Irish Singer, Songwriter, and Teacher

INTERNET LEARNING



As the number of private students has increased, and there is a long waiting list, Mary has had to temporarily close this option down to new students. However she is delighted to welcome new students into one of her classes.

The classes are themed but they all deal with Irish Gaelic songs. Singing in Gaelic combines two skill sets - not only is the language new and unfamiliar to most who join the classes, but the melodies and rhythms are also uncharted territory for many. Songs in the Irish tradition are based on modes rather than the diatonic scale familiar to the majority of westerners (i.e. doh re mi...) so there is an unexpected element to the airs!

Mary provides phonetic transliterations to help with the pronunciation of Gaelic words – and recommends that each student adjust these phonetics to their own ear by listening carefully to her pronunciation – this is based on the same aural / visual approach that she introduced in her Singing in Irish Gaelic publication on Mel Bay Music.
Mary speaks in the Ulster dialect but will often adjust to one of the other dialects (Munster or Connacht) to maintain the integrity of a song composed in that dialect.

The advantage to you, the student, is that virtual tuition allows you to connect with a teacher thousands of miles away through the ZOOM platform!
Of course the best way to learn is to attend the classes where you will get individual as well as group guidance, and lots of encouragement. . Understandably though, some people cannot attend a ‘live’ class and so there are three options for each online class:
• P (present online)
• H (Hybrid) – a combination of recorded and present
• R (Recorded only).

See Workshops and Classes for details of classes.