The Session >> Discussions >> Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
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Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Hello, All,
I'd very much appreciate some input on whose workshop I should take this summer at Willie Week.
I'm looking for a teacher who can explain advanced techniques in an easily understoood manner rather than one who will spend the week teaching tunes that can be learned at home on one's own. Anyone can sit down and learn a tune - my goal is to learn how to vary and ornament the tunes.
Following are the names of the flute and whistle teachers for Willie Clancy Week this year:
The instructors will include Mary Bergin, Harry Bradley, Cathal McConnell, Desi Wilkinson, Sean Potts, Anne Sheehy, Seán Ryan, Fintan Vallely, Mick Crehan, Brid O'Donohue, Róisín Nic Dhonncha, Louise Mulcahy, Tara Diamond, Eamon Cotter, Mick O'Connor, Marcas Ó Murchú, Mick Hand, Kevin Crawford, Francis O'Connor, Siobhán Ní Chonaráin, Gary Hastings, Cyril Maguire, Marion McCarthy, Maureen McGrattan, Adrian McCarron, Catherine McEvoy, Geraldine Cotter, Peter Phelan, Aoife Granville, Ciarán Somers, Eibhlín de Paor, etc.
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Mary Bergin, hands down. Shes on a mission to get people playing proper rolls and cuts!!! Also her versions of tunes are absolutely unique. I get lessons off her during the year, shes fantastic. Shell be teaching intermediate level this year at the willy week, or so Ive heard.
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Go for quality over quantity, lots of fine players here, but I agree with the previous, one of the best and most experienced teachers there, and at getting the best from her students, is Mary Bergin. Also though, Sean Potts is a fine teacher, and so is Catherine McEvoy, superb ~ DAMN! What a lovely list, so much to choose from it makes my head swim.
There are a number there I know as fine teachers, but my guess is they all would be. There is nothing to stop you from approaching one of them and asking them what they're planning for their classes, and to get their measure. Will your chemistry work with theirs? Any of those I recognize above are open and approachable, they'd have to be as they've signed up to teach. I have seen where some 'advanced' classes move through so much, sometimes actually pushed forward by a few in the 'crowd', the punters, that by the end of the week many students have forgotten most of it.
If this is your first time there you'll find others who have been repeatedly and you could ask their advice too, arrive early if you can, meet folk, find someone else with the same wants as you, someone who's been there before. Hopefully some of the regulars will add comment here. I know, looking at that list, I'd be hard pressed to choose... Best of luck you lucky sod...
Note on 'advanced', it does attract a sort that aren't actually as good as they think. I find there is always a better crowd and greater possibility anywhere from beginning to intermediate ~ they are more prone to listen and be taught and to go away with more than they came with...
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Usually you can switch to a different class to the one in which you're placed. Just bear in mind that initially that's what happens - you are placed according to your ability.
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
As others have said, anyone on that list would surely be outstanding. From personal experience, I can only comment on Mary Bergin. Not only is she a warm and delightful person, and her playing of course impeccable, but she excels at isolating what each individual student needs (a truly valuable skill in a group-class), and she demonstrates ornamentation and technique meticulously and perfectly at any speed.
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
I have taken whistle classes at Willie Week with two very different teachers - Peter Phelan and Michael Falsey (not on the list above, but that does not necessarily mean he won't be teaching). Michael Falsey is from a village just south of Milltown, and is steeped in the local tradition - he was personally acquainted with Willie Clancy. He is a piper, making extensive use of piping techniques in his whistle playing, and makes a point of teaching local tunes and style. He always has a few good stories to tell, related to the music or otherwise.
Peter Phelan, whom you can find here: http://www.thesession.org/memers/display/7959
has a different approach entirely. He enjoys the great range of music in the Irish tradition, and tries to bring it to the awareness of his students. He also sometimes teaches more recently composed tunes and recent 'imports' from other traditions. His teaching is clear and methodical, and he puts emphasis on phrasing, ornamentation and clean technique - and he is an exemplary player.
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
ceolachan - i have been there! sad to say, i have been in "advanced" workshops (not at willie clancy week) when i was quite far from the skill to be there. to the defense of us brash and shortsighted individuals... we learn a lot from the sink or swim aspect of going a level above your head.
so it all depends, what advanced means. at some places, it is talent, at others it is determination to work. at noel hill's concertina camp, advanced and intermediate are not ability, but which approach you want to take. noel encouraged me to join the advanced class even though my playing ability was at the intermediate level.
the intermediate students learned by ear, and then were given sheet music (or they had the music at the same time, i do not know, i was not in their class), while the advanced students learned only by ear and werent given sheet music until they were heading off home at the end of the week. the tunes were harder as well, with strange notes and arepeggioes. i went for the challenge, though, and learned a lot. i had to learn all the difficult tunes by ear (and i was not so good at ear learning then) while learning noel's fingering system because the one i was using was just dismal. my heart skipped a beat when he threw a Bb at us on the second tune, but we managed. i got kicked out of class to practice in another room a couple times during the week, but i stuck it out.. i have never been so tired in my life as i had been at the camp, but i dont think i would have been happy if i hadnt been so challenged.
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Thank you SO very much, one and all. I'm feeling much more confident about the decision - assuming I'm not automatically placed in a class - and if I am, I'm going to feel sure that I'll be put in the right class for me. Intermediate sounds best right now - and I know Mary Bergin is an amazing player as well as a sweetheart of a person. She she sat down next to me - a beginning whistle student and a total stranger - one day some years ago while I was working through a simple piece, and asked me to have a tune with her, if you can imagine. What a generous person she is. I stumbled through the tune - too awestruck to work my fingers properly - and when it was over SHE thanked ME for the tune. (She should have just been thankful the god-awful thing was finished!)
She didn't know it, of course, but she taught me my most v aluable lesson about Irish music and real musicians that day, and I've found in my subsequent travels to study music in Ireland that the true "greats" are pretty much in her mold. They're always willing to have a tune or to teach something to someone who's wanting to learn.
Thanks again, everyone. Your comments have been very much appreciated. Lauri
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
I was put in Noel Hills advanced class, despite being an ardent up the rows player. The rest of the class had all been on his workshops a number of times so were familiar with how he worked. I had picked up his scale fingering by tune two but it was a matter of listen to this, once slowly then once explaining the ornaments then play it back to me after lunch. It was all a bit intensive.
Back home,some 2 months later, I carefully went through each recorded tune (with slower down package) and made a note of all his ornaments and fingering then got practising.
It all started to fall into place with practise so
1) Make recordings of as much of the workshops as possible
2) Go through it carefully back home and practise it
3) Enjoy
4) Unlearn it and do it totally differently when you go to someone elses workshop
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
And what about the flute teachers? I have met Eamonn Cotter before and liked his teaching a lot. But whom else would you recommend? What about Cathal McConnell?
And how does this enrollment thing go? Will I have to play in front of a number of irish flute masters or will there only be 1-2 people listening?
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
geoff - good point! my first mistake at the first workshop i ever went to was to not bring a recorder. someoene let me borrow theirs, but the recordings are all dreadful and i cant use them at all.
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Fair point Daiv, each teacher has their own way with the categories...
I only ever experienced the one go that might be considered slightly disasterous, in the early years, before the dance mania. It was an advanced fiddle workshop. The place was packed and for some reason the punters just kept hogging time with questions, including some downright embarrassing "I'm over here!" sort of interuptions ~ and the instructors had a tough time actually directing us anywhere. Eventually, somehow, some of us escaped ~ with Junior Crehan and another instructor. We found a quiet space where the teaching was left to those better able than ourselves. I know it may sound elitist, but we continued to meet there afterwards and didn't advertise it, partly by request...
It seemed, sharing stories, that my suggestion above was met out in other settings. The advanced classes could be good, and Noel Hill's advanced class was one that seemed to always get a good report. But ~ 'advanced' classes also tended to be where the rare problems were, if there were any. Mostly the reports for the beginning and intermediate classes were good. Sometimes there were problems with numbers. Whenever one 'name' got more than their share ~ well, the smaller classes always tended to get that something extra, more individual attention being the obvious bonus. But, as has been confessed elsewhere, my information is dated, pre-dance mayhem and the competitions from the hotel cartels...
Someone asked about flute, well, I've no doubt they are all good, each in their own way, but I know Catherine McEvoy is a great one blessed with a kind heart and tons of patience...
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Lauri - Many of the names you’ve listed above will actually be teaching flute, rather than whistle, but out of that list, my main recommendation would be Mary Bergin. I know from 2 workshops she did in Scotland a few years back that she is an excellent teacher. I haven’t seen her at the Willie Clancy school in the past 5 years or so, so if you do get the opportunity I would say try to get into her class. I can send you copies of the recordings from those classes if you wish to contact me through this website. Alternatively, Peter Phelan, who contributes to this site occasionally, is a player I hold in high regard, and has a very good reputation as a teacher also.
Claudine - Classes are graded according to ability, and yes, you will have to “audition” before the tutors and students, so that you can be placed in an appropriate class. Don’t worry about it – everyone is in the same boat. You’ll be asked to play one tune of your choice, just pick one you’re fairly comfortable with, and do your best. If you have any reason for not liking the class you’re assigned to, you can ask to move to another class.
Flute tutor’s I can recommend from personal experience are Harry Bradley [ 2 months ago ], Mick Hand, Tara Diamond and Kevin Crawford. All the people on that list above are very good players, but these 4 are the ones whose classes I have been in.
I'm just a bit more than slightly disappointed not to be able to go there myself this year. You'll both have a great time.
Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Hello, All,
I'd very much appreciate some input on whose workshop I should take this summer at Willie Week.
I'm looking for a teacher who can explain advanced techniques in an easily understoood manner rather than one who will spend the week teaching tunes that can be learned at home on one's own. Anyone can sit down and learn a tune - my goal is to learn how to vary and ornament the tunes.
Following are the names of the flute and whistle teachers for Willie Clancy Week this year:
The instructors will include Mary Bergin, Harry Bradley, Cathal McConnell, Desi Wilkinson, Sean Potts, Anne Sheehy, Seán Ryan, Fintan Vallely, Mick Crehan, Brid O'Donohue, Róisín Nic Dhonncha, Louise Mulcahy, Tara Diamond, Eamon Cotter, Mick O'Connor, Marcas Ó Murchú, Mick Hand, Kevin Crawford, Francis O'Connor, Siobhán Ní Chonaráin, Gary Hastings, Cyril Maguire, Marion McCarthy, Maureen McGrattan, Adrian McCarron, Catherine McEvoy, Geraldine Cotter, Peter Phelan, Aoife Granville, Ciarán Somers, Eibhlín de Paor, etc.
Any suggestions?
Thanks a million!
Lauri
# Posted on June 18th 2006 by lauri
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Mary Bergin, hands down. Shes on a mission to get people playing proper rolls and cuts!!! Also her versions of tunes are absolutely unique. I get lessons off her during the year, shes fantastic. Shell be teaching intermediate level this year at the willy week, or so Ive heard.
# Posted on June 18th 2006 by galway-fiddle
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Go for quality over quantity, lots of fine players here, but I agree with the previous, one of the best and most experienced teachers there, and at getting the best from her students, is Mary Bergin. Also though, Sean Potts is a fine teacher, and so is Catherine McEvoy, superb ~ DAMN! What a lovely list, so much to choose from it makes my head swim.
There are a number there I know as fine teachers, but my guess is they all would be. There is nothing to stop you from approaching one of them and asking them what they're planning for their classes, and to get their measure. Will your chemistry work with theirs? Any of those I recognize above are open and approachable, they'd have to be as they've signed up to teach. I have seen where some 'advanced' classes move through so much, sometimes actually pushed forward by a few in the 'crowd', the punters, that by the end of the week many students have forgotten most of it.
If this is your first time there you'll find others who have been repeatedly and you could ask their advice too, arrive early if you can, meet folk, find someone else with the same wants as you, someone who's been there before. Hopefully some of the regulars will add comment here. I know, looking at that list, I'd be hard pressed to choose... Best of luck you lucky sod...
# Posted on June 18th 2006 by ceolachan
Note on 'advanced', it does attract a sort that aren't actually as good as they think. I find there is always a better crowd and greater possibility anywhere from beginning to intermediate ~ they are more prone to listen and be taught and to go away with more than they came with...
# Posted on June 18th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Usually you can switch to a different class to the one in which you're placed. Just bear in mind that initially that's what happens - you are placed according to your ability.
# Posted on June 18th 2006 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Yes, but not everybody goes where their told... those who are convinced they've been wrongly assigned...best avoided...
# Posted on June 18th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
As others have said, anyone on that list would surely be outstanding. From personal experience, I can only comment on Mary Bergin. Not only is she a warm and delightful person, and her playing of course impeccable, but she excels at isolating what each individual student needs (a truly valuable skill in a group-class), and she demonstrates ornamentation and technique meticulously and perfectly at any speed.
# Posted on June 18th 2006 by browndog
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Kevin Crawford is one of the nicest and most outgoing of any people I have ever met in my life.
# Posted on June 19th 2006 by Unseen122
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
I have taken whistle classes at Willie Week with two very different teachers - Peter Phelan and Michael Falsey (not on the list above, but that does not necessarily mean he won't be teaching). Michael Falsey is from a village just south of Milltown, and is steeped in the local tradition - he was personally acquainted with Willie Clancy. He is a piper, making extensive use of piping techniques in his whistle playing, and makes a point of teaching local tunes and style. He always has a few good stories to tell, related to the music or otherwise.
Peter Phelan, whom you can find here: http://www.thesession.org/memers/display/7959
has a different approach entirely. He enjoys the great range of music in the Irish tradition, and tries to bring it to the awareness of his students. He also sometimes teaches more recently composed tunes and recent 'imports' from other traditions. His teaching is clear and methodical, and he puts emphasis on phrasing, ornamentation and clean technique - and he is an exemplary player.
# Posted on June 19th 2006 by granama
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
ceolachan - i have been there! sad to say, i have been in "advanced" workshops (not at willie clancy week) when i was quite far from the skill to be there. to the defense of us brash and shortsighted individuals... we learn a lot from the sink or swim aspect of going a level above your head.
so it all depends, what advanced means. at some places, it is talent, at others it is determination to work. at noel hill's concertina camp, advanced and intermediate are not ability, but which approach you want to take. noel encouraged me to join the advanced class even though my playing ability was at the intermediate level.
the intermediate students learned by ear, and then were given sheet music (or they had the music at the same time, i do not know, i was not in their class), while the advanced students learned only by ear and werent given sheet music until they were heading off home at the end of the week. the tunes were harder as well, with strange notes and arepeggioes. i went for the challenge, though, and learned a lot. i had to learn all the difficult tunes by ear (and i was not so good at ear learning then) while learning noel's fingering system because the one i was using was just dismal. my heart skipped a beat when he threw a Bb at us on the second tune, but we managed. i got kicked out of class to practice in another room a couple times during the week, but i stuck it out.. i have never been so tired in my life as i had been at the camp, but i dont think i would have been happy if i hadnt been so challenged.
# Posted on June 19th 2006 by daiv
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Thank you SO very much, one and all. I'm feeling much more confident about the decision - assuming I'm not automatically placed in a class - and if I am, I'm going to feel sure that I'll be put in the right class for me. Intermediate sounds best right now - and I know Mary Bergin is an amazing player as well as a sweetheart of a person. She she sat down next to me - a beginning whistle student and a total stranger - one day some years ago while I was working through a simple piece, and asked me to have a tune with her, if you can imagine. What a generous person she is. I stumbled through the tune - too awestruck to work my fingers properly - and when it was over SHE thanked ME for the tune. (She should have just been thankful the god-awful thing was finished!)
She didn't know it, of course, but she taught me my most v aluable lesson about Irish music and real musicians that day, and I've found in my subsequent travels to study music in Ireland that the true "greats" are pretty much in her mold. They're always willing to have a tune or to teach something to someone who's wanting to learn.
Thanks again, everyone. Your comments have been very much appreciated. Lauri
# Posted on June 19th 2006 by lauri
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
I was put in Noel Hills advanced class, despite being an ardent up the rows player. The rest of the class had all been on his workshops a number of times so were familiar with how he worked. I had picked up his scale fingering by tune two but it was a matter of listen to this, once slowly then once explaining the ornaments then play it back to me after lunch. It was all a bit intensive.
Back home,some 2 months later, I carefully went through each recorded tune (with slower down package) and made a note of all his ornaments and fingering then got practising.
It all started to fall into place with practise so
1) Make recordings of as much of the workshops as possible
2) Go through it carefully back home and practise it
3) Enjoy
4) Unlearn it and do it totally differently when you go to someone elses workshop
# Posted on June 19th 2006 by geoffwright
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
And what about the flute teachers? I have met Eamonn Cotter before and liked his teaching a lot. But whom else would you recommend? What about Cathal McConnell?
And how does this enrollment thing go? Will I have to play in front of a number of irish flute masters or will there only be 1-2 people listening?
# Posted on June 19th 2006 by claudine
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
geoff - good point! my first mistake at the first workshop i ever went to was to not bring a recorder. someoene let me borrow theirs, but the recordings are all dreadful and i cant use them at all.
# Posted on June 19th 2006 by daiv
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Fair point Daiv, each teacher has their own way with the categories...
I only ever experienced the one go that might be considered slightly disasterous, in the early years, before the dance mania. It was an advanced fiddle workshop. The place was packed and for some reason the punters just kept hogging time with questions, including some downright embarrassing "I'm over here!" sort of interuptions ~ and the instructors had a tough time actually directing us anywhere. Eventually, somehow, some of us escaped ~ with Junior Crehan and another instructor. We found a quiet space where the teaching was left to those better able than ourselves. I know it may sound elitist, but we continued to meet there afterwards and didn't advertise it, partly by request...
It seemed, sharing stories, that my suggestion above was met out in other settings. The advanced classes could be good, and Noel Hill's advanced class was one that seemed to always get a good report. But ~ 'advanced' classes also tended to be where the rare problems were, if there were any. Mostly the reports for the beginning and intermediate classes were good. Sometimes there were problems with numbers. Whenever one 'name' got more than their share ~ well, the smaller classes always tended to get that something extra, more individual attention being the obvious bonus. But, as has been confessed elsewhere, my information is dated, pre-dance mayhem and the competitions from the hotel cartels...
Someone asked about flute, well, I've no doubt they are all good, each in their own way, but I know Catherine McEvoy is a great one blessed with a kind heart and tons of patience...
http://www.firescribble.net/flute/mcevoy.html
# Posted on June 20th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Lauri - Many of the names you’ve listed above will actually be teaching flute, rather than whistle, but out of that list, my main recommendation would be Mary Bergin. I know from 2 workshops she did in Scotland a few years back that she is an excellent teacher. I haven’t seen her at the Willie Clancy school in the past 5 years or so, so if you do get the opportunity I would say try to get into her class. I can send you copies of the recordings from those classes if you wish to contact me through this website. Alternatively, Peter Phelan, who contributes to this site occasionally, is a player I hold in high regard, and has a very good reputation as a teacher also.
Claudine - Classes are graded according to ability, and yes, you will have to “audition” before the tutors and students, so that you can be placed in an appropriate class. Don’t worry about it – everyone is in the same boat. You’ll be asked to play one tune of your choice, just pick one you’re fairly comfortable with, and do your best. If you have any reason for not liking the class you’re assigned to, you can ask to move to another class.
Flute tutor’s I can recommend from personal experience are Harry Bradley [ 2 months ago ], Mick Hand, Tara Diamond and Kevin Crawford. All the people on that list above are very good players, but these 4 are the ones whose classes I have been in.
I'm just a bit more than slightly disappointed not to be able to go there myself this year. You'll both have a great time.
# Posted on June 20th 2006 by Kenny
Re: Whistle Teachers During Willie Clancy Week - who would be best?
Lauri - Claudine. How did the classes go ?
# Posted on July 13th 2006 by Kenny