Nearly everyone enjoys music, whether by listening to it, singing, or playing an instrument. This is not only an enjoyable subject, but a subject that can enrich students’ lives and education.
Here at St. Aidan’s, we pride ourselves on our versatility as performers. We range from Musical theatre, Traditional Irish Music, Classical Music, choral music all the way to basic classroom Music skills.
Students who practice with musical instruments can improve their hand-eye coordination. Just like playing sports, children can develop motor skills when playing music. Learning to play pieces of music on a new instrument can be a challenging, but achievable goal. Students who master even the smallest goal in music will be able to feel proud of their achievement. We tend to focus on keyboard skills for beginners, whilst differentiating work for the more capable or experienced Musicians. Pupils are encouraged to bring in any instrument they may be learning outside the school also. We are now offering Music as a GCSE pathway.
Music here is heavily practical based. Whilst theory of music is important for future music education, students can fight stress by learning to play music. Soothing music is especially helpful in helping kids relax and pupils tend to have higher self esteem and are better at coping with anxiety.
Music is the fabric of our society, and music can shape abilities and character. We have many external interests. We love to bring our Music to the wider community by playing Music in other schools, care homes, festivals and Féis. We have been very successful in recent years at competition level, especially in Traditional Irish Music.
We have four main peripatetic teachers that come into our school. We have a Drum tutor, Classical strings tutor, Guitar tutor and a Traditional Irish Music Tutor. The main Music Teacher is Miss McCarron. The Music Department is a hive of excitement where there’s always something coming up. We put on regular concerts, recitals, and most recently a very successful Musical.
Many Music education programs here at St. Aidan’s require teamwork as part of a class, band, choir or orchestra. In these groups, students will learn how to work together and build camaraderie. We have a strong Music Department and any young person would be very lucky to be a part of our fabric despite their level of ability.
“Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours”
Elton John