Have Your Say! Music Education Opportunities for Children and Young People.

Fingal County Council have partnered with the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board with a view to advancing music education opportunities for children and young people in the county.  The partners are eager to hear your views on performance music education for children and young people and have developed public consultation surveys that are now available online to complete and have your opinions heard.  As a bonus, young people completing the survey have the opportunity to win a voucher!

The data gathered will inform a submission to Music Generation. The submission will focus specifically on performance music education for children and young people aged 0 - 18 years, and target education and community settings in Fingal.  Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme that provides children and young people with access to high quality performance music education through partnerships with statutory bodies and local music education partnerships.

The partners are committed to supporting children and young people’s education, health and wellbeing and have significant programmes that serve thousands of young people throughout the county annually. Fingal Arts Office launched a Musician-in-Residence Programme this academic year and 2,000 children benefited from music tuition delivered by professional musicians within this programme.

Margaret Geraghty, Director of Services explained, ‘The aim of this new partnership and submission to Music Generation is to augment and enrich each partner’s existing commitment to music education for children & young people, and to be prepared with robust arts and education structures for when we come through the current crisis’.

Mayor of Fingal Cllr Eoghan O’Brien commented 'I know that music is very important both in the education and in the daily lives of our children and young people and I would encourage everyone to take part in this important survey.'

Parents, teachers, children, young people, music schools, primary and post primary schools, musicians and the general public are now called to complete a survey and have their opinions heard. There are three surveys to choose from: Children & Young People, Music Education Providers & Musicians, and General Public, each can be accessed at www.fingal.ie  or www.consult.fingal.ie or www.fingalarts.ie 

There is a wonderful bonus for children and young people who complete a survey! They are invited to enter a draw to win Gift Vouchers for one of Fingal’s prestigious Arts Centres upon survey completion. Both Draíocht in Blanchardstown and the Séamus Ennis Arts Centre in Naul are on board to ensure children, young people and families can enjoy a quality arts experience as soon as the arts centres reopen.  

Julie Clarke, Youth & Education Officer with Fingal Arts Office addressing young people said, ‘We understand that music is very important in the lives of so many’, she continued, ‘We really want to hear your views and to understand the types of programmes and services that will best suit your musical interests going forward’. 

This step taken by the partners emphasises the importance of retaining support for arts and education initiatives now and in the times ahead as we build connections with one another and ignite hope and inspiration.

Ms. Geraghty concluded, ‘Your views are important to this process and will enable us to develop and deliver music education programmes that suit the needs of children and young people aged 0-18 years, now and into the future’.

A survey will take ten minutes to complete, and the closing date is Thursday 30th of April 2020. Surveys are accessible at www.fingal.ie and www.consult.fingal.ie and www.fingalarts.ie  Should you require further information or assistance to complete a survey please contact Fingal Arts Office’s Youth & Education Officer [email protected]