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Music

“Our mission is to inspire and enable children to fulfil their potential through music in a creative environment, nurturing the unique talents of every individual pupil.”

Aims

  • To promote the values of the Edmund Rice Charter
  • To achieve excellence
  • To facilitate a broad experience of music and creativity
  • To enable each child to fulfil their potential
  • To promote music as inherent to the individual’s wellbeing
  • To promote music and the arts in the context of lifelong learning
  • To celebrate music education and its relevance in a modern society

Extra-curricular Music

The Music Department offers a diverse range of activities through the week including theory classes, orchestra, senior and junior Irish traditional groups, junior choir, rock and funk bands, wind ensemble, string ensemble, band workshops and music technology workshops.  All pupils who avail of instrumental tuition contribute to the extra-curricular life of the Music Department as a crucial part of their musical development; building confidence and gaining performance experience.

Performance opportunities throughout the school year include:

  • The Year 8 Mass
  • Band showcase lunch-time events
  • Prize giving events
  • Open Nights
  • The Christmas Carol service at St. Teresa’s Church
  • The Year 8 Graduation
  • The Holywood Music Festival
  • The Spring Concert
  • Community Outreach
  • Opportunities to work with feeder primary schools
  • DJ competitions

Workshops in Music technology for Year 9 and 10 pupils, including the use of Garageband and Sibelius, are delivered in the school’s Mac suite.  There are also opportunities for junior school pupils to attend band ensemble workshops to encourage collaborative performance and building ensemble skills.

Music Tuition

Instrumental lessons in St. Mary’s are delivered by a very talented team of peripatetic staff.  All pupils are encouraged to learn a musical instrument from the moment they start at the school.  Around 120 boys take a wide variety of instrumental lessons including violin, viola, cello, electric guitar, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, tin whistle, bodhran, accordion, Irish flute, Irish fiddle, piano, clarinet, flute, saxophone, drums and DJing.

The Music Department enters pupils for Associated Board and Rock School examinations.  Formal exams are encouraged at regular intervals as a measure of progression.

Peripatetic music staff list

Violin/Viola                          Ms D Campbell

Guitar/Bass                          Mr E. Ward

Drums/Percussion              Mr A. McIlduff

Ir. Trad. Music                      Mr B Kerr

Music Tech./DJing               Mr C. Fitzpatrick

Woodwind                           Mr D Howell    

Voice Mr C Neeson

Teaching Staff

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Miss K Porter

Head of Department

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Miss D Murphy

Head of Year

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Miss C McNeill

Teacher

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Course Curriculum

Course Outline

Key Stage 3

In Year 8 to 10, pupils explore a wide range of musical styles and build on musical skills through the components of listening and appraising, performance and composition.  In addition to regular class assessments, pupils are encouraged to take ABRSM theory exams to equip them for the demands of GCSE and A Level study.




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