Music Generation & St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra Announce New Research Partnership

Friday, January 11th, 2013: Music Generation and St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra today announced a new two-year research partnership entitled Developing Diversity in Music Education in Ireland. The Research Partnership has been established in response to Music Generation - the groundbreaking national music education programme initiated by Music Network and funded by U2 and The Ireland Funds in partnership with a range of local agencies. The Research Project will be based at the Music Department of St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra under the direction of principal investigator Dr. Patricia Flynn. A recruitment drive is currently underway to appoint a Research Fellow.

In welcoming the partnership, Dr Daire Keogh, President of St Patrick’s College Drumcondra said, “St Patrick’s recognises the critical importance of the arts and diversity in education. We are very excited by the opportunity for further collaboration with Music Generation in research which will examine diversity in participation and provision of music education.”

Tony Ó Dálaigh, Chairman of Music Generation said, “The Board of Music Generation is delighted to have the opportunity to work in partnership with St. Patrick’s College Drumcondra. The initiation of the research partnership marks an important milestone in the evolution of Music Generation, the impact of which will inform and shape long-term development and sustainability.”

The concept of diversity is central to Music Generation’s approach to developing a national infrastructure for music education that includes many types of music and music practices from pop to classical to marching bands to traditional and beyond. The ambition of the programme is to be inclusive; ensuring that access to performance music education of a high artistic standard is not limited by geographic, cultural, socio-economic or physical factors. Music Generation seeks to include but go beyond conventional models of instrumental and vocal music education. Rather than developing a ‘one size fits all’ approach, it allows a diversity of approaches to evolve, in response to local need and context.

The research will document and assess the ways and extent to which this diversity is achieved, locating the developments within comparable international contexts. In the process valuable information about music education in Ireland will be gathered in order to address a knowledge gap in this area. The findings of the research will inform the strategic development of this new infrastructure for performance music education in Ireland. The partnership provides a career opportunity for a post-doctoral research fellow to work with a research team to develop a strong understanding of and expertise in this area and carry out research that will contribute to shaping future national policy. A strength of the partnership is the linkage between the higher education sector and the cultural/educational sector which aims to provide clear pathways for knowledge transfer.

The closing date for applications for the position of Music Generation Research Fellow is 12 noon, Thursday January 17th 2013 to the Human Resources, Department, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. For full details, lick here. http://www.spd.dcu.ie/site/human_resources/current_vacancies.shtml

Note to editors:

Music Generation is Ireland’s National Music Education Programme, initiated by Music Network and funded by U2 and The Ireland Funds, together with a range of local partners. Music Generation helps children and young people access high quality subsidised music education in their local area.

Music Network established Music Generation on receipt of a €7 million donation in 2009 from U2 and The Ireland Funds, following a ten-year campaign for the development of a national system of music education in Ireland. Music Generation is currently established in Carlow, Cork City, Laois, Limerick City, Louth, Mayo, Offaly/Westmeath, Sligo and Wicklow.

Music Generation works closely with the Department of Education and Skills Which has committed to continuing to develop and sustain the Music Education Partnerships with exchequer funding in future years when the donations cease. Visit www.musicgeneration.ie for further information.

St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra is a College of Dublin City University and a leading centre of research in education and the humanities in Ireland. Key research centres include the Centre for Children’s Literature and Cultural Studies, Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Education and the Educational Disadvantage Centre. The Music Department is a vibrant department with an extensive profile in composition, performance, teaching, research and service to community. Recently completed funded research projects include: local authorities’ contribution to music development in Ireland, giving rise to the publication, Knowing the Score and the co-participation with Common Ground and the Music Department of UCC in the Tiny Voices Early Years Music Project . Staff of the Department include two internationally recognised composers, both of whom are members of Aosdána and artists-in-residence the Fidelio Trio. Individual staff members also have a record of publications in musicological research with a particular emphasis on the field of music in contemporary Irish society. Visit www.spd.dcu.ie/music for further information.