Practicum 5A – Main Performance Interest

Rationale and Purpose of the Module: The widening of performance styles of the students into traditional (Irish and non-Irish) contexts outside of familiar styles and approaches for those students.

Syllabus: This module will be the continuation of the main performance interest practicums of the first two years. Students will be expected to illustrate in a final recital the acquisition of technique associated with a number of styles of traditional music performance, some of which will be from outside of the Irish tradition. The second part of the module will be related to performance skills and again this element will be divided into two separate streams for musicians and dancers. Musicians will take Keyboard Skills and Aural Training which will include keyboard harmony (vamping, chordal analysis and application, both aural and written), aural skills (transcribing tunes and songs, awareness of traditional forms and styles, sight reading and sight singing). It is important to emphasise that the orientation of this stream of multi-skill development will be towards the needs and realities of traditional Irish music and musicians but with a wider context in mind. Dancers will take Movement Awareness. This will include practical dance workshops to introduce some of the movement principles that inform other dance practices today. Also there will be an introduction to techniques and practices designed to promote the release of tension in the body in order to facilitate greater ease of movement. It will also include an introduction to the use of visual imagery as a way to develop an understanding of the correct alignment in movement. Finally an introduction to supplementary practices used by dancers as part of their training eg. Yoga, Feldankrais, Alexander technique and Pilates. Improvisation will be undertaken in practical workshops to introduce the concept of improvisation as a means of exploring movement possibilities and also expanding movement vocabulary. Improvisations will include working with movement themes, dramatic themes, props, text and visual stimulii.