Schools throughout County Cork have welcomed musicians into their classrooms for the latest series of Tuning Up workshops. Tuning Up is Cork County Council’s Music in Schools programme which is managed by West Cork Music.
This season, there are five projects running from October 2019 to January 2020. In early October, the Busy Trio ( violinist Lesya Iglody, cellist Maria O’Connor and pianist Thomas Doyle) visited schools in Mallow, Glounthaune and Macroom, taking the students on an aural-visual journey through the calendar year in which they discovered the wealth of programme music which featured the jewels of the natural world.
The following week, the Lir Quartet ( violinists Siobhan Doyle & Kate Fleming, viola player Ed Creedon and cellist Sinéad O’Halloran) travelled from Castletownbere (left) to Dunmanway and on to Newcestown, taking in Ahiohill NS and Kilbonane NS along the way. These workshops presented the subject of synaesthesia, a neurological condition in which the stimulation of one sense leads involuntarily to the triggering of another sense. The students learnt about artist Jane Mackay who ‘sees’ music and they were able to see paintings based on her experience of hearing/seeing music composed by Britten and Mendelssohn.
From 4 – 6 November, it will be the turn of Artemis Brass, a quintet of musicians from Northern Ireland. They will be charting the progression of music from Baroque to contemporary music and jazz in schools in Mallow, Macroom, Youghal, Innishannon and Goleen.
The Irish Guitar Quartet returns from November 18 – 21, hunting for Opals in Australia, take shelter in Cuba and dance the Habanera in Spain – all conveyed through the magic of guitar. Schools in Bandon, Mitchelstown, Mallow, Dunmanway, Macroom, Crookstown, Ballineen and Kerry Pike have already signed up for a visit.
Rounding off the season once more is the Bangers and Crash Percussion Duo ( Alex Petcu and Caitríona Frost) with a packed week of workshops in January 2020 in schools from Bantry to Charleville, Passage West to Skibbereen.
Details of the next season of Tuning Up ( 2020/21) will be available in August 2020. Workshops are open to all primary and secondary schools in County Cork. For more information, please email Sara O’Donovan.
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