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Celtic Song Program

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The 2008 CELTIC SONG Program includes:

-Celtic Songs and Ballads (in English)
-Celtic Songs in Gaelic
-Celtic Choir and Accompaniment

-Songwriting (afternoon)

*Click here for printable song program flyer (pdf)


Full time students: If you take "Celtic Song" as your major subject you will have all courses above included in your program.  (Choose Option 11 "Celtic & Gaelic Song" on Registration Form. )

Part time students or elective course students: you may choose from any of the individual song courses (see descriptions below) either by themselves or in addition to your major area of study.

Celtic Songs & Ballads (Eileen McGann, Ruth Sutherland)

     
Singing is one of the most celebrated aspects of Celtic culture through the ages, and the song repertoire of the Celtic tradition is vast, varied and wonderful. In these classes, we will be adding to your repertoire of traditional Celtic songs, including ballads, sea songs, songs of Celtic history, great love stories and grand adventures. We will look at the vocal techniques used in traditional singing, and, once we've learned some songs, we will explore the various ways of performing them.
Most of all, this class will be fun for singers of all ages and experience!

  • Elementary vocal technique
  • Repertoire: finding it, choosing it, learning it, singing it
  • Singing in groups & solo
  • Performing traditional music
  • Arranging
  • Accompanying
  • Connecting with an audience
Songwriting in a Celtic Mode (Eileen McGann, Doug Feaver)
     Songwriting is a natural human form of expression. Whether or not you play an instrument, songwriting is an art form you can learn. For all songwriters, from beginning to experienced, this will be a fun and rewarding class that will get you going or help you refine your craft. Beginning with the forms of traditional Celtic songs, we will explore:
  • ways of getting started
  • song genres/song structure/song elements
  • lyrics, melody, rhythm, tempo, chords
  • writing in the tradition
  • what makes a good song
  • how to make a good song better
Gaelic & Celtic Song  (Ruth Sutherland)
     This course explores Celtic music in its traditional and revived forms. You will learn some of the historical and cultural contexts of the songs, giving you a better understanding of where the song originated, and thus enhancing the performance of the songs. Included will be some Gaelic songs (learned phonetically), ballads, sea songs, mouth music, waulking songs, songs of history, and present day pieces.

     A little bit of music theory will be involved, but the emphasis will be on the traditional way of learning - by ear. This class is intended for anyone who wants to learn the songs, and learn about the Celts, whether the end result is for performance for others, or just for singing them to yourself!

Vocal Areas covered:

  • Breathing techniques
  • Warm ups and scales
  • How to learn and create harmonies
  • Proper vocal tones
  • Connecting with the song
  • Connecting with the audience and performance techniques

     This will be a fun class for singers of all ages and experience - all you need to bring is your voice and enthusiasm!

Celtic Choir & Accompaniment  (Ruth Sutherland and Eileen McGann)
     This will be really fun for anyone who likes to sing. Being in a choir is like being on a team - because you experience growth together, you end up becoming closer as a group - and this always enhances the performances. The first song learned is always a great experience - you hear the magic of singing together. And it only gets better from then on! This choir is for everyone who wants to sing and have fun.

     The emphasis will be on singing Celtic songs learned in a traditional format - by ear. We will learn a bit about the origin of the songs, which will enhance the performance. The majority of the songs will be acapella, but we might be able to persuade some of the other classes (ex. hand drumming) to accompany us occasionally.

Basic vocal areas included:

  • Basic vocal technique (including breathing exercises)
  • How to learn and create harmonies
  • How to blend your voice with others
  • Confidence in singing with others
  • Singing together
  • How to find simple harmonies by ear
  • How to make your voices blend
  • Making Celtic songs come alive with harmonies!
eileen green

 

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