Join us for the beginnings of a musical friendship between Traditional Arts Partnership in South Armagh and the Center for Irish Music in Saint Paul, two music schools dedicated to teaching traditional music to students of all ages. Meet the organizers, tutors/instructors, and a group of students from each school and listen to them play locally-based tunes that they have taught one another. This free Zoom webinar takes place on Sunday, April 25th, 1:30pm in Minnesota / 7:30pm in Armagh.
The Center for Irish Music (CIM) is a traditional music school in St. Paul, Minnesota that is committed to “handing down the tradition” of Irish music. The CIM serves more than 385 students year-round with weekly private lessons and classes on 16 different Irish instruments, including singing in Irish and English. Every year in June, the CIM presents the Minnesota Irish Music Weekend, a world-class teaching weekend that draws students from across the USA and Canada. Founded in 2004, the CIM moved into Celtic Junction Arts Center where it has 8 permanent classrooms and an office, and access to a beautiful performance space and venue.
The Traditional Arts Partnership (TAP) was formed in 2011 by Elaine O’Sullivan and Fergal O’Brien. TAP now has eighteen tutors teaching and mentoring on 12 different instruments and also offers Sean-Nós singing classes in English and Irish. TAP has over 140 children and adults enrolled in the classes which are based in Mullaghbawn. TAP encourages every young musician to regard themselves as a teacher, a mentor, and an exemplar for their peers and their community. A key component of the tuition is the Grúpa Ceoil classes. Here young musicians work and play together as a team on a wide variety of instruments, learning and playing intricate arrangements on tunes – and developing their individual and collective social confidence.
