School of music opens up its doors to rock and pop

ROLL over Beethoven — the hallowed halls of the historic Cork School of Music rocked at the weekend as Ireland’s newest “school of rock” opened for classes.

The 130-year-old school, which has an international reputation for classical music education, threw open its doors for the first contingent of pop and rock music students who have enrolled in the new Academy of Popular Music.

They had lessons in electric guitar, electric bass, keyboards, drums and vocals.

The academy, developed in association with the school, is aimed at students aged between 12 and 18, and each 50-minute lesson is delivered to classes of just five pupils.

Music theory classes will be included and students will sit a certified examination at the end of the year. All the senior tutors are MA graduates of the music school.

The demand for places in the first term was overwhelming and the academy’s director Brendan Manning said he had to cap the enrolment at 100 students.

But Mr Manning said further registrations will take place for the preliminary grade which starts next January.

He said key to the academy’s success is the structured and graded tuition approach which is hugely popular in the US and Britain.

“I’m thrilled to bring it, for the first time to Ireland,” Mr Manning said.

“None of this would have been possible without the massive support and foresight of school director Dr Geoffrey Spratt and his team at the school along with that of the board of Cork Institute of Technology.”

Dr Spratt also welcomed the first academy classes.

“It will provide that magic combination of technical instruction, oral training and ensemble experience for these young people,” he said.

- www.theacademyofpopularmusic.ie