Class Details/Timetable:

• Tuition starts again in Monkstown Community School, Larne Further Education Centre.and our other venues on Tuesday 9th September 2008.
• Slow Session dates etc are on the Noticeboard.
• Singing classes are now on a Tuesday evening.
  

For enrolment in a beginner or intermediate traditional music class contact Martin Shane on
+44(0) 28 9085 3676 or+44(0)7977 116595 or by email to martin@eatms.co.uk

Anyone unsure of the class or classes they would like to take or would like to enquire about hiring an instrument should contact Martin or the tutor concerned. Please contact the Music School if you are interested in learning an instrument that is not currently listed and we will endeavour to run a class for it. The course runs for two terms each consisting of ten one hour classes.

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Brian Pundyke is in the process of developing a great new website called Traditional Irish Music / Learning Resource Centre. His site has been created to provide a source of learning materials for those wishing to extend their knowledge of Irish traditional music. The materials are free. His site will try to present an ever increasing number of  tunes, (Reels, Jigs, Hornpipes, Slip Jigs, Marches etc), in a variety of electronic formats that have proved useful in the learning of Irish Traditional tunes. We recommend you visit this site.

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As part of the Sister Cities initiative EATMS were invited to participate with representatives of Newtownabbey Borough Council in a Cultural festival in Rybnik, Poland; NBC’s sister city. This event took place over 5 days in June and included other cultural organisations associated with the other sister cities of Rybnik.

We were very warmly greeted and treated with great hospitality by our hosts and were delighted to give performances to those gathered in the town square. It was our great pleasure also to perform with one of Poland’s top folk groups Carantouhill. A montage of photographs are available to view as a record of our time in Poland. Photographs by Alan Soutar.

A Postcard from Poland

	Click above right to start slideshow.
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Congratulations to Grainne Scullion, one of our harpers, who won her group to become under 12 years of age Champion Antrim Harper at the Recent Fleadh Ceoil in Cushendall. Grainne’s Tutor Jennifer Shane, herself a former Antrim and Ulster Champion, said ”I am immensely proud of Grainne, she has demonstrated the skill and diligence needed to become a good traditional musician with a commitment to practise beyond her young age of 10. I am sure I speak for all in the East Antrim Traditional Music School in offering her my congratulations and wish her well in the forthcoming competitions”

Grainne will now go forward to the Ulster Fleadh Ceoil where she will compete against other Ulster County champions for a place in the all Ireland Finals – effectively the world championships for traditional musicians.

We join with Jennifer in wishing Grainne well.

Martin Shane
Project Director
East Antrim Tradition Music School

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To run alongside the Slow Session on Friday evenings we now run a 'Slow Slow Session on Wednesday evenings again in the Gasworks. The Slow Slow Session is for people who are learning an instrument and are ready to start trying to play with others. It assumes people are learning the tunes outside the session and works particularly well for those taking lessons through the East Antrim Trad Music School, but is open to all adult budding trad music players.

The "Slow Slow Session" will be fun and challenging for those really new to playing music with others and provide that stepping stone to the "Slow Session" and who knows where from there. We will gauge the demand for this " Slow Slow Session" from the attendees at the first few evenings. We have already had expressions of interest and all are welcome.   Session dates are on the Noticeboard link and for directions double click on this map.

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Garret Ó Fachtna a talented local Irish song writer and musician wrote a new song for our 'Together in Time Festival'. You can hear him singing it for the first time when he appeared at the festival.

 

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Purpose of the School:

Based in South Antrim (Northern Ireland) the ambition of the School is to contribute significantly to the regeneration of the culture of playing traditional music in this area. In particular the School hopes to address the mistaken notion among some within our communities that this aspect of our culture belongs to only one side of the religious and political divide.

Partnership:

East Antrim Traditional Music School, Newtownabbey Borough Council and Larne Borough Council are one of the partnerships to benefit extensively from the Arts Council of Northern Irelands Art of regeneration program. This unique partnership has been allocated £221,350 from a fund of £2.4 million aimed to challenge local authorities to work collaboratively, strengthen and deepen existing partnerships and create new ones.

The programme was designed to tackle social issues, connect the arts to the areas not usually associated with them and to allow the arts to enrich communities. The money has been made available through the Arts Council’s new Lottery funded ‘Art of Regeneration’ programme, in partnership with the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL).