FAQ's FOR ARTS WEEK

What does full-time student mean?
A full-time student is entitled to take a morning and afternoon class, for the full 5 days.

What does half-time student mean?
A half-time student can take a class in the morning or afternoon and the class is taken for the full 5 days.

What is included in the student fee?
Classes, evening concerts and dances on the festival grounds or town halls.

If I register as a half-time student, what else is there to do in the area?
There are many activities available. Examples: horseback riding, golf, hiking, shopping, water park,  go-carts, airplane rides, airplane rides or rest and relaxation.

May I take classes in more than one instrument or dance class?
Yes, each morning class continues the following morning and the same for the afternoon classes. This will allow you to take two different classes for the week.

I am coming with a family member or a friend. Can they come to the classes and listen?
To participate in the classes you have to be registered. We want to keep class sizes small and have the teacher’s attention go to the student.

Where can I find housing for the week?
You will see a list at this website of all the places in the area that offer accommodations of different levels and prices or you can also check www.greenetourism.com for more comprehensive information on Greene County lodging.   Please note that it is the responsibility of registrants and visitors to make their own reservations during their stay at the Catskills Irish Arts Week.  It is no longer possible to coordinate class sites with specific accommodations and a number of factors have to be considered by the Artistic Director in consultation with the Community at large.  We will endeavor to get the best sites we can for the classes but students will have to make the necessary travel arrangements to and from class and we do advise having your own transport or sharing a car with another student or family member.

How does the Children’s Program work?
The children's program will run Monday through Friday and offers students ages 5-12, a complete Irish experience in music, song, dance, stories, drama, Celtic arts, Irish language, and Gaelic games.  It is meant to allow parents and guardians a chance to take classes at the CIAW and it requires everyone’s cooperation to make it as meaningful and efficient as possible. In 2006, we moved the program into the Cairo-Durham Middle School and we plan on doing it there again.

The full-time program  (Monday through Friday) will allow children to be dropped off at 9:30 a.m. at the Cairo/Durham Middle School and picked up  promptly by 11:45 a.m. for lunch and then returned at 1:15 p.m. and picked up no later that 3:30 p.m. The Children’s  program will start starts a few minutes before the Adult classes to allow the parent to make class on time, and they end a few minutes later, but we depend on the parents to be prompt in coming for their children because everyone has a busy schedule during the CIAW and ready to move onto other activities. 

Each morning, we will begin with a 30 minute step dancing lesson led by champion step dancer, Jonathan Srour.  Students will then divide into different age groups.  Kathy Ludlow will teach music and song (fiddle, tin whistle).  Bairbre McCarthy and Julee Glaub will teach Irish stories, drama, and songs in Irish and English and Irish language games.  (We will rotate teachers so that we all have a session with all of the students.)  In the afternoons, Karen Ashbrook will replace Bairbre McCarthy and she will teach Celtic arts, accordion, and tin whistle.  Kathy Ludlow and Julee Glaub will add a session of Gaelic games to their song and music schedule in the afternoons.

How do I know what level class to take?  

Music Classes, Basic:  You have been playing traditional Irish music for two years or less, have little experience playing in sessions, are largely self taught, and know a handful of tunes.

Intermediate:  You have been playing traditional Irish music for two to five years, attend sessions fairly regularly, and have taken lessons in the past.  You have previously attended Arts Week, or similar workshops, as a beginning student and have a repertoire of about fifty tunes.  

Advanced:    You have been playing traditional Irish music for more than five years, may have played semi-professionally and are comfortable playing a hundred tunes.  You might be a session leader in your own locality or have students of your own.

Dance Classes, Basic:   You have been dancing for less than a year and have little or no experience of Set Dancing or Ceili Dancing.  

Intermediate:  You have been dancing for one to three years and have some experience with Set Dancing.

Advanced:  You have been dancing for more than three years and have a good working knowledge of Set Dancing.

©2008 Michael J. Quill Irish Cultural & Sports Centre, Inc.