2024-2025 Calendar

Terms

First Term (12 Weeks)
16 September – 14 December

Second Term (13 Weeks)
6 January – 12 April

Third Term (9 Weeks)
28 April – 28 June

Summer Term
• Part One (5 Weeks): 30 June – 2 August
• Part Two (4 Weeks): 5 – 30 August

Breaks • Holidays

Mid-Term Break (First Term)
28 October – 2 November

Christmas Break
16 December – 4 January

St. Brigid’s Day
Monday, 3 February

Mid-Term Break (Second Term)
17 – 22 February

St. Patrick’s Day
Monday, 17 March

Easter Break
14 – 26 April

Bank Holiday Mondays
5 May, 2 June, 4 August

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Download a printable 2024-2025 Calendar (pdf format).

First – Third Terms

Tuition Hours

Monday – Thursday: 10 am – 10 pm
Friday: 10 am – 8 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm

Office Hours

Monday – Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm
Friday – Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm

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Summer Term

Tuition Hours

Monday: 10 am – 6 pm
Tuesday – Thursday: 10 am – 10 pm
Friday: 10 am – 6 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm

Office Hours

Monday: 10 am – 6 pm
Tuesday – Thursday: 10 am – 8 pm
Friday: 10 am – 6 pm

Friday Casual Concerts

Our Friday Casual Concerts, which take place around once a month on Friday evenings at 6.30 – 7.30 pm in the school, allow individual students and ensembles to perform in public, show off their skills and learn how to cope with nerves. They are also highly recommended for students preparing for exams.

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2024-2025 Concert Dates

25 October 2024 • ages 19 & over
22 November 2024 • ages 18 & under
13 December 2024 • End-of-Term concert, all ages
14 February 2025 • ages 19 & over
14 March 2025 • ages 18 & under
11 April 2025 • End-of-Term concert, all ages
30 May 2025 • ages 18 & under
27 June 2025 • ages 19 & over

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See School Concerts for more information on the New School’s Friday Casual Concerts.

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Virtual Concerts

In addition to our Friday Casual Concerts, we also have Virtual End-of-Term Concerts after each of our terms for students who would prefer to perform this way. For these concerts, students submit videos of their performances, which are then added to concert playlists on our YouTube Channel. Video submission deadlines are two weeks before the end of each term.

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2024-2025 Video
Submission Deadlines

Term 1 Deadline • 30 November 2024
Term 2 Deadline • 29 March 2025
Term 3 Deadline • 14 June 2025

End-of-Year Concerts

Our annual End-of-Year Concerts take place in the National Concert Hall’s John Field Room. Celebrations of the New School’s musical diversity, these concerts showcase a wide range of our instrumentalists, singers and ensembles, as well as winners of our annual Scholarship Competition.

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2025 End-of-Year Concert Date

To be confirmed.

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See School Concerts for more information on the New School’s student concerts.

Trad Slow Sessions

Our Trad Slow Sessions are real Irish music sessions, but they are supervised and directed by our trad teachers and the session tunes are played at a slower than normal pace (often less than half the speed), so that near-beginner and intermediate players can more easily learn the tunes and join in the sessions. Trad Slow Sessions, which take place around once a month on Friday evenings at 6 – 7.30 pm in the school, are a great way for students of Irish traditional instruments to build their skills and develop confidence.

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2024-2025 Trad Slow Session Dates

18 October 2024
15 November 2024
6 December 2024
7 February 2025
7 March 2025
4 April 2025
23 May 2025
20 June 2025

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See Trad Slow Sessions for more information on the sessions.

Scholarship Competition

Our annual Scholarship Competition awards full-year tuition scholarships in three categories – Young Student of the Year, Mature Student of the Year and Most Promising Beginner – as well as Ensemble and Songwriting • Composition Prizes.

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2025 Competition Date

Sunday, 25 May 2025

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See Scholarship • Prizes for more information on the Competition, as well as entry requirements.

Exam Dates • Entry Deadlines

ABRSM

Spring 2024 Exams

Face-to-Face Exams
Online booking: 18 – 30 January 2024
Exam dates: February – March 2024

Digital Exams
Available on demand.

Summer 2024 Exams

Face-to-Face Exams
Online booking: 16 – 29 April 2024
Exam dates: June – July 2024

Digital Exams
Available on demand.

Winter 2024 Exams

Face-to-Face Exams
Online booking: 16 – 30 September 2024
Exam dates: November – December 2024

Digital Exams
Available on demand.

See the ABRSM website for more information.

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RIAM

Winter 2023 Exams

Entry Deadlines
4 October 2023 (live exams & theory)
1 November 2023 (digital recorded exams)

Upload Windows for Digital Recorded Exams
6 November (9am) – 10 November (12 noon)
20 November (9am) – 24 November (12 noon)

Live Exams
1 November – 2 December 2023

Spring 2024 Exams

Entry Deadlines
24 January 2024 (live exams)
14 February 2024 (digital recorded exams)

Upload Windows for Digital Recorded Exams
21 February (9am) – 27 February (12 noon)
6 March (9am) – 12 March (12 noon)

Live Exams
21 February – 13 March 2024

Summer 2024 Exams

Entry Deadlines
27 March 2024 (live exams & theory)
24 April 2024 (digital recorded exams)

Upload Windows for Digital Recorded Exams
1 May (9am) – 8 May (12 noon)
29 May (9am) – 5 June (12 noon)

Live Exams
29 April – 1 June 2024

Online & Written Theory Exam
Preparatory Grade to Grade V: 13 – 16 May 2024
Grades VI, VII, VIII & Senior Certificate: Saturday 11 May, 12 – 6 pm

See the RIAM website for more information.

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See FAQs About Music Grade Exams or Grade Exam Syllabi by Instrument for more information on music grade exams.

2024 Feis Ceoil Dates

11 – 22 March 2024

Entry Deadline
Friday, 15 December 2023 at 5.30 pm

See the ESB Feis Ceoil website for more information.