Daily class schedule and weekly schedule are posted on this page (scroll down).  Click to enlarge and download.

The daily schedule for Cascadia Irish Music Week will consist of:

• Four 75-minute class sessions focusing on particular instruments and technique;
• Don't feel you have to take a class during each session; most people leave a period open for practice, rest, etc.
• Tune learning sessions open to all instruments;
• Song learning sessions;
• Lecture/group discussions by members of the teaching staff.

The evening schedule will include sessions, concerts and dancing. We want everyone to get to play in sessions as much as possible, so we offer lots of session possibilities: 

**A note from our Artistic Director on Sessions at CIMW **

GUIDED SESSIONS will be led by teaching staff.

• Tempos will be slow to moderate
• Repertoire will be chosen from our list of 46 CIMW 2019 Guided Session Tunes
• For clarification on the three Paddy Fahey tunes included in this year's list, check out this video from Randal Bays

"FREE RANGE" SESSIONS will also be led by teaching staff but without constraints on tempos and repertoire.

OPEN SESSIONS: We'll have several spaces where spontaneous sessions can happen.

The aural tradition

The Irish musical tradition is an aural tradition, so we put a high priority on learning by ear, a developable skill that's important no matter what kind of music one plays.  Some teachers may offer written music in their classes, but others will not.  It's a good idea to bring an audio recording device.  (Please note: No video recording is allowed in any classes. Audio recording allowed if the teacher permits it.)

Playing levels

It will improve everyone's experience of the week if you sign up for your appropriate level of classes. We will have advanced, intermediate and introductory classes in most instruments. Please use the guidelines listed for each instrument, and bear in mind that students in the advanced classes will be asked to play in front of the class. If you're not sure which level is best for you, email Randal Bays. We reserve the right to reassign students to specific classes in order to balance the number of students in each class. In general, dropping in on classes for which you're not registered is not OK. The exceptions are the "tune learning" and "ear training" classes, which are open to all students regardless of which instrument you play.

Schedules

Use the weekly schedule for an overview and the daily class schedule below when selecting your classes.  Click on each schedule for a full-size, printable version.