Group tuition - Mad About Music

Group Courses currently available at Mad About Music School.

One of the most rewarding experiences as a musician, is to perform in a group. Whether it be in a choir, a band, a small chamber ensemble, or as part of an orchestra. We aim to provide as many opportunities as possible, to make this happen for you.

“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.”

Leonard Bernstein

“The music is not in the notes,but in the silence between”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Here are the main group courses we teach. For more information, click on the course which interests you.

An exciting way to begin your violin adventures is learning within a group. Each lesson is 30 minutes long and group sizes are kept small. Your child will learn pieces both individually, and as part of a group. We can work towards some of the medals/certificates as well as preparing for our end of term concerts, which allows your child to perform in a friendly, informal setting, which builds their confidence.

Orchestra Opportunities

At Mad About Music, we believe that learning an instrument is just the beginning of an exciting musical journey!

While we previously had our own school orchestra, our students now have the opportunity to become part of something even bigger through our close connections with the Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO), its ICO Education programme (formerly Sing Out With Strings), the ICO Training Orchestra, and the ICO Youth Orchestra, conducted by our very own Tamasine.

We encourage our string and piano students to explore these wonderful opportunities, where they can make new friends, develop their musical skills, rehearse alongside other young musicians and experience the excitement of performing in concerts.

For some, the adventure goes even further! ICO Youth Orchestra has performed internationally, including in Austria and the UK, giving young musicians the chance to represent Limerick and Ireland, participate in international festivals and competitions, and share their love of music with musicians from around the world.

Most importantly, it’s about much more than just playing the right notes. It’s about confidence, teamwork, friendship, belonging and discovering just how much fun making music together can be!

Our tutors are always happy to help students prepare for these opportunities and offer guidance on which orchestra or programme might be the right fit.

Because music is even better when we make it together!

House Bands

Junior Certificate Course/Grinds

This course is available as either a full course, which will enable you to study an extra exam outside of school, or as intensive revision course to support your school work. We cover all the components required for your exam which are listening, composition and performance. In the listening component, you will study the current set songs and works, as well as exploring the choice pieces to tie in with your schools curriculum. You will learn how to listen to music, and how to describe what you hear. You will also work on how to dictate, and construct a short melody. You will learn about traditional Irish music, some of the commonly used styles and how to recognise them. In the composition component, you will learn about basic keys, triads and chords, and how to use them, learning how to compose a short melody. For the performance component, you will learn how to prepare a programme for one or two instruments or voice, either as a solo or group performance. We will work alongside your practical tutor, and offer suggestions on how to maximise your grade potential.

Leaving Certificate Course / Grinds

Like our Junior cert program, this course is available as either a full course, which will enable you to study an extra exam outside of school, or as intensive revision course to support your school work. You do not have to have sat your Junior cert music, but this means you need to catch up on the elements covered in Junior cert. We cover all the components required for your exam. The syllabus for Leaving cert. continues to emphasise the balance of the three activity areas introduced at Junior Certificate level, performing, listening and composing. You will learn to prepare for the set works and you will take a full in depth look at traditional Irish styles, and how to recognise them, composition techniques and how to build and harmonise a basic melody using chord structures and bass lines, and you will prepare for the performance elements of the exam which are worth up to 50% of your grade.

We will build on all of the elements to enable the higher level students to decide on the best elective element.

Chamber Music Ensembles

Aimed at our classical students, we encourage our students to form small groups to perform as a tight knit team. Learning the skills of listening and team work. Your ensemble is only ever as good as your weakest player, which encourages close team work and encouragement. We will tutor, advise and provide rehearsal space, to allow our students to progress at there own pace. In the future we are hoping to be able to provide groups for hire, allowing our students an entrance into professional performance!

Music Appreciation Classes

Group Courses currently available at Mad About Music School.

One of the most rewarding experiences as a musician, is to perform in a group. Whether it be in a choir, a band, a small chamber ensemble, or as part of an orchestra. We aim to provide as many opportunities as possible, to make this happen for you.

“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.”

“The music is not in the notes,but in the silence between”

Here are the main group courses we teach. For more information, click on the course which interests you.

Please contact the school for further information about each of the courses. For term times and schedules, please click here.