Gráinne Deery

Gráinne Deery holds a dual appointment as Lecturer in Musicianship and Music Education at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Lecturer in Music Education at the Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education at Maynooth University. Her research interests include the development and perception of musical potential within teaching and learning environments.

Gráinne’s courses at the RIAM currently include musicianship, harmony & counterpoint, keyboard harmony, and a range of music education modules (classroom and instrumental pedagogy). Gráinne is the RIAM school placement supervisor for the BMusEd programme and is a dissertation supervisor for RIAM undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. In addition, she offers a selection of continuing professional development courses and also serves as an examiner for the Local Centre Exams.

As a passionate advocate of music education and key contributor to the development of music education in Ireland Gráinne was a key figure in the recent development of the new and innovative DipRIAM, an instrumental teaching Diploma focusing on the teaching and learning environment. Gráinne recently served as a committee member of the Society for Music Education in Ireland (SMEI) and the European Piano Teachers’ Association (EPTA). In addition, Gráinne held the position of Chair of the Irish branch of EPTA during which time she founded and directed the EPTA Ireland Piano Competition. Gráinne was recently appointed external examiner for DIT pedagogy.

Gráinne holds a Masters in Music Performance (University of Leeds), having studied piano with Renna Kellaway (Royal Northern College of Music) and a Bachelor in Music Education (Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Irish Academy of Music). In addition, she holds a Higher Diploma in Music Teaching, Graduate and Associate Diplomas in Piano Teaching and was awarded a Commendation for Excellence in Teaching by Trinity College Dublin. As a prizewinner and scholarship recipient Gráinne contines to be active as an accompanist, adjudicator and piano teacher.