Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition

Home
Ireland
Dublin
Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition

A national competition and celebration of music in Irish schools. BREADTH

The Competition is not restricted to a genre of music or type of performing group.
(1)

Founded in 2012, the Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit initiative intended both to incentivise and to celebrate music making in Irish schools. Interest in the Competition – which provides a unique opportunity for teachers and students to work together in the development of a creative and original music project, with no restrictions as to genre or type of group – ha

s grown over the years, and to date schools from all 26 counties have participated. ELIGIBILITY

All primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are eligible to enter the Music for Schools Competition. We welcome all genres and mixed genres, and performing groups have included choirs, instrumental groups, combined instrumental and vocal ensembles, traditional groups, rock bands and mixtures of all of these. This offers teachers and schools the opportunity to think and work creatively with any combination of students to develop an original music project that has learning potential at every stage of the process. COLLABORATION

Meaningful collaboration – among students and between teachers and students – is encouraged and rewarded. Competition entry forms ask how the entry piece or song was developed, and those developed collaboratively, with significant input from students, have invariably been the most successful. INCLUSIVENESS

Groups that include participants of different ages and skill levels are also favoured, and past groups have included participants from Senior Infants to Sixth Class in the primary category and First to Sixth Year in the post-primary category. A Music for Schools project is not only an opportunity to develop a unique and exciting piece and to perform it in public, it should also be an opportunity for diverse group of young people to work together in a meaningful way, as well as an opportunity for older participants to mentor younger ones. THEME

Each year’s Competition has a theme, and while entries should address the theme, groups are encouraged to interpret the theme in any way they see fit. Previous years’ themes include ‘When Words Fail, Music Speaks’ (Hans Christian Andersen), ‘Music = ‘, and Music Has No Borders’. PRIZES

Each year, the Competition awards a total of €7,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments and accessories from Waltons Music, to be divided among six winning primary and post-primary schools, including two First Prizes of €2,000 vouchers. BEYOND WINNERS AND PRIZES

Although only twelve of the many entries we receive each year are chosen as Finalists, we recognise, with Commended and Highly Commended certificates, those groups not selected that have nevertheless achieved something special. In any case, the project doesn’t need to end there; the song/piece can be performed for the school, and the entry video is a record of the group’s achievements as well. Likewise, while six of the twelve Finalist groups win prizes each year, all Finalist groups have achieved something extraordinary and all Finalist performers receive individual certificates. ADJUDICATORS

Each Finalists Concert is adjudicated by two renowned Irish musicians and/or music educators, as well as a representative of Waltons. Our previous adjudicators have included • David Brophy • Carl Corcoran • Ellen Cranitch • Julie Feeney • Deborah Kelleher • Dónal Lunny • Gwen Moore • Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin • Bill Whelan. PRESENTED BY

The Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition is produced by Waltons New School of Music and supported by RTÉ lyric fm and Waltons Music Ireland.

Address

69 South Great George's Street
Dublin
2

Telephone

+35314781884

Website

http://www.newschool.ie/musicforschools

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition:

Shortcuts

Our Story

Produced by Waltons New School of Music and generously supported by RTÉ lyric fm, the Waltons Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit national event celebrating and supporting music in Irish schools.

The Competition’s objective is to promote the enormous benefits of creative music making for young people. Its open nature offers schools the opportunity to think and work creatively in any genre (or genres) of music and with any combination of students, developing an original musical project that has learning potential at every stage of the process.

Breadth

The Music for Schools Competition is open to all genres of music, and performing groups have included choirs, instrumental groups, mixed instrumental and vocal ensembles, traditional groups and rock bands.

Eligibility

All primary and post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are eligible to enter this annual competition, and since it began in 2012 schools from all 26 counties have participated.

Finalists Concert

Each year’s Competition culminates in a gala Finalists Concert at the National Concert Hall, in which twelve Finalist school music groups (six primary and six post-primary) perform before their peers and two distinguished adjudicators.

Previous adjudicators include • David Brophy • Carl Corcoran • Ellen Cranitch • Julie Feeney • Evelyn Grant • Deborah Kelleher • Dónal Lunny • Gwen Moore • Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin • and Bill Whelan.

Prizes

At the end of the Finalists Concert, the adjudicators announce six winning primary and post-primary schools, which receive awards totalling €7,000 worth of vouchers for musical instruments and equipment from Waltons Music Ireland, including two First Prizes of €2,000 vouchers.

The Process

School music groups create an ensemble piece or song, based on the year’s Competition theme, and performed by an instrumental, vocal or mixed group from the school (maximum 40 performers). The piece or song can be performed by any combination of singers or instrumentalists you choose. The 2020 Competition theme comes from Hans Christian Andersen, ‘Where words fail, music speaks’.

Schools submit an online entry form, a video of the group’s performance and a jpeg photograph of the group.

The initial entries are judged by a team of first-round adjudicators, and twelve Finalist groups (six primary and six post-primary) are selected.

The Finalists are announced by Liz Nolan on RTÉ lyric fm.

The twelve school groups perform in the Finalists Concert at the National Concert Hall, and the six winning schools are announced at the end of the concert.

2020 Competition Calendar

Friday, 24 January, 5 pm • Entry Deadline

Friday, 7 February, 1 – 4 pm • Announcement of Finalists

Monday, 23 March, 1 pm • Finalists Concert, National Concert Hall

More Information