Announcing a new appointment to the National Development Office of Music Generation

Music Generation is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Jennifer O’Connor-Madsen to the role of Music Education Partnership (MEP) Support Manager. In this new position within the Music Generation National Development Office, Jennifer will play a key role in supporting the development of existing and newly established Local MEPs across the organisation’s National Network.

Jennifer will bring significant knowledge and expertise to the role spanning the fields of music education and project management, most recently in her capacity as Music Development Officer for Music Generation Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. She has more than a decade’s experience teaching piano, group keyboard and music theory to children in primary school settings, as well as having lectured in music at third level in St Patrick’s College Drumcondra (DCU). In 2013, Jennifer developed the RIAM Teaching Network, the Royal Irish Academy of Music’s online music education platform.

Jennifer holds a BA (Hons), an MA and a PhD in musicology from Maynooth University. Her doctoral thesis, completed in 2010, explored the role of women and music in nineteenth-century Dublin. She is the founder and organiser of the Women and Music in Ireland Conference series and has contributed to numerous documentaries, conferences and articles on the subject.

Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme, initiated by Music Network and co-funded by U2, The Ireland Funds, the Department of Education and Skills and Local Music Education Partnerships. ‘Phase 1’ of Music Generation established the programme in 11 areas of Ireland (Carlow, Clare, Cork City, Laois, Limerick City, Louth, Mayo, Offaly/Westmeath, Sligo, South Dublin and Wicklow) and in September 2017 a further nine areas were selected for participation as part of ‘Phase 2’ (Cavan/Monaghan, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Galway City, Galway County, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Roscommon, Waterford and Wexford). In December 2017 the Irish Government announced its commitment to support expansion of the programme nationwide by 2022. This next phase was launched with the announcement of five additional areas in May 2019 (Kerry, Kildare, Longford, Meath, Tipperary). Currently Music Generation creates some 42,500 opportunities each year for children and young people to engage in high-quality, subsidised performance music education with more than 350 skilled musician educators, across a hugely diverse range of musical genres, styles and contexts.