COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY INITIATIVES – LOCAL AND NATIONAL

 PROJECT PARTNER ORGANISATION(S) Details
MA Music Therapy Clinical placements

 

 

St Camillus’ Hospital (older age psychiatry), Limerick

The Park Nursing Home, Castletroy, Limerick

Milford Hospice

University Hospital Limerick Chronic Pain team

University Hospital Limerick Ark Children’s Unit

Enable Ireland Adult Services, Limerick

St Clare’s and St Anne’s Special Schools, Ennis

National Rehabilitation Unit, Dublin

Meath Community Unit, Dublin

Scoil na Naomh Uilig, Newbridge, Co Kildare

Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Offaly Service

Tallaght Hospital older age ward

Temple Street Children’s Hospital

Crumlin Children’s Hospital

Our Lady’s Hospice, Harolds Cross, Dublin

Holy Child School, Dublin 1

Cope Foundation, Cork

Sonas Special School, Cork

Cork University Hospital

Educate Together National School (autism unit), Wicklow

St Michael’s House, Dublin

Glenveagh Special School, Belfast

Newbrook Lodge Nursing Home, Mullingar, Co WestMeath

St Vincent’s Intellectual Disability Services, Cork

 

Students on the MA Music Therapy programme engage with local communities throughout their training. Each student completes work placements (total 51 days) over two years. Many of these are in Limerick but there are also placements across the island of Ireland.

Student clinical placements involve working in special education, hospitals, nursing homes, residential facilities for adults with learning disabilities, mental health services and more. Although students are learning to be a music therapist they also contributie time and services to clients in the facility, under the supervision of an experienced therapist.

Currently 19  students = 969 days this year over last 2 years

MA Community Music

Placements

The Learning Hub

Music Generation Limerick City

The Redemptorist Centre of Music

Milford National School.

Milford National School, Castletroy, Limerick

Mowlam Healthcare, Ballincollig Community Nursing Unit, Murphy’s Barracks, Ballincollig, Co Cork

Music Generation Limerick City, Music Generation Creative Centre, 30 Cecil Street, Limerick (2 student placements)

 

MA Community Music has a strong relationship with community groups in Limerick City and further afield. Every year our students undertake a placement and facilitate 12 hours of community music workshops, including the development of at least one original piece of music.

 

Professional Master of Education (Music) Placements 2017-2018

 

 

Árdscoil Mhuire, Corbally, Limerick

St. Mary’s Secondary School, Convent of Mercy, Ballina, Co. Mayo

Loreto Secondary School, Granges Road, Kilkenny

Cnoc Mhuire, Granard, Co. Longford

St. Caimin’s Community School, Tullyvarraga, Shannon, Co. Clare

Roscommon Community School, Lisnamult, Roscommon

John the Baptist Community School, Hospital, Co. Limerick

Castletroy College, Newtown, Castletroy, Limerick

Ardscoil Rís, North Circular Road Limerick

St. Ailbe’s School, Rosanna Road, Tipperary Town

Coláiste and Chroí Naofa, Carraig na bhFear, Chorcaí

St. Brigid’s Secondary School, New Street, Killarney

Thomond College, Moylish Park, Moylish, Limerick

Creagh College, Carnew Road, Gorey, Wexford

Ardscoil na Mara, Tramore, Co. Waterford

 

Students on the Professional Master of Education (Music) programme are placed in schools both locally and nationally throughout their training. Each student completes school placements (total 90 days) over two years.

Student placements involve teaching the school curricula, extra-curricular music making, resource teaching and a variety of community music making activities.  Each student is assigned to a cooperating teacher in their placement school. Students are currently training to implement the new Junior Cycle Music – well-being is integral in teaching this subject. This is reflected in the key skills which must be implemented by all teachers.

“Key Skill Key Skill Element Examples of Student Activity
Working with others Developing good relationships and dealing with conflict Students will learn to negotiate relationships with peers and teachers during rehearsals and other group activities; they will spend time actively listening to each other and sharing ideas honestly and sensitively; they will learn to respect and incorporate the views/ideas of others.
Staying well Being confident Students develop confidence as they contribute to decisions within group music-making activities and collaborative creative endeavours. They develop resilience in the face of difficulties and a sense of satisfaction in the achievement of goals.”

 (Junior Cycle. Curriculum online Music. https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/Music/Key-Skills. Accessed 21-2-2018)

Currently 16  students = 1,440 days over last 2 years

Irish World Music Cafe Doras Luimni

CB1 gallery

The Irish World Music Cafe is a community-based project which takes six times a year at the CB1 gallery in Limerick city. The cafe provides an open invitation to a social singing event with some light lunch refreshments. It is especially welcoming of new migrants and coincides with the end of English language classes offered by Doras Luimní in the same building. It features singing from around the world by UL students, newcomers to Ireland and long established Limerick musicians. It is coordinated by the Singing & Social Inclusion research cluster at the Irish World Academy.
World Carnival Presentation Primary School

Irish Chamber Orchestra

Music Generation

World Carnival is an educational project coordinated by the Irish World Academy and Presentation Primary School, in partnership with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Music Generation. Presentation primary school is one of the most multi-cultural schools in the city. The World Carnival programme facilitates the learning of songs from around the world and culminates in a ‘Meet the Musician’ day and a public performance for parents, friends and the wider community. It is coordinated by the Singing & Social Inclusion research cluster at the Irish World Academy.
Irish Dance Community

 

 Various Connections with many local  groups in relation to dance and music performance and also in relation to Arts and Health.  Dr Ni Bhriain established a dance school ( Scoil Ui Ruairc) active in Limerick since 1929 and embedded in the cultural fabric of the city. Students perform regularly at charity events locally and competitions and festivals nationally and internationally. Dance faculty also chair the Munster regional council of An Coimisiun le Rinci Gaelacha and act as PRO for the national organization, serve on the board of  Dance Ireland and are active members of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann. The traditional dance department is actively connected to the dance and music communities from which our student population is drawn.

The Academy’s Irish Dance programmes have close connections with the Irish Dance community in Ireland and internationally, liaising with professional shows, dance development organisations, step and sean nós dance schools and celebrated Irish dance performers and choreographers. Many alumni have gone on to perform with internationally renowned shows.

Step Dance and Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s Disease Association

Active Retirement Ireland

Dr Orfhlaith ni Bhriain works with the Parkinson’s Association and with Active Retirement Ireland conducting research on the benefits of social dance for these communities. This community engagement is directly related to teaching and research interests and expertise and links into the outreach connectivity which is one of  the pillars of the Academy ethos.

 

MA Ritual Chant and Song fieldtrips Glenstal Abbey The MA Ritual Chant and Song has a close link with the Benedictine community at Glenstal Abbey, in the environs of the campus. Students visit the abbey approximately once a month in order to observe and participate in chant as a living practice. A number of the monks at Glenstal Abbey have completed the MA Ritual Chant and Song, and are now involved in delivering seminars to current students.
‘Sonas is Sláinte’

 

University Hospital, Limerick Arts Committee ‘Sonas is Sláinte’ is a joint initiative of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and University Hospital Limerick. Students perform live music 3 times each semester in the hospital reception area.
Maoin Cheoil an Chláir Co Clare various In partnership with the Vocational Education Committee of County Clare and with the assistance of Clare County Council and Ennis Urban District Council, Maoin Cheoil an Chláir (MCC) is a local cooperative model serving the needs of County Clare from its Ennis headquarters in the 18th-century Erasmus Smith School building owned by the Sisters of Mercy. MCC celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2014. With members of faculty from the Irish World Academy included on its board (Professor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin and Dr Jean Downey along with former board member Professor Helen Phelan), MCC enjoys a special relationship with the Academy. MCC Director Hans Boller is a graduate of the Academy’s MA Ritual Chant and Song programme. MCC is a member of the Clare Music Education Partnership, which was awarded €450,000 from Music Generation (funded by U2 and The Ireland Funds) in 2014.
Contemporary Dance in Limerick Dance Limerick Since its inception, the contemporary dance programme at the Irish World Academy has sought to twin-track its activities with the professional contemporary dance energy in Limerick city. The emergence of Dance Limerick at the former Daghdha Space in St. John’s Square sets the scene for a new level of cooperative dance activity. The Irish World Academy is proud to be associated with Dance Limerick and looks forward to reclaiming the original spirit of contemporary dance cooperation in Limerick.
Dance and Health Research, Arts Council funding 2018 Dance Ireland

Tipperary County Council Arts Office

Kerry County Council Arts Office

Kildare County Council Arts Office

In 2017 Dr Hilary Moss was commissioned, with colleagues from IWAMD, to research and develop a training course for dancers working in healthcare settings. This project involves consultation across the  Irish dance network and will service users engaging in dance/health groups and services.
Community Gamelan Students, staff and wider community The Irish World Academy and the University of Limerick Arts Offce established the Community Gamelan Ensemble in October 2017. The Community Gamelan Ensemble provides access for UL staff and members of the wider community to the Academy’s recently acquired set of beautiful Javanese musical instruments.
Lunchtime concerts Students, staff and wider community

Held at Academy and also at Allegro café

Free lunchtime concerts on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the academy.  Wednesdays are alive to the sound of visiting school and community groups. For many it is their first time to perform in a university environment.
Cruinniú

 

Staff Cruinniú, the Irish World Academy’s outreach initiative, sees staff from all walks of life at UL engaging in free weekly classes/sessions of Irish traditional music.

Other

The Irish World Academy connects and collaborates with many traditional music festivals, locally, nationally and internationally. Students from the BA Irish Music and Dance are performing at Celtic Connections festival, Glasgow, in January 2018, as part of a collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University – this performance will be broadcast live on Celtic Music Radio. In February, the Academy will be leading a UL representation, consisting of talks and performances, at the Gathering Festival, Killarney, held in the INEC – this initiative is entitled UL Connect. The Academy has had a very successful collaboration with the Inishowen International Folk Song and Ballad Seminar in Donegal for many years, sending song students to participate in the festival workshops and talks. The festival takes place in March each year. The Blas Summer School has partnered with the Willie Clancy Summer School to offer a joint, accredited summer school including a week at UL and a week in Miltown Malbay. The Academy has partnered with the Milwaukee Irish Fest, USA, for the past two years, sending students to participate in high-pro le performances and to give workshops in a number of different settings.

The Academy also works regularly with many arts centres and venues such as Glór in Ennis and the Irish Arts Centre, New York, in terms of performances and collaborations, such as the newly instigated series of lunchtime performances featuring the traditional arts at Glór. Academy staff interact with organisations and statutory bodies such as the Arts Council, the Irish Traditional Music Archive, Dublin and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, attending meetings and organising events and seminars. The Academy greatly contributes towards student engagement across the UL campus, and enhances campus life through its diverse performances and events. Academy staff and students work closely with the International Education Division, Plassey Campus Centre and others to promote the University to those visiting the campus.