Lark School of Music -

Nicola Kavanagh is a qualified music teacher and her passion is to promote positive mental health through the medium of music and mindfulness.  She is the Founder of Lark School of Music where she teaches group and private music lessons both from her own music studio and within primary schools in Laois/Kilkenny.  She also provides creative and well-being workshops and mindfulness classes in primary schools.  She has written her own music and mindfulness programme for children.  She currently teaches flute, piano and pre-instrumental music lessons at Lark School of Music and in schools mainly in Laois and Kilkenny.


Nicola began studying flute at the age of 8.  She completed all her practical and theory exams with the Royal Irish Academy of Music and went on to study her degree at NUI Maynooth where she graduated with honours. 
During these years she also attended private tuition and master classes at D.I.T. Conservatory of Music and at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.  She has further qualifications in kindermusic (Kodaly Method) and conducting children’s choirs (Peace Proms).

 

 

 

Following this, Nicola embarked on a performance journey – performing at weddings and corporate events around Ireland.  She continues to do so.

Nicola also studied Anthropology as part of her degree.  This interest in human behaviour led to further studies with the Mindfulness in Schools Project in the UK and she began teaching the Paws B Mindfulness Curriculum in schools alongside her music teaching.  She is also a practitioner in the Creative Mindfulness Kids Method.  This introduces mindfulness to children in fun and creative ways.  Children learn how to calm and relax their minds, to focus and pay attention, to understand and express their thoughts and feelings and cultivate kindness for themselves and others through creativity, art, craft, stories, meditation, visualisation and discussion.  This Mindful Heart Curriculum contains ten complete lesson plans which can be adapted to teaching children ages 4 -12 years and is linked with the Irish Primary Schools SPHE Curriculum.

“The Earth has Music for those who Listen.”

- William Shakespeare

Over time, Nicola began to blend both of these teaching programmes and she wrote her own music and mindfulness programme for primary school children.

She has been passionate all her life about the positive effects of both music and mindfulness on mental health.  Having worked in schools for the past 25 years she has brought all her own learning experiences together, which has culminated in this creative music and mindfulness course.  Her approach is play based – lessons are fun, playful and an ideal platform for preparing each child to play an instrument.  

 

Every musician’s journey has to begin somewhere.  In Nicola’s case it began with her primary school teacher who noticed her singing ability quite by chance one day.  That led to Nicola singing as a young child in the National Concert Hall as part of The National Children’s Choir.  This experience had a profound effect on Nicola.  Most of us can relate to the emotional power of music – in this case it marked the beginning of a beautiful journey for Nicola, in the world of music and its therapeutic benefits.

Contact Nicola

To enquire about music lessons, music & Mindfulness in Schools or music for your wedding day, please get in touch, and I will get get back to you as soon as possible.