Music

“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams” – Roald Dahl

Music students moving into the new room

The music department at Gort Community School continues to grow with so many talented students. We have recently moved into our new music room in the Noone building housing state of the art technology, many instruments and huge performing space.

Cast of All Shook Up final night

Teachers:

Ms. Yvonne Conroy

Ms. Edel Quinn

School Musical

‘All Shook Up’ was staged by Transition Year students at the end of January 2011. They were supported by a strong chorus of 1st, 2nd and 4th year music students in the school. The band consisted of 2 students – Atreyu Conneely on drums and Traolach McSwiney on bass guitar – as well as teachers and professional musicians. The show boasted very talented actors and singers as leads. It was a huge success with 3 packed nights and a matinee of 500 primary and secondary school students from the locality. The school musical was an unforgettable experience for all involved. Click here to have a look at our Facebook page for more photos…

LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEARS MUSICAL PRODUCTION ALREADY!!!

Mr. Corry speaking on final night of show

1st, 2nd and 4th Year members of Chorus for All Shook Up

Cast photoshoot for newspaper

Why choose music as a subject in school?

Students can take up music in 1st year or 4th year having no previous musical experience. Their aptitiude will improve through group performance and taking part in many activities throughout the year such as the ones mentioned below. However, students who already play instruments will have an advantage too as up to 50% of their exam grade goes towards performance. Students develop self awareness and self confidence in music performance with their peers which translates to every aspect of their education.

Music Technology and Performance is relevant to many career choices with an excellent choice of third level music courses in universities and Institutes of Technology around the country. Careers in education, sound engineering, media and performance are the most common career choices relevant to music.

For more details on the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate Music courses please see below.

MUSIC ACTIVITIES IN OUR SCHOOL

Traditional Music Group

To date, the school traditional music group has performed at the school concert and other events annually. All students are welcome to join. The current group consists of various different instruments. Concertina, Fiddle, Tin Whistle, Piano, Guitar and other instruments are welcome.

Choir

The choir performs annually at the school concert, the Christmas Mass, the Graduation Mass and other events throughout the school year.

Recent Events:

Con Tempo Workshops

Con Tempo String Quartet kindly visited our new music room on two occasions in November. They did two workshops with students, one for our students who already play in an orchestra and another for all our music students. The workshop was both entertaining and informative.

Part of our SATB choir

Galway Bay FM

We have had 2 links with our local radio station so far this year. Our Transition Year students vistited the studios in Galway for an insight into the running of a radio station. In September some of our talented students performed live on the Keith Finnegan show from the square in Gort. They sang 2 4part songs – Barbara Ann and The Longest Time. Our students from the Shanawalla String Quartet also performed pieces from a work written especially for them.

Coleman Irish Music Centre:

2nd and 3rd year music students have visited the Coleman Irish Music Centre in Gurteen where they were exposed to many different Irish instruments and players.

Music students have attended two musicals since the start of the new year with their teachers.

Past events:

Lyric FM visited the school last March and worked with a group of students on the production of a radio programme. A group of fourth year students attended a concert by the RTE National Symphony Orchestra last year. Music students also attended the musical The Wiz in Galway.

Transition Year CD

The transition years composed three original songs with Songschool, a song writing workshop, in which they took part. They composed a CD including their three original songs and other music performed by Transition Year and other students in the school. Recording the CD with Paul Mulligan in the Music Room was a great experience for all involved.

GCS House Band

Katherina Baker of Coole Music works with the GCS House Band. The band is open to all students. The group consists of string, woodwind, percussions and vocal sections among other solo instruments.

“Music is forever; music should grow and mature with you, following you right on up until you die.” - Paul Simon

JUNIOR CYCLE MUSIC

The first year course consists of an introduction to music theory, the instruments of the orchestra and Irish music. Lots of practical work is done in first year to expose students to different styles of music. This involves group singing and learning a new musical instrument, usually the descant recorder. Some students in the first year music class already play a musical instrument but some have no previous music experience so all needs are catered for. Second and third year music focuses on preparing students for the Junior Certificate exam. This exam consists of a written paper worth 60% and a practical worth 40%. Higher Level students are required to perform 4 pieces on one instrument (including voice) or 2 pieces each on 2 different instruments. The Junior Cert written paper consists of Set and Choice Songs, Set and Choice Works, Irish Music, Dictation, Melody Writing, Backing Chords and Triads, Dictation and a General Study of music of their choice (often Jazz).

“To recognize excellence in a piece of music, one must have some knowledge of the art of composing music. If a man lacks such knowledge, of course, all he can say is that he likes or dislikes the music. The man who insists that that is all he or anyone else can say is simply confessing his own ignorance about music. He should not, in his ignorance, deny others the right to make objective judgments.” – Mortimer J. Adler

SENIOR CYCLE MUSIC

The Leaving Certificate Music exam is an extension of the Junior Cert but students can take up music for Leaving Certificate having no previous experience. However, Leaving Certificate music students have the option of doing a practical for 50% of their grade so it is beneficial to have an instrument already. Leaving Certificate students who do not already play an instrument often do group singing or take the Music Technology option. The technology option involves inputting a music score into a music notation software package like Finale or Sibelius. They also have the option of composing their own backing track to perform to using this software. Students can perform 6 pieces on one instrument or 4 pieces each on 2 different instruments. They can do Music Technology as an option instead of 4 pieces. The written exam consists of 2 papers – a listening paper and a composition paper. The Listening paper contains questions on the 4 Set Works which they have studied including works by The Beatles, Queen, Mozart, Berlioz, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Raymond Deane and Gerald Barry. The paper also has questions on Irish Music. In the Composition paper they have to answer 2 questions where they have to compose a melody and write chord symbols and bass notes to a given tune. A lot of class time is spent doing practical work given the weighting of the practical exam which takes place in March or April.

“Music is enough for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music” - Rachmaninov