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 Welcome
to the Wicklow School of Music and Drama website!
We hope that you will find all the information
you need from this site. However if you have a
query about schedules, teachers, news and events
you can call us on 0404-42244.
It's now an established fact that music education
is enormously beneficial to a child's growth and
development from an early age. For this reason
the school offers classes for children as young
as 18 months with two goals in mind: to stimulate
with sound and movement; and to prepare children
below the age of eight years to study an instrument.
Parents must consider their goals before enrolling
a child age five and older.
Application Form
MS
Word or PDF
Using the links above, please download
and print our application form.
Remember to read the policy statements,
sign and return to us at:
Wicklow School of Music & Drama
c/o East Glendalough School,
Station Road, Wicklow Town
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If the goal is toward the study of an instrument
then it's important to stick with the course!
As the child moves through The
Pre-Instrumental Course they will develop
an ability to sing on pitch; to understand the
rudiments of music literacy, sight-read using
the Curwen hand signs which accompany solfege
or tonic solfa and to find and maintain tempo
in music. The final year of the course places
a strong emphasis on music literacy - the children
are required to bring a set theory book to class
and are expected to do homework from it.
By the time the children complete the course
and walk into their first instrumental lesson
they will be amply prepared to succeed. However
success in music tuition depends on a lot of other
factors.
The role of the parent...
Parents of young students who are new to the school
are asked to attend the first few lessons with
their child so that they can see what takes place
and discuss practise at home. Practise at home
is about 60% of success in music tuition. Practise
combined with performing opportunities and tuition will ensure a good rate
of progress. The home environment, for example
a proper piano stool to ensure correct posture,
is essential. Talk to your child's teacher about
this and make sure you follow their recommendations.
Here are a few tips that might help:
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Practice should
be a regular part of your child's daily routine.
Good times may be when they get home from
school before homework or before school. |
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Don't push young
children into long practice sessions - five
or ten minutes will probably be enough. |
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It
helps if you listen to them and encourage
them as they practise, especially with younger
children. Many parents, myself included, have
expressed frustration when overseeing practise
because a young child can resist the help
a parent offers during practise. Here is a
potential solution: the Three-Way Promise!
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The teacher
promises to reinforce to the student
that the parent has knowledge on a given
issue (supporting the parent) |
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The parent
promises to commit to supervising this
issue during practise ( otherwise the
student will not trust the parent). |
| 3. |
The student
must promise to listen to the parent
at home during practise with the understanding
that the parent represents the teacher. |
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| You will
find that you have also taught your
child the value of making a promise
and keeping it, which is good character
development. See our news page to learn
about our Junior
Student of the Year. |
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Don't make practice
a punishment, or your child may start to see
it as a chore. |
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The School recommends
a practise
chart to fill in, with comments on whether
they have enjoyed a particular piece, or found
a scale or exercise challenging. This encourages
the pupil to be involved and reflect on their
motivation and progress. |
| • |
Encourage your
child to practise slowly and to take difficult
passages apart to try and find out what the
difficulty is. Things don't get better by
just playing the music over and over again
with the same errors. |
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Help your child
with a practice plan to include: |
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Warming-up
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Scales
and the last song that they have practised
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Any
new material they have been assigned
- they should try to master any challenging
parts first |
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Encourage
them to end with a piece that they have
finished and enjoy playing |
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Music Appreciation and Theory
classes is a mandatory
requirement of study with the WSMD. These classes
are a necessary aid to the study of an instrument.
Without them a student's progress is slower due
to the fact that instrumental teachers are able
to focus on technique instead of music lietacy
and other elements covered in theory classes.
Many parents have commented that they studied
an instrument but cannot remember how to play.
It is my belief that these classes will promote
good musicianship and will promote life long skill.
Assessment
The school's policy is for its teachers to set
goals for each term. THESE GOALS ARE SET DURING
THE FIRST COUPLE OF LESSONS BY THE TEACHER AND
MAY CHANGE DEPENDING ON THE STUDENT'S RATE OF
PROGRESS. At the end of term these goals are assessed
to give each student helpful feedback on their
progress. The school aims to nurture the tuition
provided by closely monitoring student progress
through performance
and parent education nights. These and end-of-term
concerts are used to provide each student with
an end-of-term assessment. Students who complete
a full academic year will receive a certificate
from the school.
Examinations are encouraged but not enforced.
WSMD has its own in-house exam schedule and enters
students for Royal Irish Academy (conducted locally),
Leinster School of Music, Trinity College London
and Associated Board examinations. All levels
up to and including diploma standard on most instruments
are catered for.
We hope to develop a parents page to assist with
everything from practise advice to carpools! Your
views and comments are always welcome and you
can inform us of them via email info@wicklowmusicdrama.com
or by calling 0404-42244.
I hope you enjoy your classes at the Wicklow
School of Music & Drama!
Best wishes,
Kerry Anderson BMusEd.
Director, WSMD
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