Celtic Classes

The Celtic Music Class at the Brattleboro Music Center (BMC) with Keith Murphy and Becky Tracy

In 2007,  Keith and Becky began a series of weekly classes through their local music school – The Brattleboro Music Center (BMC). The classes focus on developing ear training skills, specifically learning traditional celtic tunes by ear. They are also repertoire building classes  geared toward helping people feel comfortable playing in an informal group setting – the Irish “session” format. The classes are open to all instruments, though the emphasis is on learning melodies – guitar and piano players are expected to work through the melodies also, though some time is given to talking about chords. In general, the class does not address instrument-specific issues in depth (ie fiddle bowing, flute ornaments, guitar strums) though some of these things get touched on in passing. We maintain a data base of audio files of the music from the classes on this web site as a resource for students to learn current and past material.

There are currently two levels of adult classes, both of which meet on Wednesdays at the BMC in downtown Brattleboro.

There is an adult intermediate class which meets from 7-8pm. The focus of the class is on learning a new tune each week by ear. The pace and approach to learning by ear in this class is fairly gentle. Students who have never learned by ear before may find the class quite accessible. Students should, however, have a reasonable technical proficiency on their instrument so that they can focus on the process of learning the melodies. Each class will spend a small amount of time reviewing tunes from previous sessions, so as new students become accustomed to the class, they are encouraged to learn some material from these previous sessions.

The advanced class meets from 5:30 to 6:30. This class learns more complicated tunes, there is a greater focus on styling and creating medleys and the teaching speed is faster. More than one tune may be taught in a class and more time is spent playing through tunes from earlier sessions.
If you are interested in the class but not sure if it is appropriate to your level, we are happy to have you sit in for one class to try it out.

Periodically, we offer an ‘intro class’ to help more novice players gain the skills to allow them to join the intermediate class.

There is also a thriving youth group for kids 9 years to high school age. This group meets from 4:15 to 5:15 on Wednesdays. The class is open to a wide range of players, though a high level of enthusiasm is required. Prospective students should contact us directly.

Keith also offers a traditional songs class on Tuesday evenings with Tony Barrand at the BMC from 6:45 to 8pm. Each session focuses on a different theme in traditional song working through a new set of great traditional songs. The class is given written music and a recording of the material. Some time is spent on styling, historical background and harmony, but the focus of the class is on the fun of singing the songs.

Class sessions tend to be organized in 8 week blocks and the fee is $130. Students are encouraged to commit to an entire session though students can pay $25 per class if they are unable to come for the duration of the session. More information on the BMC programs including registration information can be found at http://www.bmcvt.org or by calling (802) 257-4523.

 

Repertoire

Students have password access to  an archive of audio files of tunes taught in past sessions. They are played at a slow tempo to make it easier to learn them by ear.

Links below require a password.

Archive pages feature an alphabetical list with individual mp3 players and links to download the mp3 file.

Session pages feature mp3 player or players, depending on your connection.  A zip file of the session tunes is available on each session page. To download an individual tune you’ll need to find it in the alphabetical Class Archive.