Cork Music Education Partnership launches an exciting new music education programme – Music Generation Cork City.
City Hall, September 25
On the anniversary of the day that four young Irish musicians formed a band that would go on to conquer the world, an exciting new music project in Cork is launched that owes no small debt to the hard work and talent of that group.
U2 have been the main benefactors of Music Generation, a new national music education programme which will allow wider access to music tuition throughout the country. Together with The Ireland Funds, they have kindly donated €7m, representing the largest ever single philanthropic donation to music education in the history of the state.
As one of six partnerships to receive funding nationwide, Music Generation Cork City will work in tandem with existing community-based education providers in the city, targeting four RAPID (Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development) areas with a wide range of performance music education opportunities for young children up to the age of 18.
The project has been generously co-funded and supported by local bodies, namely; City of Cork VEC, Cork City Council, the HSE, Cork Institute of Technology, University College Cork and Cork City Partnership.
Margaret O’Sullivan, Coordinator of Cork City VEC: “In addition to tonight’s official launch of Music Generation Cork City, we are also delighted to announce the news of our first major event taking place at the Millennium Hall on November 17.
“We will present the Music Generation Concert Party, filling Cork City Hall to bursting point with all kinds of music for the afternoon of November 17th! This fun, family-centred concert will feature a special collaboration between Ballymun Music Programme and Music Generation Cork City in the performance of the acclaimed Ballymun Lullaby, as well as the first performance of Cork’s own lullabies composed by Fiona Kelleher and arranged for choir by John O’Brien to launch our new choral programme.”
“Music Generation Cork City is a collective effort to realise the ambition that music education will be accessible to all children and young people,” said Lord Mayor, Cllr John Buttimer. “It is an example of collective interest, and collective will and commitment of all its partners to ensure that children have equal access to the music and therefore all the advantages that that opportunity and experience present”.