Laois kids sing of boomerangs, blue macaws and bikes
Laois schoolchildren are getting lessons in creative songwriting, thanks to Music Generation Laois.
‘Bicycles, Boomerangs and Blue Macaws’ is a new suite of songs composed with 100 schoolchildren from Cloneyhurke, Rath and Paddock National Schools.
On Thursday June 1 at 1pm, their songs will be premiered in The Malthouse, Stradbally, performed by the young composers themselves, and directed by Sarah Murphy, Lorna McLaughlin and Music Generation Laois Lead Musician, Nuala Kelly.
The performance will be supported by the Music Generation Laois House Band. More detail below photos.
The suite of six original songs is inspired by ‘The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.’
Composers Sarah Murphy and Lorna McLaughlin were commissioned by Music Generation Laois, with funding from Creative Ireland Laois and The Arts Council’s Young People, Children and Education Award Commissions Series, to facilitate a collaborative song-writing project with one hundred primary school children aged 7-12, in five classes across three schools: Cloneyhurke NS; Paddock NS, and Rath NS.
Song-writing took place between November 2022 and March 2023, with children exploring various articles from the convention alongside their rights and responsibilities as global citizens, with the children brainstorming themes they wanted to explore.
The new suite of songs emerged organically from this process, with every child contributing ideas, words, sentences, musical lines, and working with Sarah and Lorna to shape the ideas, and make decisions together.
Rosa Flannery is Music Generation Laois Music Development Officer.
"We were very keen to prioritise singing in schools, post-covid, that’s how this project came about. We are blown away by what these young composers, alongside Sarah and Lorna, have created! The newly composed songs are fantastic and give a great insight into children’s views of the world. For us, this project has really highlighted the importance of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child," she said.
Tickets to the premiere are available on musicgenerationlaois.ie, €10/€5.
Music Generation Laois is holding Summer Camps from June 26 to July 7 in Laois Music Centre, Church Avenue, Portlaoise, or sign your school or child up to a music programme for September 2023. Email [email protected] or call 057 8681782
Music Generation Laois is part of Music Generation, Ireland’s National Music Education Programme, funded by U2, The Ireland Funds and the Department of Education. Music Generation Laois is part of Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board and supported by Laois County Council.