Irish Music Workshops

Liz Knowles, fiddle

Join Liz Knowles, Kirean O’Hare, and John Skelton for a day of workshops at the Irish Heritage Center of Cincinnati, presented by the Riley School of Irish Music, Irish Heritage Center, and Summermusik.

The registration fee is $35 and includes all events as well as light bites and beverages.

Children under the age of 13 may be registered for free.

You can also purchase a tin whistle when you register for the workshops for $15, and it will be available the day of the event.

Schedule

10-11am
Teacher’s Gathering (Liz Knowles)
Liz began the Teacher’s Gathering, an online meeting started during the pandemic, as a way to provide a platform for more discussion about teaching music, addressing the various challenges and joys of teaching across different styles of music, and addressing various topics such as teaching by ear, conveying musical style while allowing a student to develop their own musical personality, helping to design practice time, and so much more. She is now, post-pandemic, trying host as many of these discussions “live” and in person as she can! Are you a teacher of traditional music? Are you a classical music teacher? Do you want to teach music in the future? Come join us in an informal discussion all about teaching!

11:30am-12:45pm
Moving From Paper to Ear (Liz Knowles)
Reading notation and learning music by ear are two valuable but very different modes of learning music. It isn’t easy to transition from one mode to the other! Are you having a hard time releasing yourself from the sheet music? Do you find that learning tunes by ear is a painfully slow process? Liz will guide you through some ways to unearth yourself from the seeing of music to the hearing of music and experience the joys of learning by ear. (This workshop is open to anyone who reads music or learns by ear or does both!)

Introduction to the whistle: a gateway into Irish music (John Skelton)
The whistle is a small, very portable and quite simple instrument to learn. But don’t be fooled into thinking that its size or sweet sound makes it only a beginner or child’s instrument! The foundations for ornamentation, articulation, and phrasing that makes Irish music sound like Irish music can all be found on this wonderful instrument. John will walk you through a tune or two and show you the basics of Irish music. No previous experience necessary! You can purchase a tin whistle when you register for the workshops for $15, and it will be available the day of the event.

More Than Meets the Ear (Kieran O’Hare) 
We’re always getting told to listen, listen, listen if we want to learn Irish traditional music. It’s true, but sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what to listen for. We’ll discuss exactly that—the vastly complex data stream that is an Irish tune, how to decode it, and how to get the most useful information out of it. The goal is to open up different, exciting, and new possibilities and dimensions of the listening experience. (This workshop is open to those who just want to know more about and hear more Irish music!)

2-3:15pm
The Practice of Practice (Liz Knowles)
Developing a music practice is part of every musicians life. This time can often feel tedious, with the main goal being to fix mistakes. There is so much more to practice than this! Using both her classical music background and her over thirty-year experience in learning Irish traditional music, Liz will present some ideas for reinvigorating your practice, opening you up to some new ideas about how to design and engage with your practice, and making it fun and engaging, and productive. This workshop is open to any level of musician and any style of playing, from classical to traditional or other!

Uilleann Pipes Workshop (Kieran O’Hare)
We will explore key techniques and approaches in how to play the uilleann pipes, learn the music, and take part in this distinguished traditional art form. (Pipers welcome, but this workshop is also open to anyone who wants to come and just see and hear the pipes in action!)

What makes a Jig a Jig, and a Reel a Reel? The rhythms and magic of Irish Music (John Skelton)
Through his beautiful playing and gifted storytelling, John will share the “art” of playing traditional Irish Music, sharing the various types of tunes and styles that make the music so unique. Attendees are welcome to bring their instruments and play along if they are familiar with the tunes John plays, but listeners are also very welcome. 

3:30-5:30pm
Traditional Irish Session in the Pub
A gathering of Irish traditional musicians for the purpose of celebrating their common interest in the music by playing it together in a relaxed, informal setting. Listeners are welcome.