, , lifetime sNill this Spring

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lasses for all levels start this month and can be booNed at www.)red)inn.ie. atering for beginners, improvers, intermediate to advanced levels, )red )inn e offer both child and adult classes across a range of instruments, including fiddle, button accordion, harp, tin whistle, concertina, flute, sean nys dancing and singing, and not only are the classes given by some of the best musicians in the county, but you can also hire the instrument of your choice for the upcoming term.

e taNe children from the age of around to , and teach them music in an enjoyable, inclusive way,” says flute player -une 0c ormacN, irector of 0usic at )red )inn e. he focus is on creating an environment where first and foremost students come to develop a love of music. e also encourage the students to develop their sNills and repertoire over time, and many of them return to us year after year, developing their talents in many different ways.” 2nce it became impossible to run classes in the conventional way due to the pandemic, the committee at )red )inn e were among the first omhaltas branches in the country to develop an online solution to ensure that classes were able to continue virtually. )ollowing on from a successful pilot programme in utumn , the branch have developed a brand new website for . lot of worN has gone in to developing this website, which will enable us to maNe things simpler for students and parents, not just in the registration process, but in ensuring that we offer a complete learning experience to the students,” says artley avin, Secretary of the committee. he branch has always looNed for ways to deal with challenges that have arisen over the years, and while the current situation has undoubtedly posed difficulties for our voluntary committee, we found an excellent solution to ensure that the classes Nept going, and the feedbacN we have received after last term has been really positive.”

he new class term at )red )inn e starts on hursday -anuary st for adults and Saturday -anuary rd for children, and all classes are to be run via oom. 5egistration for all classes taNes place in advance at www.)red)inn.ie, where classes and instrument hire can be paid for ahead of the commencement of classes.

lass numbers will be limited to ensure that each participant gets the full attention of the tutor, and generally taNe place for

minutes each Saturday or hursday for adults and after each class ends, tutors follow up by providing notes and recordings of the tunes to the students. he students can then practice the tunes themselves at home, using these extra resources.

0usicians attending classes all use he ooN of Sligo unes , a comprehensive learning programme , developed and published by the branch for use in classes since Sep . he teachers at the branch have recorded an audio recording of each tune to accompany the booN, and this learning resource is also used by students. So those who want to advance and learn new tunes themselves can do so using this resource, underlining the ethos of the branch that students can learn music at their own pace and in a way become self directed, nurturing their creativity as they develop their musical talents.

he classes will run for weeNs, and term will conclude in 0ay. 3rices for the classes and for instrument rental are available on the )red )inn website and are priced very competitively.

he branch also provides opportunities for children who wish to participate in sessions or compete at )eiseanna and )leadheanna and has many ll ,reland hampions in its classes and tutoring team. he renowned composer 0ichael 5ooney prepares groups for )leadh heoil competitions.

Sligo has produced many great musicians over the years. )rom the great musicians who developed the Sligo Style in the early years of the last century, through to the current crop of quality players, Sligo can justifiably be proud of its place on the traditional music landscape. ith the liNes of )red )inn e worNing hard to promote our music and culture, this is yet another example of people worNing hard for the music they love, no matter what challenges they face.

t the end of the day, music is balm for the soul, and no matter how the world looNs on the outside, music will always bring a ray of sunshine,” says 3eter )arrell, hair of )red )inn e. e ve been teaching music to young people for over two decades at )red )inn. 1ow some of those young musicians are coming bacN to us as teachers. ,t is such a uplifting thing, passing on the tradition from one generation to the next, and that is what music should be all about.”