Celtic Roots Community Music Academy

General information

Celtic Roots Community Music Academy is a Wirral based social enterprise specialising in all areas of tuition and the provision of music. We are part of Wirral Piano tutors and Wirral Music Tutors. Being classicaly trained we are able to offer all genres of music including, classical, folk, jazz, Pop and Rock as well as traditional Celtic Music tuition. We Provide, Piano and Keyboard lessons, Woodwind lessons including flute tuition, clarinet tuition, saxophone tuition.
Our Wirral based Music tutors can also offer String lessons including, violin lessons, viola lessons and cello lessons and we also teach Drum percussion, and classical Harp.
Our teachers are all fabulous musicians and performers, who are specialists in their subjects and so we also provide public performances for concerts and events including weddings, funerals and corporate functions. This can range from a Classical concert pianist, or a flute and harp ensemble to a jazz sax trio and a full Ceilidh band with caller!!

If it is Celtic arts and traditions that interests you we are the leading Celtic Music organisation in Wirral. Our outstanding team of tutors and musicians teach an array of traditional folk instruments including tin whistle, Irish Drum, Irish flute, fiddle, accordion, guitar, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, harp and bagpipes.
We aim to raise awareness of Celtic music and heritage through participatory music making, using Celtic performing arts to support education, learning and wellbeing for people of all ages. Our long term goal is to establish a North West Centre of Excellence in Music and Celtic Performing Arts. The venue for this is in the picturesque village of Thornton Hough at the Thornton hough Village Club. It can be found between the Post Office and the Seven Stars. Here we run a series of courses for all ages and members of the community including Celtic Art classes, Celtic script reading sessions, Sea Shanty Sessions, folk choirs, Pre school music classes Mini musicians and Celtic Tots (mums and tots music based group) and all instrumental music lessons including Adults and families Ceilidh workshops.

Our programme focuses on children in schools, workshops outside of school for children and families, adult learning and health and wellbeing in communities.

Education and Learning

For schools, Celtic Roots provides specialist music and arts programmes supporting music and cultural education across the National Curriculum. Current partnership programmes include Musical Routes Hub, Wirral Music Service, Quality Learning Partners West Cheshire and Chester Council, Leasowe Early Years and Adult Learning Centre, National Museums Liverpool, The Wirral Pipe Band, NHS Live Well, The Floral Pavilion, The Light Cinema and the Williamson Art Gallery.

Celtic Roots provides socially inclusive programmes to all communities through music, dance, art and drama; in schools, the offering is cross-curricular alongside history, geography, PE, mathematics, English, design technology, art and music. Celtic roots have had the Musical routes hub Quality Assurance stamp for their summer music holiday camp quoting that “All the pupils were fully engaged” with “good creativity from both teacher and pupils” and “an excellent example of how an integrated performing arts summer school can be run”.

Community Health and Wellbeing

Our aim is to bring the community together to experience, explore and share the possibilities of learning to play a musical instrument. We learn in a Ceilidh setting and we use the word Ceilidh in the truest meaning of the word which is "gathering of friends". We learn about our cultural heritage and the importance of folk music of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We encourage the group to share stories of their own heritage by learning about the historical facts behind the songs that we play. How music has been used throughout the centuries. This provokes memories from older members which fosters and encourages conversation between generational divides. The lessons are taught in the Oral/Aural tradition and are socially inclusive. Our balance of learning in a relaxed and easy going manner with a sense of fun mixed with artistic excellence, means very quickly they make good progress whilst forming associations and lasting friendships

Working in Partnership with Wirral’s Lifelong Learning and the Williamson Art Gallery we have been running a series of Adult Ceilidh Workshops that have been funded by the NHS

Liverpool University Psychology Department is evaluating the outcomes and benefits of what we are doing.
Local GPs have referred patients to us who have been suffering from depression, isolation and loneliness. Recovery Wirral and other such organisations such as Wirral Well, local nursing homes and Age Concern also promoted and advertised our courses.

We have evidenced the positive outcomes and direct impact this has had upon our pupils overall health and wellbeing, things such as helping to tackle isolation for the elderly and loneliness for other members of the community who may have disabilities or are recovering from an illness
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Training Opportunities For Pupils and Participants

Key members are identified very early on and are supported and nurtured with training. They are given the opportunity to become volunteers within the organisation, helping other groups whilst gaining experience and new skill sets. Some such volunteers are now teaching and mentoring other groups with a potential for future employment within our organisation. Our Courses help to raise participant’s confidence and overall mental health and wellbeing

Wider Community Outreach

Concerts and Ceilidhs are organised for pupils to display their new or rekindled talents and sets them goals and manageable achievements. Members of the public are invited to spectate and participate bringing together a greater united community.

We also run Children's Ceilidh Music Workshops and Family Workshops which cater from ages four and up.

One of our craft projects in schools includes flute making. This is a 12 week course that includes the construction of a perfect miniature flute made from plumbers piping, with a basic introduction on how to play it.

All tutors have fully enhanced CRB disclosure