The Riley School of Irish Music was founded in 1996 by Susan Cross Gilligan. The school began with five students and three teachers. Now, the Riley School teaches fourteen traditional Irish instruments (accordion, banjo, bodham, concertina, fiddle, flute, guitar, harmonica, Irish Harp, mandolin, piano accompaniment, singing, tin whistle, Uilleann (Irish) Pipes), has twenty teachers, and over one hundred students. During each quarter, students are given a recording of the tunes they will learn over the coming weeks. The school was honored with an Ohio Heritage Fellowship in 2017 for Community Leadership, as it is one of the only institutions in the Ohio area teaching traditional Irish music. While performing music, students also learn about the history of the tunes, why they were written, and how they are best presented. The school teaches children, teens, and adults, offering both beginner and advanced level classes for most instruments.
The Riley School of Irish Music's Traditions episode.
Contents of the Collection
- Video recording of banjo, flute, and guitar classes
- Video recordings of group musician sessions
- Black and white photos of unknown people standing around a grocery store