Biography
Dara has been playing the piano for almost as long as she can remember and decided very early on that she would study music in Trinity College. Her love of learning veered her towards a career as a teacher and so she studied Music Education with History in Trinity and graduated in 2007 with a 2.1. This qualifies her to teach Music and History at second level. Dara has a particular interest in music psychology (her final year dissertation was a guide to teaching sight-reading) and is especially interested in the benefits music instruction and study can have on the development of children and teenagers (socially and educationally among others).
Dara has been teaching music privately since 2005. She teaches or has taught music for varying legnths of time in various different places since then including Wicklow School of Music and Drama, Newpark Music Centre, Foxrock Institute and several different Dublin schools.
In summer 2009 Dara ran her first teacher education course, Music Made Easy in Newtownmountkennedy. The course was part of the programme of Department of Education Summer Courses for Primary Teachers. The feedback was excellent.
Summer 2009 also saw the beginning of Song and Writing - creative workshops for kids and teenagers run by Dara and her friend, Claire Hennessy. The two met several years ago while working for the Centre for Talented Youth. Song and Writing summer workshop 2010 took place in June and was a great success.
Dara currently lives in Dublin with her partner, Shane. Hobbies include trips to the cinema, reading and cardmaking. She strongly dislikes visiting the dentist and people who don't have manners.