I’m delighted to have successfully completed a short course for traditional music teachers in Laois, Offaly and Westmeath. I was invited to run the course by Laois Offaly ETB, Music Generation Laois and Music Generation Offaly-Westmeath.
Details of the Traditional Music Teachers Course
The course was delivered over 6 Saturday mornings during February and March. Here’s how we got on.
During our first session we discussed and decided on what we all hoped to get out of the course. Together, we co-created this list as our set of ambitions for the 6 weeks:
By the end of the course, the traditional music teachers taking part would:
- be able to plan out their teaching efficiently
- know how to design their teaching to better match the needs of their students
- be able to more confidently articulate who they are as teachers
- have loads of new ideas to bring into their teaching practice
- have tools to help them in their teaching
- have ideas for their on-going professional development as traditional music teachers
Supports for Traditional Music Teachers
Here’s some of the stuff we worked on which provided practical support for traditional music teachers:
- A Framework for teaching Irish Traditional Music
- The TradLABB – a teaching and learning design tool
- The Teacher’s Toolkit – lots of ideas strategies and practical tips to help deliver great teaching
- How to measure quality and progress
- Reflective practice
- Giving and receiving feedback
Some of the traditional music teachers’ favourite topics covered
Feedback from Traditional Music Teachers
I was delighted with how well the course went – particularly the results we achieved together. At the start of the course 50% of the participants felt confident about teaching traditional music. After just 6 weeks, 90% felt really confident about teaching traditional music.
Here’s what some of the participants had to say:
“A really thought-provoking approach to teaching traditional music, incorporating life skills development and personal development for students and teachers. Would recommend to anyone interested in teaching trad – to new and experienced teachers!”
“Very insightful 6 weeks. Liz encouraged us to consider our approaches to teaching traditional Irish music in a new, informative way. I learned a wealth of information and valuable tips. I feel equipped to teach the Irish traditional musicians of today effectively as a result.”
“Very enjoyable, learned loads, and importantly has given rise to more questions that I can go think about. We need to keep reflecting and adapting because the day we think we’ve mastered it shouldn’t ever come!”
We offer online courses for traditional music teachers. Find out more here about iTeachTrad online courses.
