TTCT Exam Info
About the TTCT
Great music begins with great teachers. And great teachers don’t come from nowhere — they depend on the great teachers who came before them to learn and grow and expand their own skills. The TTCT Diploma Course is our way of connecting today’s accomplished traditional music teachers with the experience and knowledge that they need to be even better.
The course is also our way of certifying a consistently high standard of music educators. Teachers who pass this rigourous course earn, along with their diplomas, the right to put the “TTCT” initials after their names. Even more importantly, though, teachers come away from the course with a new sense of the theory, history, style and pedagogy associated with the traditional arts.
Taking the Course
We offer the TTCT Diploma Course as a one-week intensive programme of instruction and evaluation that covers all aspects of teaching Irish traditional music.
The course begins on the Sunday evening with a briefing and general introductions. Each morning during the week, then, the TTCT Tutors (renowned experts in their fields) give a series of lectures covering the various instruments, musical styles and aspects of music theory. Afternoons are spent in teaching practice, as the candidate teachers sit down with real classes of musicians of various levels. These classes are observed by the TTCT Tutors over the week, so as to evalute the teaching candidate’s skills in one on one instruction as well as small and large group class teaching. In the evenings the TTCT Tutors give further tutorials. And of course, with so many top-class musicians in the building, there’s usually time for a traditional session around the fire!
On Saturday the teaching candidates sit the final exam, covering music theory, tune and style identification, ornamentation and other topics. The exam results, along with the Tutors’ evaluations, are used to determine if the TTCT Diploma will be awarded.
Taking the TTCT Course/Exam
The TTCT takes place the 1st week in July each year. To qualify for the course, candidates must
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Possess 3 years teaching experience
- Pass an audition.
Registration
You can download the TTCT application form from our website. Please send the completed application form to:
TTCT
Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
32 Belgrave Square
Monkstown
Co. Dublin
Ireland
or email eolas@comhaltas.ie