Highland Council offers a taste of traditional music

A traditional music open evening and taster session for adults and children in the Inverness area will take place on Tuesday 26 August from 7pm to 8:30pm in Crown Primary School.

Inverness Traditional Music Classes - Clasaichean Ceòl Traidiseanta Inbhir Nis have been organised by The Highland Council and are funded by Scottish Arts Council, National Lottery Funding. Anyone interested in traditional music from age 8 upwards can come along and try out fiddle, guitar, bodhran or whistle.

The open evening aims to provide locals with the opportunity of meeting traditional music tutors and to help them make their choice in taking up a class.

Councillor Bill Fernie Chairman of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee said: “Inverness Traditional Music Classes are a great springboard to foster and encourage new traditional music and dance talent in the Highlands. Anyone who is interested should go to the open evening to see if they want to join a class.”

Twenty four classes are taking place in six different venues in Inverness. Places are available from beginners up to intermediate level fiddle classes and in accordion, groupwork, guitar, whistle, bodhran, keyboards, mandolin, and chanter.  Ceilidh dance classes will also be available and, working in partnership with the Out of Eden Project step dances classes.

The classes run for ten weeks from Monday 1st September with a two week break for the October mid-term.

Venues include Millburn Academy for fiddle; Crown Primary School for fiddle, accordion, whistle, chanter, bodhran and piping; Charleston Academy for guitar, and mandolin; Inverness High School for keyboard, accordion and music groupwork; Maple Court Hotel for news Scots Song and intermediate fiddle; and the Spectrum Centre for dance classes.

Margo Maclennan, Highland Council’s Traditional Music Co-ordinator said: “We would like to re-start the Traditional Scots Song Class and are looking for six students who are keen in learning how to sing.  This one hour class will re-start in Maple Court Hotel, Ness Walk starts on Monday evenings.”

Tuition fees are charged for the classes; however, concessions are available. Bookings can be made at any Highland Council Service Point. For more details contact Margo Maclennan, Traditional Music Co-ordinator, Education Culture and Sport Service at the Town House, Inverness, tel: 01463 724314 or online at http://www.highland.gov.uk/inverness-traditional-music.htm