County Clare Arts Service: Arts Projects: Trad 4 Teens

Please note: Trad 4 Teens in Ennis has discontinued. Trad 4 Teens Tulla is ongoing.

‘Trad 4 Teens’ is a traditional music session open to all teenagers. It aims to provide teenage musicians with a quality venue to perform in and to meet other like-minded teenagers. Recent licensing laws, prohibiting under 18’s from being in pubs after 10pm, means that many teenagers lack the opportunity to develop their musical interests. Trad 4 Teens gives teenagers an opportunity to play in an informal session which provides for social interaction and good fun.

The original ‘Trad 4 Teens’ idea was created by musician & singer Claire Watts through the Traditional Arts Initiative of the Clare Arts Office. Trad 4 Teens was piloted in July and August 2005 and continued regularly in the foyer of Glór Irish Music Centre, Ennis until May 2008.

March 2006 saw Trad 4 Teens expand to incorporate ‘Trad 4 Teens Tulla’ a new teenage session which started on St. Patrick’s Day organised by Breda McNamara in conjunction with the Arts Office of the Clare County Council and also continues on a monthly basis on the third Sunday of every month in the back of Minogues Bar in Tulla from 7 – 9pm.
Both sessions are alcohol free and continue during school term (no sessions in June, July and August).

A small number of adult musicians (normally 1 or 2) participate in both sessions along with whoever turns up on the day but the sessions are usually led by enthusiastic teenagers eager to play traditional music.

Trad 4 Teens is an invaluable resource for the teenagers of Clare. It allows them to see the bigger picture - of why they learn traditional music, why they practice and why they go to music classes and aspires to put the music in context and it gives them an opportunity to learn new tunes by ear. The Trad 4 Teens musicians come from all over the county which adds another dimension, as it gives young people an opportunity to learn tunes from other areas of the county.

The social element is vitally important as often teenagers are made feel foolish by their peers for learning music or indeed for just having interests outside the norm. Trad 4 Teens is an opportunity to meet other teenagers with similar interests and realise it is not odd.

Feedback from teenagers, parents, teachers, musicians, on-lookers, etc. is always welcome. All teenagers with an interest in traditional music are welcome to bring their instruments to join or just listen to all of the Trad 4 Teens sessions.