A county-wide drum programme linking children, young people and adults is set to commence next month.
Organised by the Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board, this new drum programme, Gaillimh Instrument Bank, is the legacy from Galway 2020 when a significant percussion bank of instruments were purchased. They will now be managed by Music Generation in Galway and be used in the delivery of its percussion related programmes.
In some instances the programmes will be delivered in a collaborative manner with organisations attached to Music Generation’s Local Music Education Partnerships within Galway County, Galway City and Roscommon.
Celebrating community had been a central theme of Galway 2020’s planning process and as part of its creative initiatives it had been engaging with community groups in Tuam, Clifden, Spiddal, Ballinasloe, Portumna and Athenry by way of a community drum programme. This saw Galway 2020’s master drummers train volunteers within their local communities in the art of drumming and their work was to culminate in a unique collaborative performance at the official opening ceremony of Galway 2020 in February 2020. However, that opening ceremony had to be cancelled due to severe national weather warnings.
Now, through a new initiative, individuals and groups (both young and old ) from towns and villages across Galway will be able to tap into a percussion programme once again and these opportunities will be made available annually from September 2022. Music Generation’s Musician Educator team in collaboration with their colleagues attached to Community Education will train and manage the volunteer groups within community settings. Music Generation will also be responsible for the delivery of similar percussion-based programmes in schools and at camps and festivals across the county utilising the same percussion instrument bank which was acquired from Galway 2020.
Before implementing the programme within local communities, a consultative process will be undertaken.
GRETB’s Dónal Walsh says Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board will work with local community partners to identify needs and develop community education programmes in County Galway using community drumming as a means of engaging the community in education.
“The initial focus will be on those local communities who worked with Galway 2020 previously.”
The new drum programme, known as PULSE, will be offered to adults and groups attached to communities in Tuam, Clifden, Spiddal, Ballinasloe, Portumna and Athenry first and later broadened to encompass groups in other communities. It will also be delivered to children and young people in educational settings, at festivals and at Music Generation’s Music Hubs and Camps at a variety of locations throughout the county.
Eric Cunningham, music development officer for Music Generation Galway County, says there is something “very primal, cathartic and exhilarating about the beating of a drum”.
“A programme such as this has the power to galvanise communities, empower individuals and facilitate team building in a unique manner across a variety of contexts. We believe that this initiative will reach to the heart of both local communities and diverse educational settings, and we look forward with great anticipation to getting started. The instrument bank made available to us by Galway 2020 gives our team great scope to develop and deliver something really meaningful from this opportunity.”
Those who are interested and who wish to participate and receive tuition should register their interest at [email protected].
A county-wide drum programme linking children, young people and adults is set to commence next month.
Organised by the Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board, this new drum programme, Gaillimh Instrument Bank, is the legacy from Galway 2020 when a significant percussion bank of instruments were purchased. They will now be managed by Music Generation in Galway and be used in the delivery of its percussion related programmes.
In some instances the programmes will be delivered in a collaborative manner with organisations attached to Music Generation’s Local Music Education Partnerships within Galway County, Galway City and Roscommon.
Celebrating community had been a central theme of Galway 2020’s planning process and as part of its creative initiatives it had been engaging with community groups in Tuam, Clifden, Spiddal, Ballinasloe, Portumna and Athenry by way of a community drum programme. This saw Galway 2020’s master drummers train volunteers within their local communities in the art of drumming and their work was to culminate in a unique collaborative performance at the official opening ceremony of Galway 2020 in February 2020. However, that opening ceremony had to be cancelled due to severe national weather warnings.
Now, through a new initiative, individuals and groups (both young and old ) from towns and villages across Galway will be able to tap into a percussion programme once again and these opportunities will be made available annually from September 2022. Music Generation’s Musician Educator team in collaboration with their colleagues attached to Community Education will train and manage the volunteer groups within community settings. Music Generation will also be responsible for the delivery of similar percussion-based programmes in schools and at camps and festivals across the county utilising the same percussion instrument bank which was acquired from Galway 2020.
Before implementing the programme within local communities, a consultative process will be undertaken.
GRETB’s Dónal Walsh says Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board will work with local community partners to identify needs and develop community education programmes in County Galway using community drumming as a means of engaging the community in education.
“The initial focus will be on those local communities who worked with Galway 2020 previously.”
The new drum programme, known as PULSE, will be offered to adults and groups attached to communities in Tuam, Clifden, Spiddal, Ballinasloe, Portumna and Athenry first and later broadened to encompass groups in other communities. It will also be delivered to children and young people in educational settings, at festivals and at Music Generation’s Music Hubs and Camps at a variety of locations throughout the county.
Eric Cunningham, music development officer for Music Generation Galway County, says there is something “very primal, cathartic and exhilarating about the beating of a drum”.
“A programme such as this has the power to galvanise communities, empower individuals and facilitate team building in a unique manner across a variety of contexts. We believe that this initiative will reach to the heart of both local communities and diverse educational settings, and we look forward with great anticipation to getting started. The instrument bank made available to us by Galway 2020 gives our team great scope to develop and deliver something really meaningful from this opportunity.”
Those who are interested and who wish to participate and receive tuition should register their interest at [email protected].
