ACADEMY STAFF LOGIN

MUSIC LESSONS
THAT YOUR CHILD WILL WANT TO ATTEND!

* What instruments do you teach?
The Academy provides professional, graded tuition in electric guitar, electric bass, keyboard, drums and pop singing.

* What ages ranges do you cater for?
We teach children from 9 to 18 years of age.

* What type of music do you teach?
We teach contemporary popular music – i.e. popular western music of the last forty years. Everything from the Beatles to Radiohead, from Beyonce to Dolly Parton and beyond! As the tuition is graded, i.e. academically set out in a syllabus (homogenous in standard across all instruments and grades) some songs will be more appropriate than others for certain grades. Put simply, we start with easier songs/music and get progressively more complex. A central tenet of our ethos is, of course, that your child will learn effectively and enjoy the lessons because they know and like the music being taught. Consequently, the music that we teach will constantly be changing, to keep up with the times.

* Is it possible to teach this sort of music?
Definitely! Elsewhere (particularly in the UK and USA) contemporary music is very prevalent in music education, both 2nd level (school-goers) and 3rd level (college/university). Indeed, there exists a significant amount of research about the merits of teaching contemporary pop music. (click for info)

* How long are the lessons?
The lessons are 50 minutes in duration. We would ask that your child be on site 10 minutes before the start of the lesson.

* Do you provide music theory lessons also?
Indeed we do! In fact, there is a free (and mandatory) theory lesson for every child in the Academy. This theory lesson will strengthen your child’s musical understanding, greatly inform the instrumental lessons that they shall be receiving and even build on the musical learning they may be receiving at school as a part of their Junior or Leaving Certificate Music programmes.

* Will there be an exam?
Yes. All our lessons are taught on a graded basis. Progression from one grade to another requires passing the end-of-year grade examination. Continuous assessment will also be utilized, to get the best possible picture of your child’s progress. Upon completion of a grade and the appropriate graded exam, at which there will be an external examiner (not on the Academy's staff), a certificate will be awarded. We are working to bring our examination procedure and certification inline with standards set out by the Further Education and Training Awards Council, FETAC. Thus our certification will be nationally recognized, even outside of the music realm.

* How will the lessons be scheduled?
Upon our Assessment Day, where your child shall be placed into their music group, we shall endeavor to have his or her music theory lesson either immediately before or after his or her lesson. Please bear with us for the first week - we have a lot of children to get to!

* Do you teach one on one or groups?
We teach in classes of 5 for instruments, classes of 25 for music theory.

* Why teach in groups?
There are a number of very important reasons for this in the realm of popular music education. Primarily, studies have show that children studying popular music benefit from group lessons. At school, your child learns all manner of academic subjects like maths and languages in classes of 20 or more. Group teaching for popular music is not a new idea - it has existed in the past (click for info) Very high profile music educators speak very strongly of this approach (click for info) Most importantly, there is no such thing as a solo electric guitar concert. Contemporary pop music is always an ensemble experience and music that is only performed in groups can be learnt in groups - its that simple!

* What qualifications do your staff have?
We are lucky enough to have a hugely qualified staff. All our senior tutors hold Masters Degrees in music performance. Some of out staff already teach and lecture in the CIT Cork School of Music. Our Principal is pursuing her PhD in London on the merits of group teaching and popular music education, making her the most perfectly qualified person to handle your child’s musical education. Additionally, our staff are Garda vetted.

* Do I need to buy an instrument straight away?
For electric guitar, bass and keyboard lessons, yes; for drums, a snare drum for the first 6 months is sufficient. For the weekly lessons we provide drum sets and keyboards - as well as amplifiers for electric guitars, electric bass guitars, and keyboards, and vocal PAs. Our senior tutors, whom you can email directly, will be happy to help you with any questions you may have regarding an instrument purchase.

Board of Directors

1. Karl Rooney MA
2. Trish Rooney MA
3. Brendan Manning
4. Mai Manning BA MA


1. Karl Rooney MA- Director and Chairman

Karl is the bandleader of the Aristocrats and The Groove Orchestra and has worked with a veritable who’s who of the music business. He has played/recorded with Katie Melua, The Commitments, The Drifters, The Four Tops, Jack Jones, Jack Johnson, Bonnie Tyler, Rebecca Storm, Andrew Strong, The National Concert Orchestra, Louis Stewart and many others. He has appeared on the soundtracks for Hollywood films and has won major international scholarships to Juillard, Berklee and Skidmore colleges. He received a 1st class Honours MA in performance from CIT Cork School of Music, now lectures in CIT CSM and has attracted a plethora of MA students to the college to do their MA with him (one of which now lectures in UCC). He is working on developing a degree in contemporary music performance for CIT CSM with college and Academy staff member, Fionn O’ Ceallachain.

2. Trish Rooney MA BMus LLCM ATCL DipLCM ALCM LRSM- Director and Secretary, Principal of the Academy

Trish is currently studying for her doctorate in education at The Institute of Education in London under the supervision of Professor Susan Hallam, with primary areas of interest being group instrumental teaching and popular music. With a first class honors degree and Master’s degree in flute performance from the Cork School of Music she has also been a member of and performed with many ensembles down through the years including the Cork Youth Orchestra, Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra, Cork Pops Orchestra, Cork Chamber Orchestra, CSM Wind Ensemble and Vocal Chamber group, and the International Youth Wind Orchestra and has given performances in the UK, Italy and Australia among others.
As well as her studying at the CSM Trish travelled abroad frequently for masterclasses and lessons with such well known flautists as Wissam Boustany, Peter Lloyd, Ian Clarke and many more.
Trish currently co- fronts and plays saxophone with The Aristocrats, one of Irelands most popular funk, soul and pop bands (www.thearistocrats.ie) and is continually working with the UKs’ leading vocal coaches and singing sensations Kim Chandler (Director of the British Voice Association), and Anne-Marie Speed (former President of The British Voice Association) and is also undergoing training in a specialized vocal method called the ‘Estill Model’. Trish also runs the new and exciting all girl electric string quartet ‘Elektra’. Trish is also a pioneer of popular music study, being the first Irish teacher to submit students for Pop Singing exams with the London College of Music.

3. Brendan Manning Director

Brendan is the founding Chairman of one of Ireland’s most well established Event Management Company’s, Occasions. The company grew out of Brendan’s involvement in the music business in Cork where he recognised the need for a more structured and business like approach to this growing industry. His involvement in the very successful Manning Brothers Band was the vehicle through which his stage production and event management skill came to the fore and which resulted in the development of what became the biggest Christmas Show in the country. Through Occasions, The Manning Brothers embarked on many fund raising endeavours culminating in a major initiative which involved the cooperation, on a grand scale, of almost all of the city’s second level institutions and raised over €25000 for SHARE. On a day to day level, Occasions is responsible for the management of some of Cork’s most professional bands and supplies its services to some of the city’s leading corporate enterprises. The professional standard of Occasion’s events is renowned throughout the business world.

4. Mai Manning BA, MA Director

Mai Manning is one of the founding members of Occasions Event Management & Entertainment Consultants and is an integral part of the day to day running of this long established and high profile business. She has also achieved academic success with a Bachelors Degree in English and Psychology and a First Class Masters Degree in English from UCC. She is currently studying on a part time basis, for an LLB Degree through Nottingham Trent University. The combination of business and academic skills enables Mai to bring a broad yet disciplined approach to the development of the Academy.