Read on to see how our very first little musicas class are doing 5 years on!!! From Little Musicas to Orchestra…all firm friends and wonderful musicians!!! Music is not just an investment in your child’s education but an investment in culture, friendship, and family!
Tom’s Journey (aged 9)
Tom is 9 years old and has been a student of the school since it opened 6 years ago. He has had a wonderful journey with us! He started off in Little Musicas with many of our orchestra members and progressed from there to the viola. He joined the orchestra straight away and is the leader of our Junior Orchestra viola section. He has been part of the Orchestras journey over the years, playing at the Coole music festival, in the Feiles, The National Concert Hall and in a concert with the RTE Vanbrugh to mention just a few events!!! He is now studying for his grade 3 viola with Abby Ní Loinsigh. He is also studying trad fiddle with Abby. He is a very creative young man and joined our creative writing class a few years back also. Under the tutelage of our creative writing teacher Noelene Nash, he has become a wonderful writer and poet and has even won the coveted John Boyle Short story competition! Watch this space!!!
Ross's journey (Aged 10)
Ross started little Musicas 6 years ago and decided to take up the cello after completing the program. He has been involved in the orchestra since the beginning. Even as a very young child in the orchestra, he was a very valuable player to have in the section. He has a fantastic sense of rhythm and is very focused. His eyes are always on the conductor! He has played with us at the Coole Music festival, all the Feiles, The National Concert Hall and with the RTE Vanbrugh to name just a few events!! We have had the pleasure of watching him grow musically over the years. He is now studying for his grade 3 cello with Eva Richards.
Olivia's journey (aged 10)
Olivia started little Musicas 6 years ago with her little brother Noah. She decided to take up the violin when she completed the program and has been a member of our orchestra ever since. Always with a smile on her face, she is at every practice and works so hard. She is a very natural and instinctive player with beautiful bowing. She moved quickly from 3rd violins to 1st violins and has played with the orchestra at the Coole Music Festival, all the Feiles, The National Concert Hall and with the RTE Vanbrugh to name just a few events. In October 2019, she represented the school with 5 other students at he IAYO Chamber Music course in Waterford. She has made so many friends in the Orchestra from lots of different schools and loves the social side of it as well as the playing. Her confidence in her playing has grown so much over the years and its wonderful to watch! Olivia is now studying grade 4 violin with Abby Ní Loinsigh.
Noah's journey (aged 9)
Olivia's brother, Noah took another path and took up the drums. There was no doubt that he would gravitate this way as he had great rhythm. He did a brief stint as a percussion player in the orchestra but decided rock music was more his style! He is studying with Paul Leonard and has just completed his first Rock School Drum exam with terrific marks. Noah plays drums with our guitarists in a band at the various concerts throughout the year. He is going from strength to strength and it’s lovely to see the confidence he now has when he performs.
Hannah's journey (aged 10)
Hannah was also a member of the 2015/2016 class and like Ross, she took up the cello when she finished the program. She took to it straight away and has a lovely technique. She has been a member of the orchestra from the very beginning and is an extremely musical young lady. We have 4 cellos of the same age in the orchestra and they are all great buddies. They are a very organised section and great for helping each other out. Hannah played with us at the Coole Music festival, all the Feiles, The National Concert Hall and with the RTE Vanbrugh to name just a few events. Hannah is studying for her grade 3 cello exam with Eva Richards.
Sebastian's journey (aged 11)
Sebastian started little musicas 6 years ago as part of the same class as the others. He was always going to be a drummer…there was never any doubt. From the very first class he gravitated towards all things percussion!! Sebastian started with our orchestra 4 years ago as a percussionist and has been a member ever since. He is the organiser of the section….always ready to go with the percussion and stands set up for everyone, a true leader. He has also played with us at the Coole Music festival, all the Feiles, The National Concert Hall and with the RTE Vanbrugh to name just a few events!! He studies drums with Paul Leonard and is studying for his 2nd Rock School exam. As a drummer, like Noah, he also plays with the various rock bands at the concerts throughout the year. He is a multi talented young man. He has been a member of our performing arts department for the last 5 years also and has had many lead roles including the excellent role of Boris Johnson in our Christmas Panto in 2019!!!
Olivia's journey (aged 10)
Olivia started Little Musicas with the guys 6 years ago. Quiet as a little mouse, taking it all in, we had the pleasure of watching her come out of her shell and become a performer! She really took to the recorder, so much so that she decided to take up a wind instrument. She was a little too young for the Clarinet (she still had all her baby teeth!!) so she stayed on the recorder until she was old enough to change. She joined the orchestra on recorder at first. She took up the clarinet at the age of 8 and it was clear from the start that it was the perfect instrument for her! She is a wonderful player and has such confidence for one so young. She has also played with us at the Coole Music festival, all the Feiles, The National Concert Hall to name just a few events!! She is studying for her grade 3 Clarinet with Ashley Feawan. Olivia is a multi instrumentalist and also studies guitar with me and plays with our rock bands at various different events.
Maurice's journey (aged 9)
Maurice started with the others in 2015 and loved every minute of it. There was nothing he wouldn’t try! He was the youngest in the class but it never held him back! He decided to take up violin. A busy man with all his sport, Maurice didn’t join the orchestra, but still kept up the violin all these years. He is currently studying trad fiddle with Abby NíLoinsigh. He has a very good mind for theory and is very inquisitive about how the instrument works. He was and still is a wonderful character who is always smiling!!
Group photos
