Curriculum

The Kingston School of Scottish Music and Dance has been Offering professional instruction to students of the Scottish Arts for over 10 years. Our mandate is to provide professional instruction to students in a relaxed setting. Small group classes allow maximum exposure to teachers, while keeping the program affordable The result is a program which allows students to enjoy a week of camaraderie, while achieving amazing results.

Classes are held on the campus of Queen's University in historic Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The campus is ideally situated for students and/or their families who wish to take advantage of the city's many attractions.

Piping and Drumming

Classes at the school are designed to meet the needs of both the solo player and pipe band enthusiast. As classes are divided on the basis of ability, students at all levels should be in a position to greatly expand their knowledge of piping and drumming. A diverse range of topics will be offered, including instrument care and maintenance, musical theory, tone and tuning, and pipe band practice techniques.

Each student will receive over 6 hours of formal instruction per day. Participants will be placed in classes appropriate to their skill level.

Music classes during the day will focus on exercises, rudiment development, light music and piobaireachd. Each day will include a pipe band session to allow students to play together and provie an opportunity to improve pipe band skills.

Classes are run daily from 9:00 to 4:30 in group sessions.

New This Year!

Optional Evening Courses

We will be offering some evening sessions covering a variety of special interest topics. There will be a nominal fee for these sessisons. These classes will be open to friends, family and registered students.

Beginner Piping Classes

We will be offering a two day course for players still on practice chanter or just making the transition to pipes. Classes will focus on building the basics and preparing students for the transition to pipes.

Single Day Classes

Recognizing that vacation time is a premium, students may register for single day attendance, space permitting.

A Revamped Dancing Program

This year we take a new approach to our Dancing program, offering sessions which meet the needs of highly competitive dancers and those just wishing to improve their skills.

Dancing

This year we will be offering two options for the dancing program. We hope that each student will find a program which suits their individual needs.

Session A (June 29 - July 1) - 2.5 days

An intensive class for competitive dancers, with emphasis on the four Highland dances. Nationals, Jig and Hornpipe will also be briefly covered. This is great preparation for those attending the Canadian Championships or Highland Games in the summer.

Session B (June 30 - July 4) - Full Course