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Kansas City Irish Tune-Learning Classes

There are Irish music classes at the Kansas City School of Irish Music in Kansas City, Missouri.  We have relaunched the school and are setting up the classes, so only some of the classes listed below are currently being offered.  We will be setting up additional classes when we have a sufficient number of participants, so please contact us about your interests and we will add you to our list.   Our classes are held at the KC Irish Center (19 W. Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri 64111).  The classes are held once a week for six weeks.  We take a few weeks off between each six-week learning cycle, and so end up with about six learning sessions over the course of a year. For the dates of the learning sessions go to KC School of Irish Music.

Learning Session, Kansas City, Jan 2014

Here are the classes we are working on offering:

  • Aural Tune-learning
    • beginning tune-learning
    • intermediate tune-learning
  • Bodhrán  (the Irish drum)
    • beginning bodhrán
    • intermediate bodhrán
    • advanced bodhrán
  • Backing/Accompaniment
    • beginning backing
    • accompaniment
    • advanced accompaniment

Class Descriptions:

  • The bodhrán classes are six-week group classes focusing on the Irish drum.
    • Beginning bodhrán: If you don’t have a bodhrán (and tipper), you can still come to the first couple of class meetings of the beginning class. We can help you determine what you’ll need, and will help you prepare your drum for session playing, and will discuss basic care and feeding of the bodhrán.  We will also discuss, demonstrate, and practice basic drum playing techniques. We will practice different rhythm patterns for accompanying the various types of tunes played at sessions around the world. Students should bring a recording device to every meeting.
    • Intermediate bodhrán:
    • Advanced bodhrán:
  • The tune-learning classes are six-week group classes focusing on tunes from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Galicia, England, and beyond.
    • Beginning Tune-Learning: The tunes we will work on are (or will be) available on this website.  All instruments are welcome, but students should be at the advanced beginner level or higher. The class usees a call-and-response phrase-by-phrase aural learning technique so that students will practice learning tunes by ear. We will focus on learning one tunes per meeting, depending on the make-up of the class.  For larger classes we will periodically break up into smaller groups to work on the tune. Students should bring a recording device to every meeting.
    • Intermediate Tune-Learning:
    • Advanced Tune-Learning:
  • The Backing/Accompaniment classes are group ensemble classes focusing on guitar/bouzouki accompaniment.
    • Beginning Backing: This class focuses on the basic chord progressions played on guitar/bouzouki.  There are four common modes in Irish Traditional Music, and each has a corresponding set of basic chords — sometimes called “the three-chord trick.” We will discuss the aims of backing the tunes, and provide templates for backing tunes. Students should bring a recording device to every meeting.
    • Intermediate Accompaniment:
    • Advanced Accompaniment:

We will typically have two instructors at each meeting.  Each is also available for private lessons as well. For tuition fee and current dates go to KC School of Irish Music.  If you take more than three of the learning session classes in a year it makes sense to join the KC Irish Center.

More Questions?
Contact me if you have questions about the learning sessions or the tuition.

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