Composer Peter Moran visited St. Enda's National School in Dublin for five weeks delivering hour-long workshops to students in fifth and sixth class. The workshops were designed to introduce students to contemporary music and to teach them about the processes involved in composition.

The students explored the ideas of graphic notation and composed their own piece, which they performed for other students in the school. Moran also recorded their performance and produced a CD of the piece for the students.

'The students quickly learned how to hear and understand sounds, and how to use those sounds as the building blocks of music composition', says Moran. 'Over the five week course the children developed a range of musical skills and improved in competence and confidence every week.'

The aim of New Music Alive is to encourage and assist teachers in bringing contemporary music into their classrooms and help raise awareness of Irish composers and their activities. The project will also enable Peter Moran to produce materials that can be used to teach composition in the classroom. These materials will be made available to teachers via CMC's web site.

The next series of workshops will take place in Scoil Chaitríona Primary School, Baggot Street, Dublin in February and March 2009.

New Music Alive is an initiative of the Contemporary Music Centre. It is funded by Dublin City Council. For more information on the project please contact Sinéad O'Sullivan, Office Manager, on 01-673 1922 or email sosullivan@cmc.ie.

Posted: 12 December 2008