Noel Hill?

[asdormire]

all right, I know this may be a foolish question, but I went to the Noel Hill site just for information, and got to wondering about cost. While I know I can't do it this year, (Cinci starts sunday) but it would be nice to have some idea to start planning for next year.

 

Alan

[Bruce McCaskey]

I think the cost varies with the location (east coast, west coast, mid-west or Ireland) so I'm reluctant to quote from personal experience.

 

For a class series in the US you typically pay a package price for tuition and five days of lodging/meals - and the latter two depend on the facility where the course of instruction is held. In some locations you have the additional options of sharing a room or staying offsite (making your own arrangements) and the cost of attending the class can be adjusted to reflect those choices.

 

I think the best value is to purchase the whole package though; short of car/tent camping and cooking your own food I don't think you can beat the package price for on-site lodging and food. Besides, staying onsite affords you maximum access to the Noel and the other students/activities and eliminates commuting time too.

 

The best way to get a notion as to prices for classes next year is to email the contact point provided on the website (register@noelhill.com), identify the location you're interested in and ask what it'll cost. The inquiry is free, the person on the other end is nice, knows the specifics each location and doesn't mind answering such questions.

 

By the way, I had a discussion with that individual just last week when I cancelled out the Oregon class on short notice. I'm told that Noel plans to offer another Ireland class this winter and it sounds like it will tie in time-wise with The Gathering in Killarney again - I consider that to be a great combination.

[Guest Peter Laban]

He runs two-weekly classes during the winter in different locations around Ireland @ 100 euro per term of 6 classes of 90 minutes each (last year's price level).

[Bruce McCaskey]

That's a good point, Noel has an ongoing schedule of classes in Ireland and my comment didn't acknowledge that at all.

 

I should have clarified that I was speaking of the annual five-day class series he holds in Ballyvaughan, Ireland with format similar to his US classes; typically two instructional sessions a day. A group of rental cottages is arranged for such that the concertina group becomes something of a colony-in-residence for the duration. The "package" offered includes tuition and lodging as well as some form of transportation assistance to and from the airport if it's needed.

 

The timing of the Ballyvaughan classes (late February to early March) usually allows one to to attend a traditional music festival as part of the same trip. If you're interested in more details, I've written extensively of my experiences at two prior such festivals and Ballyvaughan classes held in 2004 and 2005.

Edited August 13, 2006 by Bruce McCaskey