Atlanta Irish Music School

Welcome  to Celtic Camp!

We'd like to invite you and your child to consider joining us this summer for a week of Celtic music, dance and fun.  Atlanta Celtic Camp is a day camp for students ages 4-14 years old and  focuses on the study of  Irish music, dance, sport, and cultural experiences held in Alpharetta, Georgia.   Camp is sponsored by The Atlanta Irish Music School, the premiere Irish music school in Metro Atlanta, and joining us the year, Atlanta's own outstanding King O'Sullivan School of Irish Dance under the direction of Jessie O'Sullivan.  You don't have be Irish or Scottish to join us for a week of music, dance  and learning fun!

Celtic Camp promotes and fosters a caring environment where students work in small group classes to study all aspects of Celtic culture.  Students 7-14 yrs will have the opportunity to choose a focus class for the week: Fiddle, Guitar (new!) Flute, Storytelling/Drumming or Irish Dance.  All students will take Whistle, Gaelic football, Arts & Crafts and Celtic Connections. A special class entitled, Wee Ones, is offered for children 4-6 years old and will focus on Celtic Arts and Crafts, Storytelling, Dance, Song, Celtic Drumming and other fun age appropriate activities.

I've listed some commonly asked questions on the website, but if you don't find an answer,  don't hesitate to contact me personally.  I love teaching Irish music and Celtic Camp is a unique opportunity for children to participate in fun activities and a life long pursuit of music and dance.

Sincere Regards,

Katherine Irwin Thomas
Camp Director
Irish Fiddler & Fulton Co. Schools Orchestra Teacher

Questions?  EMAIL




What are the age groups?

Wee Ones 4-6 years old
Youth 7-11 years old
Teens 12-14 years old



What makes each age group unique?

Wee Ones:  Wee Ones students stay with Miss Susan all day and participate in activities specifically designed for young Celts.  They study Irish dance, learn to make and play a bodhran (Irish drum), bake Scottish oatmeal cookies, learn about Celtic myths and fairy tales during story-time as well as play games, sing songs and participate in arts and crafts.  They do not participate in Irish football but are taken out twice during the day for recess.

Youths: Youth and Teens will share general subjects with the exception that youth students participate daily in arts and crafts and recess.

Teens:  Teen are similar to youth courses, but are provided with two higher level courses: Celtic Course Studies and Slow Session instead of arts and crafts and recess. 




What is the daily schedule?

8:00am-9:00am Whistle Class
All students attend whistle class.  New whistles will be provided for first time whistle students.

9:00am- 9:50am Gaelic Football
All students attend Gaelic football practice.  Gaelic football is very common to soccer and is played by both boys and girls in Ireland. 

9:50am-10:00am Snack
Snacks are provided by the camp.  Students with allergies or special diets are asked to provide their own snacks.

10:00am- 11:00am Elective: Fiddle, Guitar, Flute, Storytelling, or Irish Dance
All students will pick one elective subject to study for the week.  These are small group classes which  focus one interest.  Specific Elective information can be read under the section, Electives.

11:00am- 12:00pm
Youths: Participate in Arts and Crafts
Teens: Participate in Celtic Course Studies

12:00-12:30 Lunch

12:30-1pm  Slow Session or  Recess

1:00-1:45 Elective Review
Students meet again in small group elective classes to review learned material.

Snack 2

1:45- 2:30 Concert/ Intro  Ceili Dance
Staff with provide all students with a music or dance concert and lecture as well as an introduction to Ceili Dancing.

2:30 Pick Up
Students are available for pick up from St. Aidan's.



Can you tell me more about Electives for Youth and Teen students?

Fiddle: Students should have at least one year of violin lessons or school orchestra instruction.  Students need only to bring their violin in working condition on the first day of camp where they will be auditioned and placed in a small group appropriate for their level.

Guitar:  A new course for students interested in learning to play guitar.  No previous knowledge is need for the course, but students must bring their own acoustic guitar.  Students will learn chords for songs and instrumental accompaniment.

Flute: This course is open to intermediate players   If your child has studied silver flute one year or more, then they are ready to participate in Irish flute.  Likewise, there will be an advanced class for older students and students with traditional Irish flute experience.

Celtic Storytelling:  Students will participate in learning the art of the Celtic Shanachie -- a traditional storyteller.  This class is open to all students and will incorporate drama as well as Celtic drumming and Gaelic singing. 

Irish Dance: This course is open only to absolute beginners and students with limited (1 year or less) of Irish dance experience.



Can you tell me more about the general classes?

Arts and Crafts:  Students will participate in making crafts that reflect their learning of Celtic cultures. Youths only.

Celtic Course Studies: This course is for older students and focuses on making academic connections between literature, history and sociology of Celtic communities.

Slow Session: A traditional Irish music session where students sit in a circle and play tunes together on their instruments.

Gaelic Football: Much like soccer, but probably older!  Gaelic football is a very popular sport for students as well as played on television between professional teams and rival counties.

Whistle:  All students will participate in whistle class.  In Irish music, whistle is considered the gateway to all other musical and dance forms.  Before students are allowed to take up fiddle or dance they all learn to play tunes on the whistle.  We'll be doing the same!  These classes will be small groups and based on age and ability.



Where is Celtic Camp held?

St. Aidan's Episcopal Church 13560 Cogburn Road Alpharetta, Georgia 30004.  The Georgia Celtic Camp is not affiliated with any religion or religious group.  




What do I need to bring for Celtic Camp?

Please bring:

1.Sack lunch and drink
2.Bottled water for sports/ dancers
3.Sunscreen
4.Please wear running shoes and comfortable clothing
5.Your instrument for musicians
6.Socks for dancers



Friday Family Recital

On Friday at 1:30pm Celtic Camp students will present a full recital featuring what they learned for the week for parents, grandparents and family.  Earlier in the day, students will celebrate the end of camp with a pizza party.



Meet the Celtic Camp Instructors and Junior Instructors

Katherine Irwin Thomas: Camp Director, Fiddle, Flute, Arts & Crafts, Whistle.  When she's not fiddling, Miss Kat teaches orchestra at Riverwood High School in Sandy Springs and is mommy to a fiery toddler-daughter, Lucy. 

Jessie O'Sullivan: Irish Dance.  Miss Jessie runs the King O'Sullivan School of Irish Dance and teaches a myriad of talented dancers all over metro-Atlanta.

Susan Moran: Wee Ones, Arts and Crafts.  Miss Susan is an Irish dance teacher in Woodstock and teaches Special Education for Gwinnette County Schools.   A pre-school teacher for seven years, Miss Susan was recently married and loves to knit and sing!

Karen Leonard: Storytelling, Celtic Connections, Whistle.  Miss Karen is from Ireland and a very active mom in the Irish community.  Her children dance for with Miss Jessie.

Lauren McDonagh: Advanced Fiddle  Miss Lauren is a talented fiddler with the Ballybeg band and a graduate student at Emory University.

Guitar:  Adrian Clark and Rachel Campbell are upper-classmen at Riverwood High School.  They are both member's of the school orchestra under direction of  Mrs. Thomas (aka Miss Kat).  Besides playing cello and violin-- they love playing Celtic music on their guitars.

Intermediate Fiddle: Andrew Settle and Jake Turner are upper-classman at Riverwood High School.  They are both member's of the school orchestra under direction of Mrs. Thomas (aka Miss Kat).  Besides being very gifted violinists, they love to fiddle!

Kay Irwin: Site manager, Scottish Bagpipes  Miss Kay is Miss Kat's mom and helps with camp during the week as well as lectures and plays the Scottish Bagpipes.

Johnny O'Sullivan: Gaelic Football  Mr. O'Sullivan is from Co. Cork, Ireland and coaches the NaFianna Ladies Irish Football Club.  When not playing sports, he's training to be an English teacher.

Send in your family's registration form before March 31st and receive $10 off one student admission.  Please note there was a misprint in our Winter Newsletter; one coupon per family @ $10 off one child.