Music
Staff
- Miss Sinead Frame (HoD)
- Mr Mark Doran
- Mr James Murphy (Pioan tutor)
- Mr Mickey Murphy (Guitar Tutor)
- Colm Murphy (Organ tutor)
Instrumental tuition is also supported by SELB Music Service as follows:
Upper Strings: Mrs Bronagh Brien
Lower Strings: Mrs Martina Masterson
Brass:Mrs Naoimh Mathers
Woodwind: Mrs Krista Gallagher
Percussion: Mr Austin Gallagher
Overview: The College supports a vibrant Music Department which aims to offer a broad experience of music to each student The department currently enjoys 100% grade A-C success rate at GCSE and A level. In the year 2012 Mateusz Jadczak and James Somerville were awarded first and second place respectively in Northern Ireland in CCEA Music at GCSE level.
Facilities: Music facilities at St Colman's College are excellent. These include two dedicated music classrooms, each with three group rooms. All rooms are wired to the C2K and iMac networks and are equipped with Yamaha keyboards. A complete range of classroom percussion is available including Samba and African drumming sets. There is a music specific iMac suite and recording studio, three ensemble rooms and a two-manual Kenneth Jones pipe organ in the chapel. Our six pianos include two Yamaha U3S and Yamaha 211S. The College owns its own Yamaha soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones and percussion facilities are suitable to ABRSM Grade VIII standard. Cellos and double basses are provided so that students do not have transport difficulties.
Music technology includes 20 iMac computers and four MacBooks all using iLife 11 and Sibelius 7 software. 10 use Logic Express 8. The recording studio contains a MacPro with twin cinema screens, Focusrite OctoPre Le & M-Audio ProFire 2626 interfaces with a digital Mackie Audio Workstation. Full microphone facilities for all types of recording are available. Headphones, keyboard controllers and Yamaha keyboards are available to all students.
Past pupils include David Quigley (Professor of piano at Birmingham Conservatoire, John Toal (BBC), Colm Murphy (Organist & Choir Director at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh and Head of Music, St Paul's High School, Bessbrook), Cathal Murphy (Head of Music, St Mary's High School, Downpatrick), Matt McGinn (folk singer/song writer), Michael, Oisi�n, Breanda�n and Donal Kearney (Tourist Walk), Michael Bradley (Musical Director, London) and Paidi O'Dubhain (MA Guildhall School of Music, London), James Sands (The Bluez Katz Blues Band).
KS3
The Northern Ireland Curriculum aims to empower pupils to achieve their potential and to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives. It is about helping all pupils prepare for life and work:
- as individuals
- as contributors to society
- as contributors to the economy and the environment
Music has a significant role to play in this. The fundamental aim of the music curriculum is to develop pupils' musical ability. All pupils are potentially musical. Their experiences in music at KS3 centre around three core activities: composing, performing and listening. Through our programme of study based on the Northern Ireland Curriculum, pupils are able to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in all three areas. All pupils are provided with opportunities to both make and respond to music.
Using ICT is one of the three statutory cross-curricular skills introduced as part of the NI Curriculum. All our students are encouraged as much as possible in their use of ICT in music, primarily using Garageband and Sibelius 7 as music-specific software. All Year 10 students submit a music task for assessment as part of the Post Primary ICT Accreditation Scheme.
All pupils are encouraged to develop their use of music technology. Junior students are welcome to use the music iMac Suite in their spare time. Senior music students have full access to all music technology including the recording studio. Courses led by AmmA centre staff are organised on a regular basis.