Coleman Irish Music Centre

Last year music pupils from form IV, V and VI took a trip out west to the Coleman Irish Music Centre in Gurteen, county Sligo. The trip will take place again this year for pupils in forms IV and V. Irish music is an integral part of the Irish Leaving Certificate Music syllabus and for many German pupils who join the school in form V and study Music it can be confusing! The Coleman centre runs courses which help introduce Irish music in a hands on manner.

Below is a summary of the trip by pupils from last year's form VI, Catherine Crossey and Justine Heffernan. Also after the link is an account by Clara Staeler and Philippa Peters, German pupils from last year's form V.

Today after a long, but pleasant journey (on bus, train and bus again) we arrived at the Coleman Traditional Irish Music Centre in Gurteen, Co. Sligo. The centre is named after a famous fiddle player, Michael Coleman who travelled to the USA and was one of the first traditional Irish music players to record their music.

We were greeted with a fantastic Irish welcome and were quickly whisked into the lecture hall. We began our first lecture learning about Michael Coleman himself and about Irish regional styles of music. We then split into three groups for workshops.

The Orchestra

Form I pupils are currently studying the orchestra beginning with the String Section. Below is an example of some research carried out by pupils Tessa Harley, Darcy Maule and Eleanor Moffitt.

The Violin

by Hollie Canning

The Violin is a string instrument. It has four strings. The Head of the Orchestra is a Violinist and they sit beside the conductor. You use a bow to play the Violin, but you can also pluck the strings. The bow is made of horse hair and wood. The Violin is informally called the fiddle. Mozart played Violin.

The Viola

by Tessa Harley

The Viola is made of wood. You play the Viola with a bow, arco, or by plucking, pizzicato. The Viola is played on the shoulder, like the Violin. Bach was a famous Violist. The Viola is a key element of a string quartet and the orchestra. The Senior Prefect, Carl Ibe, plays Viola.

The Cello

by Darcy Maule

The Cello is made of wood. It has four strings made of gut and steel. It is usually played with a bow which is made of horse hair. It is bigger than the Violin and the Viola and instead of playing on the shoulder, it is played sitting down and between the knees. Yo-Yo Ma is a famous cellist. Some Celli in the 1600-1800s had five strings.

The Double-Bass

by Eleanor Moffitt

The Double Bass is the largest and lowest instrument in the String Section. It is huge and gives a very deep sound. Pizzicato is often played on the Double Bass because of its longer lasting sound. It can also be played with a bow. This is called arco. You can often find Double Bass used in Jazz music. A famous player of Double Bass is Domenico Dragonetti. Camille Saint-Saens also composed a piece called the Elephant for the Double Bass. 

Film Music

Film: Toy Story

Composer: Randy Newman

I chose to research Toy Story because it had a great soundtrack with brilliant songs, all of which I love. The Toy Story soundtrack was produced by Walt Disney records and was released on November 22, 1995. The soundtrack received praise for its sprightly, stirring score. The album was scored and written by Randy Newman and had great success but only scored 94 in the billboard 200 album chart. Toy Story’s signature song ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ by Randy Newman was very popular, and a CD single was released of it on April 12 1996. The single was to promote the soundtrack’s release. Randy Newman produced the song in one day. Toy Story’s soundtrack also included the songs: ‘Strange things’ and ‘I will go sailing no more’.

by Fleur Pay

Film: The Simpsons' Movie

Composer: Danny Elfman

Elfman’s brother is a director called Richard Elfman and he gave his brother the opportunity to compose the music for the film ‘The Forbidden Zone’. This film then brought Danny to the attention of Tim Burton who has asked him to work on many of his films such as Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Many people don’t know but Elfman also wrote the music for the Simpsons.

The movie I liked the best which Elfman wrote the score for was the Simpson’s movie. Elfman rewrote the theme for the movie along with the music for the rest of the film. He also wrote the lyrics for the choral version of ‘Spider Pig’.

by Max Caminow

Film: Avatar

Composer: James Horner

James Horner is a famous music composer. He was born on August 14th 1953 in Los Angeles, California. He composed music for lots of Hollywood’s famous films like: Braveheart, Apollo 13, The Legend of Zorro, Star Trek, The Missing and more. He is, probably, best known for composing the soundtrack of the film Titanic.

One of the most recent movie soundtracks which he composed was for Avatar which is one of my favourite movies and was also voted the best movie of the year 2009. Horner won the Golden Globe award and the Grammy Award for this soundtrack; he also won the Academy Award twice and has received ten Oscars nominations and a number of other awards for other soundtracks. Horner spent his early life in London and started playing piano and the age of five. In London he attended The Royal College of Music, and studied a famous Hungarian composer called Györgi Ligeti. James Horner has worked with many famous people such as Charlotte Church, Leona Lewis and more.

by Muqtadir Shah

Film Music

This term's main theme in form I and Primary is Musicals and Music in Film. Two projects on a composer who wrote music for a film are found below. Check back soon for more of these projects.

Film: Up Music

Composer: Michael Giacchino
Up is a 2009 Disney Pixar film, and the music director is Michael Giacchino. Giacchino also wrote the music for Pixar’s The Incredibles and Ratatouille. I like the music in this film because it emphasizes everything that the characters do. Giacchio has compared the film to an opera because each character has their own theme that changes during a particular moment in the story. Giacchino himself is an American soundtrack composer, who has composed many other video game and film soundtracks other than Pixar films.

by Ally Boyd-Crotty

Film: Slumdog Millionaire

Composer: A.R. Rahman
This composer has composed music for more than 130 Indian films, incorporating jazz, rock, Indian pop and western classical music into their soundtracks. He was born on the 6th of Janurary 1966 in Chennai, India. Rahman lost his father, a famous composer in India, when he was at a very young age. He was then raised by his mother, Kareema. He studied many different styles of music. He uses all these styles in the film Slumdog Millionaire. The most famous is Jai Ho.

by Molly Maire

Alexandra Traditional Irish Group Visit: An International Concert

Sophie von Brauchitsch one of our form V pupil's from Germany writes about the Alexandra Trad Band visit to the school.

On Tuesday, the 8th December, nine girls and their teacher from Alexandra College, Dublin visited our school to hold a concert of traditional Irish music in the BSR.

This concert was a great opportunity for the music students in forms V and VI to hear traditionalal Irish music, an important part of the Leaving Certificate Music course, live. However, not only music pupils attended this concert. Many others curious about Irish music style came too.

The group consisted of four harps, three fiddles, a flue, a tin whistle and a bodhrán, which is a traditional Irish drum. They played twenty-two pieces in blocks of three and four, dances like Reels, Jigs, Slip jigs and Slides along with traditional Irish songs, like The South Wind, Drowsy Maggie, Trip to Sligo and Sally Gardens. In some pieces, players performed solo accompanied by the harp, presenting their instruments and how they sound on their own.

In the breaks between the blocks, Justine Heffernan, a form VI pupil from our school, preformed three traditional Irish dances, first a Reel, then a Jig and finally a Slip jig.

After the concert, everyone went up to the Cadagon main room, where the performers and the audience talked about their experiences with traditional Irish music.

This concert brought Irish music, which can sometimes seem a little dry, nearer to the us all and gave the pupils who haven’t dealt with this topic before an idea about traditional Irish music.

Alexandra Traditional Irish Group Visit

by Chris Doherty, form III

On Tuesday evening we were visited by a traditional Irish music group from Alexandra College. As one of the topics covered by the Junior Certificate course, I found it interesting to hear Irish music played live. It was a first for me and many others who attended but I think it was enjoyed by all.

They played a variety of different Irish songs like reels, hornpipes, jigs, slip-jigs and others, in sets of threes. Their band consisted of four harps, three fiddles, flutes and a bodhrán, all traditional Irish instruments. All the songs were performed to a high standard and I think the audience appreciated the quality of performance.

Along with the music performance there was also an Irish dance performance given by Juntine Heffernan, form VI. I personally have never seen Irish dancing performed live but even I could see that she executed the steps excellently and I’m sure the others would agree. She showed us three dances, a reel, a jig and a slip-jig.

Overall I think it was a very enjoyable evening giving some people, myself included, their first live performance of traditional Irish music and dance. The night was enjoyed by everyone and a big thank you on behalf of all of us who attended to those who performed, both the girls from Alexandra and Justine, and Mrs. Malone-Brady for organising the event.

The Keynotes Concert

by Michael McBurney

Last Friday a group of students accompanied by Mr Clarke attended a fund-raising concert in Rathgar Church of the Three Patrons in which the legendary singer Rebecca Storm performed. This event was very attractive but what made it so much more unique is that Mr. Finn and his barbershop group The Keynotes were special quest performers of Ms. Storm. Made up of five people, The Keynotes are a very unique act and have performed for the President and on a number of Irish tours. They are an a capella group specialising in male harmony with Mr. Finn often singing the soprano line himself, an expert in falsetto singing.

The night was truly outstanding with hits like O Sole Mio and In the Jungle on the set list. The act was made even more fun by the friendly vibe given by the group as they made fun of each other on stage in front of hundreds. The time and music seemed to fly and in no time the set was finished but they did of course produce an encore which replicated the amazing performance moments before.

Rebecca Storm then made her way onto the stage and performed some sensational numbers such as Don’t Cry for Me Argentina from the musical Evita as well as many other very famous and popular songs from Broadway and West End Musicals.

All in the all the night was very good, all the music being very well received by the audience and also by the students.

Music in the Classroom, Junior Cert.

Below are two reviews of a trip to the National Concert Hall to a concert organised by the Irish Times Music in the Classroom project. The concert was aimed primarily at Junior Cert. pupils but even the Transition Year pupils who came with us gained alot from the performance. Gearóid Grant conducted the RTE Concert Orchestra, vocally aided by Emmanuel Lawler, giving examples of music through various periods of history and introducing the orchestra.

Nicola Dalrymple
On Tuesday the 10th of November we left St. Columba’s College at 9:00 and made for the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Form I, II, III and IV music pupils all made the trip.
When we arrived we looked around the park at the back of the concert hall. They were very beautiful. We then headed into the hall and sat down. (Click here to read more...)

Peter Quigley
On Tuesday the 10th of November we went to the National Concert Hall to listen to an orchestra play. They started off by playing the theme tune from Star Wars. The conductor, Gearóid Grant, then talked to us about the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras. (Click here to read more...)

RTE Cooperation Ireland Choir Competition

Despite a sterling performance the St. Columba's College Choir were unsuccessful obtaining a place in the RTE Cooperation Ireland Choir Competition Finals. The choir performed admirably and were a fantastic example of the musical talent the school can boast. Well done to King's Hospital on their achievement. Siobhán Brady wrote a short article on her experience of the competition.

The St. Columba's Choir recently took part in a choir competition for RTE. We had to make a CD of two songs which we did one evening in September. We recorded "For the Beauty of the Earth" by John Rutter and the "Glory Train", a spiritual song. We found out a few weeks later that our choir had gotten through to the Regional Finals of Dublin along with four other schools: Notre Dame, Alexandra College, King's Hospital and Mount Anville. We were told that that this was going to be televised. Before the live competition RTE visited the college to take a few pictures and videos. They filmed people having lunch in the Dining Hall and lots of shots in the Cadogan. Robbie Hollis, Jessica Beresford and myself had to walk around Chapel square a few times and up and down Cloisters for the camera man. (Click here to read more...)

Music Soirée

Ling Fan Gao writes on the first Music Soirée of the new term.

The Music Soirées organised by Mrs. Malone-Brady throughout the year provide a valuable opportunity for music pupils to perform in front of friends and other musicians. They provide a stage from which new musicians can practise playing and singing in front of others, gain experience and become more relaxed. The audience is very appreciative as they know firsthand the challenge that overcoming nerves poses. The event took place on Saturday evening in the Cadogan Music Centre. It was quite informal and anyone who wished to come along to play could.

There were a number of people playing from the very young to the more senior. No matter the standard of difficulty every performance was met with a big round of applause and a great confidence boost. This was a first performance for many and was a great experience.
Refreshments were provided by Mrs. Malone-Brady following the concert and it was a great opportunity to stand around and talk about the experience and exchange compliments to one another.

Many thanks to Mrs. Malone-Brady for organising the event.

Music Scholarship

by Lingfan Gao

The music scholarship in St. Columba’s is a very competitive affair. The experience of the audition differs from person to person, they made me really nervous yet it was a pleasure to hear every soloist perform his or her own style of music. The order was chronological so the youngest members of the group performed first, pupils from form I right through to form VI. Scholarships are awarded to different categories, Junior, Intermediate and Senior.

The junior section was great. Siobhán Brady (II) performed excellently on Cello and Voice. Kezia Wright (III) and Sally Bebby (II) both performed excellently too, both are talented singers.

In the Intermediate section Patrick Tice (IV), Emma Moore (IV) and I competed for the scholarship. Patrick gave a strong performance on guitar, his piece soft and gentle. Emma performed on the violin and sang, performing very well on both instruments. I played Beethoven’s Pathétique, first movement, on piano.

In the senior section, Robbie Hollis played saxophone, showing off his technique and command of the instrument. Michael McBurney sang a jolly and light hearted piece matching his personality and revealing his great voice. Sophie played the flute, a very challenging piece by Mozart but played very well. Poppy Vernon, however, stole the spotlight by singing a Mozart aria, sad and powerful, she brought the piece to life and communicated the meaning to the audience with powerful expressions that matched the mood of the song.

The event was adjudicated by the Warden, Mr. McCarthy, Ms. Malone-Brady and Mr. Clarke. Scholarships were awarded to Siobhán Brady (junior), Kezia Wright (junior), Emma Moore (intermediate), myself (intermediate) and Poppy Vernon(senior). To stand up and play in front of judges and fellow pupils is a hard thing to do and everyone who performed did so well and gained vital experience.

Form Primary Presentation

After studying Irish music with Primary form, the pupils prepared a project on their own cultural music. Attached is a presentation on Indian Music by Rishi Manuel.

Click on the on the full screen button to enlarge the slideshow.

Lunchtime review

Below is a review of the lunchtime recital from the last post written by Mark Russell, brother, but unbiased!, of Ben.

Review

On Thursday the 29th of January, we went to St Anne’s church on Dawson street to hear Benjamin Russell, a baritone, and Anna Brady, a soprano, give their recital. Lasting about an hour, the performances were very well accompanied by the pianist Mairead Hurley. Ben started off the concert brilliantly with ‘Deh vieni alla finestra’ from Don Giovanni. After that Anna beautifully sang ‘In uomini in soldati’ from ‘Cosi fan tutte’ also by Mozart. This was followed by the duet ‘la ci darem’ which also features in Don Giovanni.
Next Ben sang two songs, first ‘Mondnacht’ by Schumann and secondly ‘Der Musensohn’ by Schubert. Followed by Anna’s performances of : ‘Ich atmet einen linden Duft’ by Mahlen and 'Ich hab’im penna' by Wolf. Ben then entertained us with ‘I hold your hand in mine’ by Tom Lehrer, an amusing song about an insane husband missing his dead wife! Anna created a lingering atmosphere with the next song ‘Sure on this shining night’ by Baber. As everyone agreed, the following three songs, really showed off Anna and Ben’s musical talent, especially the duet ‘Bess, you is my woman now’.
I can’t decide which was my favourite: the final songs ‘Last night was one of those nights’ performed by Anna and the’ Hippopotamus song’ performed by Ben, both of which were very entertaining and got a lot of laughs. Or, the unexpected encore of the Popagena duet, which must have been very difficult to learn because of its incredible speed!
Everybody really enjoyed the concert and we look forward to future performances by Ben and Anna!