Adam and Jon provide lively and engaging instructional workshops for music festivals and camps, and also offer full-day and half-day school workshops.
Offering instrumental classes from beginner to advanced levels on Irish fiddle, tenor banjo, and guitar, Adam and Jon bring their love of teaching and joy of discovery to any workshop environment. In addition to teaching Irish tunes and accompaniment technique, their educational offerings include tips for guitar in DADGAD tuning, fingerstyle guitar, ornaments, bowing and approach for Irish fiddle, deepening rhythmic groove, and insights into ensemble playing.
Adam and Jon have been teaching Irish music workshops in European International schools for nearly a decade. Their immersive approach includes musical performance, stories about their instruments and how they work, an orientation to the different rhythmic qualities of Irish tunes, conversation and questions with the students, and an introduction to Irish social dancing.
They are currently booking their Spring 2019 European School Workshop Tour. If you would like to have them visit your school, please contact them directly at hello@adamageejonsousa.com.
Click for a PDF Guide to School Workshop Packages and Pricing“Irish Music with Jon and Adam is an experience not to be missed. These young men spent the day at our school and had our entire school community dancing reels, slipjigs and jigs to the tunes they masterfully created. They had all our students (aged 3-12) enthused and interested in their strange and exotic instruments and creative stories. After school, they set up in our courtyard and entertained the students as they left for the day and had the parents, the staff, and even the neighbors enthralled with the beautiful sounds they create.
Throughout the many workshops given that day, Jon and Adam demonstrated natural teaching ability as well as incredible energy, talent and an obvious commitment to the power and beauty of the Arts. Highly recommended!”
—Danielle Beaulieu, Primary School Principal, International School of Paris
“The Helen Sharman School was visited by the musicians Jonathan Sousa and Adam Agee on Friday, October 22nd. Jonathan and Adam were invited to provide two Irish music workshops, firstly to children aged 4-7 and afterwards to a group of 8-11 year olds.
The workshops covered the different rhythms within traditional Irish music and demonstrated the playing of the violin and guitar. At the end of the afternoon, parents were invited to join the children for a performance by the musicians.
Adam and Jonathan have a calm, gentle manner with the children and encourage them to volunteer their ideas. The part of the workshops which covered rhythm and beats was done so in an unforgettable way, very much at the children’s level. They used humour in their demonstrations of the use of their instruments as well as playing beautifully for the children. Both age ranges responded very well and retained much of the information.
The performance which the whole school was treated to at the end of the day was just that: a real treat. The children sat in silence, completely mesmerised, and there were many foot-tapping parents. It brought the school half term to a very warm climax and sent everyone home smilingly ready for their holiday.
I would recommend Jonathan and Adam for both workshops for small groups of children as well as for performances. For further information, do not hesitate to contact us.”
—Sue Beattie, Head Teacher at the Helen Sharman School. Assen, Netherlands.