Dear Reader –
Even if the All-Ireland football final hadn’t been brought forward, it would still be over by now. And - the heating went on in our house for the first time last night - so there is a real feeling around of settling in for the winter. But that doesn’t mean we have nothing to look forward to…
**All hyperlinks in bold.
The Big Thing
We’re into Week 3 of the official teaching term at this stage, and it’s been a busy start.
Lessons are up and running in Strandhill and Rathcormac, the new workbooks are proving popular, and we have the first sessions of our Music Club and adult Group Workshops this week. Students are busy learning all sorts of songs, from Row Row Row Your Boat all the way through to this Herbie Hancock solo.
Enthusiasm is high at the moment, which is always great to see. However the challenge may come for some in the coming weeks as what is now new becomes routine. We will be impressing on students that consistent practice is better than irregular bursts, and that this is the best way to ensure progress and keep lessons exciting.
Neil Gaynor (pictured below) knows this better than any. He is my longest-serving student, is continuing a proud musical tradition in his family and returned yesterday for another season of lessons. The trip to Strandhill at lunchtime has long been part of Neil’s weekly routine, but his consistency and dedication to his practice has meant that his piano is not merely a piece of furniture in his house, but rather a lifelong companion.
Where else but Sligo?
This day next week we’ll be getting ready to take over the Hawk’s Well Theatre for Theme Night #30.
And while we won’t be straying too far from the theme night mission of bringing you great music played by a variety of local musicians (see pic below for our latest new ensemble), there are some new dimensions to this show. Musicals aren’t just about the music, there has to be an element of theatre also. In some of the performances at least!
And so it’s lovely to welcome a large number of Theme Night debutants this time, provided mainly by Sligo musical societies including Pop-Up Theatre, The Fun Company, The Mad Ravens, and Sligo Musical Society.
A huge source of information and advice has been Niamh Crowley, who is the regular musical director for all these societies and someone who will have looked after the music for 5 more musicals (!) by the time next May comes around.
And while she’s not quite a Theme Night debutant (having sung Anyone Who Had a Heart on Theme Night #11), Karen Gordon has certainly added a huge amount to our preparations this time. She kindly agreed to come on board to direct the visual aspect of this show, and her vision and creativity has opened up new possibilities for us all. She might even sing a song on the night too!
What’s New?
THEME NIGHT #30 TIX: This show has been sold out for some time now, but some tickets do become available from time to time on the Hawk’s Well website. So keep an eye out!
MORE FICTION: No sooner had I pressed send on last week’s letter than I was informed by my eagle-eyed mother that the next in the series of Strike novels is out. These are great, and usually close to 1000 pages, so will be my bedside companion for quite a while. Available in your local bookshop.
MAKE LEMONADE: Congrats to my In The Lamplight co-presenter Rory Maitland, who produced this book to mark the occasion of his 30th birthday. This is one of a limited number of copies, and details of how to get one will be available soon. You’ll hear first on his Instagram.
Finally…
Neil (mentioned above) and I are both big Billy Joel fans and we have tackled many of his songs together over the years. Here is one of our favourites - it could be about saying goodbye to someone special, or saying goodnight to a child - or you tell me what you hear in it…
Till next time - Kieran.
