Seasonal Schools (see All-Year Schools below)

The Baltimore Irish Arts Center (BIAC) will be offering Irish music lessons for four Saturdays in May, beginning on May 6. The classes being offered are button accordian (Billy McComiskey), fiddle (Jim Eagan), flute/whistle (Laura Byrne), bodhran (Myron Bretholz), guitar (Andy Thurston), and banjo/mandolin (Peter Fitzgerald). Contact Laura Bryne for information (lqbyrne@yahoo.com) or go to the BIAC website to register.

Common Ground on the Hill. Common Ground on the Hill offers two separate weeks of classes, workshops, concerts and events in July, capped with a two-day Amerrican Music and Arts Festival. It's impossible to describe the range of subjects, so take a look for yourself.

Year-Round Schools (see Seasonal schools above)

Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble. They perform, they teach, they stage original productions. They are likely to show up on any stage in the Washington area when traditional music is playing. Members of Footworks teach throughout the area. Dance forms include clogging, Irish step, jazz, tap and ballet.

The Thistle Dancers. The Thistle Dancers is a group of talented young dancers who perform the traditional dances of Scotland. Many of the members are currently competing successfully at various levels, ranging from Beginners to Premier. They also cover a great spectrum of ages, from 5 years old up to adults. Susan W. Hyams, a member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing, is their founder, director and instructor. Many people know Susan from her dancing with the pan-celtic band Iona. Classes are offered in Burke, VA, Alexandria, VA and Lusby, MD.

Dudney School of Irish Dance. Jordan Dudney teaches Irish dance at Studio One in Springfield, Virginia on Friday nights and at Four Green Fields Irish Pub in Washington, D.C., on Saturday afternoons.

The Blue Ridge Irish Music School (BRIMS) BRIMS is a nonprofit organization based in Charlottesville, Virginia that offers regular classes in Irish traditional dance and music on various instruments, and presents educational workshops, social events, and ceilis. They sponsor master classes and field trips and actively support the local session scene. They will be performing at the 2006 Potomac Celtic Festival this summer

Culkin School of Irish Dance. The Culkin School, founded by Sean Culkin in 1997, currently enrolls more than 400 students. The Culkin School is an active member of the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore Irish communities and participates in local festivals, parades and performances. Classes are offered at seven locations in Maryland and the District. Sean and his students are frequently seen on-stage with many of the nationally touring Irish musicians who come to the area.

The Teelin School of Irish dance offers lessons in four Maryland locations: Columbia, Gaithersburg, Roland Park and Annapolis. In addition to Irish dance, the Columbia and Gaithersburg locations also offer clogging, dance team, lyrical and hip hop lessons. The Teelin School was founded by Maureen Berry from Footworks.