music is most often played socially, in pubs, homes and other gatherings. There are literally thousands of Irish tunes in the lexicon. Most of them are relatively simple to learn (although often very ornate and difficult to play well) and vary greatly by style and region. From what I have come to understand, groups of people who get together in different areas will often draw from a similar repertoire of 20-30 tunes that are common to that region.
I wanted to start to at least learn a couple of Irish tunes before I left so that I could start to try to work on some of the unique technical aspects of Irish music. Of course I can play lots of songs with the sheet music, but they always come out sounding like some classical dude trying to play an Irish melody. Inauthentic to say the least.
I have found my lessons to be very enjoyable. Some of the tunes that I have learned include Connaughtman's Rambles, Off to San Francisco, Mug of Brown Ale, The Silver Spear, Bohola's Jig and Many a Wild Night.
Check out sheet music and videos by clicking on the links or in the margins.
So then I found out that Matt, along with some other teachers from the Irish Music School of Chicago collaborate in coordinating the Irish sessions at Cheif O'Neills pub in Chicago. There are sessions every Tuesday and Sunday which are great. I would recommend it to anyone who plays, or would like to go just to eat and listen to music. It is a family friendly environment. All of the songs that I have learned (and many more) are played in these sessions. I have gone a couple of times and it is a super-friendly vibe. I have not been intimidated to sit in. I only hope that I have the same resolve once I actually get to the Emerald Isle.
To that end, I have started to take Irish fiddle lessons with Matt Brown at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Irish traditional music is, in large part, folk music, not art music. It is music played by people of all experience levels. While performed on stage and in concert halls in some instances, Irish traditional music is most often played socially, in pubs, homes and other gatherings. There are literally thousands of Irish tunes in the lexicon. Most of them are relatively simple to learn (although often very ornate and difficult to play well) and vary greatly by style and region. From what I have come to understand, groups of people who get together in different areas will often draw from a similar repertoire of 20-30 tunes that are common to that region.
I wanted to start to at least learn a couple of Irish tunes before I left so that I could start to try to work on some of the unique technical aspects of Irish music. Of course I can play lots of songs with the sheet music, but they always come out sounding like some classical dude trying to play an Irish melody. Inauthentic to say the least.
I have found my lessons to be very enjoyable. Some of the tunes that I have learned include Connaughtman's Rambles, Off to San Francisco, Mug of Brown Ale, The Silver Spear, Bohola's Jig and Many a Wild Night.
Check out sheet music and videos by clicking on the links or in the margins.
So then I found out that Matt, along with some other teachers from the Irish Music School of Chicago collaborate in coordinating the Irish sessions at Cheif O'Neills pub in Chicago. There are sessions every Tuesday and Sunday which are great. I would recommend it to anyone who plays, or would like to go just to eat and listen to music. It is a family friendly environment. All of the songs that I have learned (and many more) are played in these sessions. I have gone a couple of times and it is a super-friendly vibe. I have not been intimidated to sit in. I only hope that I have the same resolve once I actually get to the Emerald Isle.
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