Mar 23 • Introductions
My story
Can you remember your ‘Sliding Door’ moment….that moment that changes the trajectory of your life ? The moment that you can look back and know…this changed everything…
It was Italia 90… The World Cup and Ireland had qualified.
I had emigrated from Ireland in 1989 and I was working in Portsmouth, on the south coast of England. I had just got my first job, teaching in a school there.
I was desperate to see the football and had to go to The Irish Centre. It was the only place that was showing the Ireland games live.
There, in a ‘quiet’ corner, after the Italy game, ( we lost 1-0) a traditional Irish music session started up. My heart soared.
I bought a bodhrán ( drum) the following day and became a regular !
Within a few weeks I had started to bring my guitar to the sessions. Simple stuff at first but I began to listen to the iconic recordings and practiced like a man possessed ! I developed a pretty good ear !
A few of us started a ballad group…like The Dubliners…but I was always drawn more to the dance music.
By 1992, I decided I had to move back to Ireland. I bought a Lowden s7, ( lived on beans and toast for 10 weeks ) I immersed myself in the traditional Irish music scene.
I was fortunate to play with some of the most amazing musicians.
We did radio and TV, toured in Europe, played in The National Folk Orchestra….
But that was all part time. I was teaching full time and that became my focus.
I met a wonderful, kind woman who became my wife, we built a house and have raised three really great kids.
I have been working in a local High School for 30 years.
I kept going to sessions, festivals and fleadhs and helped my friend Ned with his In Tune for Life Orchestra…a 60 piece traditional Irish music band for young people. My daughter and I played with them for 10 years. We fundraised over €400,000 for local charities. We played in concert halls all over the country and for our President.
In 2020 Ned was awarded a Gradam Ceoil ( traditional Irish music grammy) for his contribution to Irish music.
The Music Clock
I am a self taught musician : but when I was 15 a teacher showed us a few chords. We were a bunch of eager adolescents who learned from each other, from books and we listened to every type of music we could.
I never learned to read music but I had to really think about what I knew about music in order to help the next generation learn.
As a teacher I have spent my career trying to create ‘aha’ moments for my students.
As a result I have developed a simple, easy to use, visualization device to help explain how music works.
I call it The Music Clock ©
Here are a few reviews of the product from a number of my guitar students :
‘After playing guitar for 30 years, suddenly it all makes sense ‘ Joanne
It's really useful. I understand what’s going on in music class now. It makes it really simple’ Jack
I will be launching The Music Clock © later this year.
Tom Kenna.
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My story
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