Hairspray
This years production is the hugely popular "Hairspray" and will be staged in February 2017 here in St Tiernan's School. It will be performed on Wednesday 7th at 1.30pm for our own students, Thursday evening at 7.30pm for parents and the general public and on Friday morning at 10am for local primary schools. It is a joint collaboration between our Drama, Dance and Music Departments, facilitated by Ms Brett, Ms Bannigan and Ms Tynan. Rehearsals have commenced and our students from first to sixth year are very excited to be participating.
THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC
“Whenever and wherever humans have existed music has existed also.” Bennett Reimer Throughout history, cultures have expressed their joys and sorrows, triumphs and defeats through the beauties of music. There are wide variety of reasons to teach music, regarding both music itself, and music’s effects on a person. The true reasons to teach music are those that are fundamental to being affected emotionally by it. Music is beautiful. Through sound, we can feel the complete spectrum of human emotion; both the deepest despair to elation beyond which most peoples lives will ever reach. Beyond motor skills, reading notation, and an understanding of theory, a music education allows students to develop themselves as more expressive human beings. The social aspect of music is akin to playing on a team. Communication between players is crucial in a one-hundred piece band, a jazz combo and between a soloist with a pianist’s accompaniment. Sharing the emotional experiences of music with the other members of your ensemble has been every one of my most potent musical experiences.
Here in St tiernan's music plays an important role in the daily lives of students with extra curricular activities in acoustis and electric guitar, bodhran and djembe drumming, as well as our school choir and dance class. Some smaller music classes have flute lessons incorporated in the lesson as part of the practical performance component. Music is available to all students and is not exclusive to academic music students. 
Learning to perform music develops many skills in a student. Joanne Erwin in her book “Prelude to Music Education” outlines five main values of music. Music affects people intellectually, emotionally, physically, personally and socially.
Emotionally: no subject matches music in its expressive breadth. The organisation of sounds in melody, harmony and form allow musicians an expansive palate of ideas and emotions to work with. Music can even be expressively complex yet technically simple, allowing young students insight into these feelings well before they are capable to find this emotion in other subjects, for example reading classic literature in English class. Co-ordination: Music develops complex and precise mind and body connections. Performing on musical instruments develops intricate motor skills that people would not otherwise come by. Music is very effective at developing coordination in even the youngest students. |
 The emotional aspects of music are closely and personally tied to the performer. Music affects the body to feel, ranging from the thrill of a first kiss to the despair of losing a loved one. Making music can be an escape from the daily grind for anyone, even if it is not your profession. The study of music develops maturity and responsibility. In their practice students will advance their skills in time management, as they will quickly learn how to effectively allocate their attention and problem solving, learning how to work past stumbling blocks in their practice without a teacher’s immediate guidance. Leading students to this point, when they are thinking critically and independently about music is the ultimate goal for any music program
We also had time for some fun!! |
