NEW SCHOOL - Key Persons
Although he studied law and history at college, music was Eoin's first love and remains central to his life. He was literally born into music, and his first home was the New School, where his parents lived for its first two years in an apartment that was later converted into school classrooms, and he has studied with several teachers working with the school. Eoin achieved Grade 8 with distinction from the Associated Board (ABRSM) on piano, his main instrument, and he writes and records his own music. He also coordinates our Outreach Programme.
Coming from a family steeped in Irish music, with a PhD in Irish History and author of The Waltons Guide to Irish Music and the Leaving Cert. Music coursebook Soundscapes: Irish Music & Aural Awareness, Harry has devoted a lifetime to the study and teaching of Irish history and traditional music, in all its forms. He has played tin whistle, low whistle and bodhrán for over three decades and has performed with the Irish National Folk Company at St. Enda's National Historic Park and both solo and in sessions at music and dance festivals throughout Ireland and internationally. He currently performs with the trad/folk band Coscán and has released three albums with the group, most recently Firedance (2019). Harry has composed and recorded music for RTÉ radio and television documentaries, including Head Waters (1991), on the area where Turlough O'Carolan was born, and A Change of Heart (1997). His solo whistle playing can be heard on the album Rinka (2002), as well as the Waltons double CDs, Ireland's Best Tin Whistle Tunes, Volumes 1 and 2 and Ireland's Best Tin Whistle Tunes for Children. As a teacher, he has guided hundreds of students at both private and national schools in Dublin, Meath and Wicklow. Harry has taught tin whistle, low whistle, bodhrán and Irish Music Tasters, as well as directing the Rig-a-Jig traditional music group, with the New School since 2000.
Harry talks about his background and love of Irish music.
Harry talks about his main instrument, the low whistle, and plays two Irish tunes.
John founded Waltons New School of Music together with his wife Aideen Walton in September 1994. He comes from a musical family; his mother was a concert pianist and his grandfather and great-grandfather were both composers. John received his BA from Harvard University and an MPhil from Trinity College Dublin. Although ‘classically' trained (his main instrument is viola), he has always felt that different music genres have much to offer each other. For this reason, the New School's approach embraces musical diversity, the school offers tuition in the widest range of instruments and genres (classical music, jazz, Irish traditional and folk music, popular music and world music) of any music school in Ireland, and students are encouraged to engage with and explore music genres outside their main focus. John also founded and directs the New School's Outreach Programme (since 2001), Music at Work Programme (since 2003) and Waltons World Masters Series (since 2003). And he is co-founder and co-director (with Aideen Walton) of the Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition (since 2012).
Siobhán has a diverse musical background, having studied jazz, classical singing, opera performance and interdisciplinary vocal techniques. She was awarded the Paul Brady Bursary to study Irish traditional styles of singing, including unaccompanied singing such as séan-nós. She holds a First Class Honours BA in Music and Anthropology from Maynooth University and studied opera performance for an Erasmus year at the renowned University of Oslo in Norway. More recently, she received a First Class Honours MA in Ethnomusicology from the Irish World Academy of Music & Dance at the University of Limerick, where she continued her studies of Irish traditional singing, researched unaccompanied traditional singing circles in Dublin and unravelled some of the history behind traditional songs, as well as exploring Middle Eastern singing techniques. With a passion for facilitation and organising events, Siobhán has also studied administration and office management in order to engage with the larger music community. She is passionate about sharing her music knowledge with young people and advocates for equal access to music making, singing, performance and music education. In addition to her work as an Administrator, Siobhán is also our Tuition Assistance Coordinator (see our Tuition Assistance Policy page for more information) and teaches voice with the New School.
Zac began writing and performing music in his early teens. He went on to BIMM Dublin, where he specialised in songwriting and graduated with an honours BA. He engages with a range of instruments (including guitar, bass, piano and vocals) and musical traditions (including rock, funk, jazz, pop, punk, afrobeat and folk) in his work. He doesn't discriminate when it comes to musical genres and is just as happy engaging with avant-garde music as with chart pop. Zac's previous work included coordinating events for Oxfam Ireland and managing at Tower Records, where he also created and produced the popular ‘Tower Recommended' series. He has written, performed and recorded music - as well as touring both in Ireland and internationally - with a number of groups over the years, including Munky, Lil Cis, Skinner, HugZ, Local Boy and more. He also DJs on weekends.
Zach received his BA in Music and Economics from University College Dublin and went on to pursue a Masters degree in Ethnomusicology, also from UCD. He began learning drums at the age of fourteen and is still performing to this day. With an initial interest in rock and pop music, Zach's taste and playing style are now mainly geared towards metal and punk. This is also reflected in his ethnomusicological research, which has detailed the ins and outs of the Irish metal scene with a special emphasis on musical identity within Dublin metal. During his time at UCD, Zach began performing with both the UCD Gamelan Orchestra and the National Concert Hall Gamelan Orchestra. He remains with the NCH Gamelan Orchestra and has performed extensively with them around Ireland at music festivals as well as travelling to Java, Indonesia (the home of gamelan music) to perform in a major international festival there. In addition to performing around Ireland in both metal bands and gamelan orchestras, Zach has also taught music theory at University College Dublin. And in addition to his work as an Administrator, he also teaches drum kit with the New School and is our Child Protection Officer, COVID-19 Safety Officer and Fire Safety Officer. He is the primary contact regarding our Child Protection Policy, COVID-19 Safety Policy and Fire Safety Policy, as well as any issues related to them.