Since February 2019, ‘Me and My Music’ has supported 100’s of Junior Cycle students right across the country with the opportunity to explore and develop personal creative skills in, and a greater appreciation of, music and music-making.

In a second phase from January to May 2020, 100’s more students will have the opportunity to develop their music abilities and learn from the experience of professional musicians working in partnership with their music teachers.

‘Me and My Music’ is an Arts in Junior Cycle initiative supported by the Creative Ireland Programme, Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT), the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) and Sing Ireland, which enables students, teachers and musicians work together to create a musical composition – with the teachers and musicians creating an environment which allows students to experiment, take risks, explore new and challenging opportunities and reflect on the creative process. As well as developing the students’ creativity, this initiative offers opportunities for learning about vocal health and voice production.

‘Me and My Music’ provides music students with a valuable insight into the music-making process and the evolving music industry and the foundational understanding of the value of music to the economy and the changing role of music creation in a digital era – equipping our future creators with the fundamental skills required for an evolving music industry.

‘Me and My Music’ is not just about creating a piece of music, but encouraging students to work collaboratively, to be inquisitive and imaginative, to be persistent and disciplined. With unprecedented change in our economy and wider society – as well as the changing nature of knowledge – these are skills are vital to young people’s academic and personal development, and preparation for their adult lives and future careers. Arming young people with these skills is a central objective of the Creative Ireland Programme.

All of this learning will enable and further support junior cycle music students in their engagement with and understanding of their new Junior Cycle music specification.

Two key principles of the Creative Ireland Programme and Creative Youth are collaboration – establishing new partnerships – and innovation – developing new ways to engage in creativity and approaches to education – and ‘Me and My Music’ perfectly encapsulates both.

This partnership of IMRO (a representative organisation of over 13,000 members, invested in ensuring the future growth of music and music-makers) and Sing Ireland (whose mission is to develop and support all forms of group singing in Ireland) with JCT and the support of Creative Ireland will make a tangible difference to not only the musical education of junior cycle students, but also Ireland’s future music-makers and creators.

Caption: Students from Central Remedial Clinic, St. Pauls College, Raheny and Tallaght Community College perform for Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh, TD at an event in Government Buildings, December 2019.