Senior Infants

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Our Senior Infants can embrace tuned and un-tuned percussion, singing and movement with Pre-Twinkle 2, Continue with Violin progressing to some simple tunes with Crotchets and Quavers or begin Cello, Double Bass, or Piano. Most of our Senior Infants join and enjoy both Violin, Cello, joining Celloriffic, or Double Bass and Pre-Twinkle 2 and some get involved in more than two!

Pre-Twinkle

Pre-Twinkle classes, provided to Junior and Senior Infant classes, provide an introduction to basic music skills for young children in a stimulating and fun atmosphere.  This course is a pre-instrumental one which includes an introduction to music through singing, rhythm training and listening to music.  It is based on the “Kodaly Method” of pre-instrumental training, which is based on teaching, learning and understanding music through the experience of singing.  Pupils will have the opportunity to learn a repertoire of songs suitable for developing pitch, rhythm training through the use of percussion instruments and will become familiar with a varied range of instrumental works.  The classes are 30 minutes in duration.

By |2019-10-11T18:11:00+01:00October 11th, 2019|

Piano

The video shows Aoibheann Smyth 5th Class 2013-2014 interviewed and performing in Senior Orchestra in the programme “Meet The Orchestra” recorded in May 2013 and aired on RTE Junior in September 2013

The Piano can be a member of the orchestra or a solo instrument.

The first piano was built as early as 1694 and replaced the harpsichord as the most popular keyboard instrument of the Romantic era. The piano was first referred to as a pianoforte which means soft (piano) loud (forte) instrument. It was named the pianoforte because, unlike the harpsichord, it allowed the player to control the degree of loudness and softness of a note by the way he/she would strike a key.

Playing the piano often involves the use of all ten fingers and sometimes both of your feet. To make a sound, simply press a key down. The softer or harder and slower or faster the pianist presses a key will determine the sound quality of the note. The three pedals, controlled by the pianists feet, also change the tone of the piano. They include the damper pedal, the soft pedal, and the sostenuto pedal. The damper pedal is the most used pedal by far, serving to sustain the notes that have been played. The soft pedal, which may be locked in place during a performance, serves to lighten the intensity of the notes. The last pedal, the sostenuto pedal, makes it possible to sustain some notes while allowing the player to play detached sounds on another part of the keyboard.

St Canice’s pianists can perform alone or in a duo to perform duets or even play with other members of the orchestra.

By |2019-12-19T22:36:00+00:00October 11th, 2019|

Double Bass

The video shows Shay McEvoy 5th Class 2013-2014 interviewed and performing in Senior Orchestra in the programme “Meet The Orchestra” recorded in May 2013 and aired on RTE Junior in September 2013

The double bass (pronounced like ‘base”) is the largest member of the string family. Other names for this instrument include the string bass, bass viol, the stand-up bass or frequently simply the bass. Like the other string instruments, sound is produced by drawing a bow across the strings or by plucking the strings. Since the bass is the largest of the string instruments, it is also the lowest.

Like other string instruments the double bass comes in just two pieces, the instrument and the bow. The bow uses horsehair or a synthetic material to vibrate the strings as it is drawn over the instrument. The double bass has four strings normally tuned to E, A, D and G. The strings on a double bass are tuned in fourths which makes it different from all other modern string instruments.The tuning in fourths makes the double bass different from all other modern string ins
The double bass is played in an upright position with the left hand resting on the back of the neck and the right either plucks the strings or holds the bow.

The bass is a very old instrument. It has been basically unchanged for hundreds of years. A popular new version of the string bass is the electric bass guitar. A bass guitar is tuned the same and has a similar sound to a plucked string bass. The electric guitar sound is amplified electronically rather than from the body of the instrument. Many players of the string bass also double on the electric bass for some occasions.

The double bass comes in various sizes. The correct size for each student depends on the overall size of the student. Students are measured by our double bass teachers to determine the correct size of instrument for them as individuals.

The double bass is not as popular as a violin for beginners. This means that a good double bass player will always be a very valuable member of the orchestra since the number of double bass players is so small. However, the double bass is still used in virtually all styles of music throughout the world. It is well known for its use in symphony orchestras as well as rock and roll, country and bluegrass bands and other popular groups. Most jazz groups include a string bass or at the very least an electric bass guitar.

St Canice’s double bassists perform in the Senior orchestra, Junior orchestra and Jazz band and may also get together with fellow string or woodwind players to form smaller performing groups.

By |2019-12-19T22:35:37+00:00October 11th, 2019|

Cello

The video shows Ella Brennan 6th Class 2013-2014 interviewed and performing in Senior Orchestra in the programme “Meet The Orchestra” recorded in May 2013 and aired on RTE Junior in September 2013

The cello (pronounced like ‘chello”) is the second largest member of the string family. Like the other string instruments, sound is produced by drawing a bow across the strings or by plucking the strings.

Like other string instruments the cello comes in just two pieces, the instrument and the bow. The bow uses horsehair or a synthetic material to vibrate the strings as it is drawn over the instrument. The cello has four stings which are normally tuned to a G, D, A and C. These are the same notes as a viola but are an octave lower.

The cello is played in an upright position with the left hand resting on the back of the neck and the right either plucks the strings or holds the bow. The player should be sitting with the body of the instrument resting between the legs.

The cello is a very old instrument. It has been basically unchanged for hundreds of years. Now, cellos come in various sizes. The correct size for each student depends on the overall size of the student. Students are measured by our cello teachers to determine the correct size of instrument for them as individuals.

The cello is not as popular as a violin for beginners. This means that a good cellist will always be a very valuable member of the orchestra since the number of cello players is so small. However, the cello is still used in many styles of music throughout the world. It is well known for its use in symphony orchestras and occasionally performs in popular music groups as well.

St Canice’s cellists perform in the Junior orchestra and Senior orchestra and may also get together with fellow woodwind, string or brass players to form quartets or other smaller performing groups.

By |2019-12-19T22:35:29+00:00October 11th, 2019|

Violin

The video shows Ruth Kent 6th Class (Orchestra Leader) 2013-2014 interviewed and performing in Senior Orchestra in the programme “Meet The Orchestra” recorded in May 2013 and aired on RTE Junior in September 2013

The violin is the smallest member of the string family. Sound is produced by drawing the bow across one of the four strings or by plucking the string with a finger. All string instruments produce sound in the same manner. The main differences are the sizes of the instruments and how high or low each instrument can sound.

The violin comes in just two pieces, the instrument and the bow. The bow uses horsehair or a synthetic material to vibrate the strings as it is drawn over the instrument. The violin has four stings which are normally tuned to a G, D, A and E.

The violin is played with the instrument under the chin on the left side. The right hand holds the bow at the bottom (the bottom of the bow is called the “Frog”) and draws the bow over the strings.

The violin is a very old instrument. It has been basically unchanged for hundreds of years. It may sometimes be called a fiddle for country music or a violin for dozens of other types of music but the instrument is the same regardless of where it is played. Some variations on the violin include modern electric instruments which are very similar in the way they are played. They are just missing the body and shape of a violin. The sound is amplified electronically rather than from the body of the instrument.

A unique feature of student violins is the huge variation in sizes from full size, to 3/4 size, to 1/2 size all the way down to a 1/16 size violin. The correct size for a student depends on the arm length and overall size of the student. Students are measured by our violin teachers to determine the correct size of instrument for them as individuals.

St Canice’s violinists perform in the Junior orchestra and Senior orchestra and may also get together with fellow string, woodwind or brass players to form quartets or other smaller performing groups.

By |2019-12-19T22:29:53+00:00October 1st, 2019|
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