Brave the Stave - Sight Reading for Choir Singers

Brave the Stave – Sight Reading for Choir Singers 

This course is aimed at participants from a lay choir background, who wish to improve their sight-reading skills of noted music and choral scores.

Brave the Stave, in the first instance, seeks to support RIAM's Well Sing Choir members and the classwork will largely link to the current Well Sing Choir repertoire, to complete the circle and further the ease of learning new material. 

However, "Brave the Stave" is not exclusively for WSC members, and interested participants (who are not currently singing with the WSC) are invited to inquire further with adultdivision@riam.ie for a possibility to join (most preferably the 4:30 PM course).

Please note:

This Autumn we are offering two different course times with slightly different levels. 

Both courses will start on Wednesday the 25th of September and run fortnightly for 5 sessions until the 20th of November (i.e. with a week's break in between two subsequent sessions)

Course 1:  Wednesdays 1:45 - 2:45 PM (This course is a continuation of the "Brave the Stave" course from Spring 2024 and will build upon the previous course level reached.)

The course time has been specifically scheduled to allow participants of the WSC Wednesday lunch-time choir to link this course to their earlier rehearsal.

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Course 2: Wednesday 4:30 - 5:30 PM (This course is an introduction to stave notation, with basic rhythm patterns and the concept of Tonic Solfa, and its uses in sight-singing.)

Together with your course peers, you will learn to: 

• Confidently identify time signatures
• Confidently identify the beat of a piece of music
• Confidently clap noted music rhythms using rhythm syllables
• Sing noted music melodies with increasing ease

The course time has been specifically scheduled to allow participants of the WSC Wednesday evening choir to possibly link this course to their following rehearsal at 5:45 PM (Well Sing Choir - Evening Group)

Your course tutor Brian will be able to adapt the pace of both courses based on the overall group progress.

Course dates for both courses:

Session 1: Wednesday 25th September (Course 1 & 2)
One week pause, no session on the 2nd of October
Session 2: Wednesday 9th October (Course 1 & 2)
One week pause, no session on the 16th of October
Session 3: Wednesday 23th October (Course 1 & 2)
One week pause, no session on the 30th of October
Session 4: Wednesday 6th November (Course 1 & 2)
One week pause, no session on the 2nd of October
Session 5: Wednesday 20th November (Course 1 & 2)

Brian Murphy 

Brian Murphy graduated with a Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting in 2021 and is currently in his third year of the Doctor in Music Performance degree at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, specialising in choral conducting and undertaking research on Cambiata voices. He is also undertaking the ITM Alexander Technique Teacher Training Course.

Brian completed his bachelor’s degree in music and history at Maynooth University before undertaking a PGCE in music education at Edge Hill University, England. During his time in Maynooth, Brian served as President of the Music Society and was elected Students’ Union President in 2009, through which he became the chief student representative for the Maynooth students both within the university and nationally.

From 2016 to 2021, Brian was the Musical Director of the Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir. Under his direction, the choir performed at many high-profile events, including President Michael D. Higgin’s garden party, at Áras an Uachtaráin for Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and the final of the Pro-14 Rugby Tournament in the Aviva Stadium. Brian conducts Amici Vocal Ensemble in Clontarf.

He is a secondary school teacher and is active as a clarinettist and saxophonist. Brian has sung with numerous choirs and is currently a member of the award-winning choir Mornington Singers. Brian directs Pre-DYC and the Cambiata Choir. He also teaches musicianship to several groups within DYC and "Brave the Stave" - Sight Reading for Choir Singers to members of RIAM's Well Sing Choir. 

Age: 18+