Learning to Play Celtic Music

Playing this music is both a musical and a social occasion. Listen to the music a lot, both in recordings and live. Go to sessions and listen some more. Take some lessons, group or individual. Learn a tune or two. Go to the sessions again, with your instrument, and wait to be invited to play. Take along a Minidisc player and record what people are playing (ask first, but very few people will object). Go home and learn it. Ask people the names of the tunes you like. Write them down. Find the abc for the music on J C's Tune finder. Take more lessons. Go to more sessions. Rinse, repeat.

Group and Individual Lessons

Various

Riverside Celtic College : classes in traditional Irish & Scottish music and language in Guelph, Ontario. Check out the exciting new line-up of fall classes starting Thursday October 6th: Irish fiddle 1 & 2, Intro Adult Violin 1 & 2, Irish Mandolin 1 & 2, Irish Bodhran 1 & 2, Irish Gaelic language 1 & 2, Celtic Guitar (tune & song accoampaniment), Celtic Bouzouki, Scottish bagpipes (GHP, smallpipes & borderpipes), Irish tinwhistle and Tune-Learning/Session Repertoire, For more info email Eva at at robin [dot] aggus [at] sympatico [dot] ca or check the website www.riversidecelticcollege.ca

Fiddle

Anne Lederman - Toronto. Irish, Metis, Quebecois and other styles.

Sandy Macintyre - Toronto. Cape Breton. (416) 231 8717.

Rose Bolton - Toronto. Irish. 416-686-3109.

Duncan Cameron Group and individual classes.

Patrick Ourceau - patrickourceau at hotmail dot com.

Kim Vincent - gracelaw at auracom dot com

Bodhran

Greg Renault - Toronto. renault [at] convenanthouse [dot] on [dot] ca

Whistle and Pipes

Debbie Quigley - pipes and whistle. psychopipes at hotmail dot com.

Tin Whistle Lessons with Karen Light started in February 2005 on Sundays from 1:30 - 2:15 for children and from 2:30 - 3:15 for adults at Montgomery Inn (corner of Dundas and Islington) There is still room in the class if you want to go and sign up on the day. For more information mail to
moleary2001 at rogers dot com
or phone at (416) 446-6993.

Singing

Dancing

Set dancing classes by Maureen Mulvey start Monday September 12, at the Irish Supporters Club in Mississauga, from 7:30 - 9:30 and in Toronto at a New location The Emerald Isle Seniors Centre, 1190 Danforth Ave. on the corner of Greenwood and Danforth. The schedule at this location will be as follows:
5:40 - 6:15 - beginners & intermediate beginners
6:15 - 7:00 for intermediate/advanceddancers
7:00 - 7:30 for adults who want to learn basic steps
7:30 - 9:30 for adults ceili and set dancing

Camps

Music camps are a great way to spend a week or more concentrating on learning to play, taking lessons from some of the great players, and spending evenings playing or listening to sessions around campfires, in dormitories or in pubs.

Comhaltas - Sean Gorman Summer School

The Sean Gorman Summer School under the direction of Comhaltas will operate their east end camp at St. Bridgid's School, on Woodmount Ave., from July 25 - 29.

The west end camp will be at Our Lady of Sorrows School, on Montgomery Rd., from August 8 - 11. For more information call Maureen at (416) 446-6993.

A third camp will operate independently from Comhaltas at Holy Spirit School, 3530 Sheppard Ave. from July 11-15.

Algoma Traditional Music and Dance Family Camp (AlgomaTrad)Irish, Ontario, Cape Breton, etc. St. Joseph Island, 50 km east of Sault Ste Marie. Staff for 2005 include Pat O'Gorman, Julie Schryer, Brian Pickell, Shane Cook, Judy Greenhill, Charlie Cares, Dan Gorno, Anny Hubbard, James Stephens, and Kathy Reid-Naiman. Dates are Aug 21 to Aug 28, 2005.

Ceilidh Trail School of Celtic Music Inverness, Cape Breton. Cape Breton style.

Goderich Celtic Festival and school Goderich Ontario. Irish, Cape Breton, Scottish.

Orangeville Fiddle and Step-dance Camp Orangeville, Ontario. Old-time and Ontario style.

Pinewood Inn Fiddle Camp Barry's Bay, Ont. Cape Breton and Ontario Style.

Zoukfest Dedicated to all things bouzouki, cittern and octave mandolinish, but also offering fiddle, flute, guitar, voice... NOVEMBER 6 - 12, 2005 at Ghost Ranch Retreat Center near Abiquiu, New Mexico.

Gaelic college, in St Anne's, Cape Breton. Live on campus, learn Gaelic, pipes, fiddle, crafts, step dancing, and take trips to local dances in the evenings.

Fiddler's Retreat Irish music school for fiddlers in Loughmore, County Tipperary.

Other links

An extensive list of fiddle camps including classical and klezmer, etc.

Ontario fiddle and dance teachers, including old-time and contest style.