St. Agnes’ Primary School in Crumlin, Dublin is leading the way in proving how music can change lives. In 2007, during the ‘European Year of Equal Opportunity for Everyone’ the school launched a Violin Project that currently has more than 400 children receiving weekly violin lessons. Now their parents and grandparents are getting in on the act!
St Agnes’ Primary School Violin Project is an innovative project that gives every child in the school the opportunity of learning a musical instrument – regardless of ability of pay. More than 400 children and secondary students are learning music through the project.
The project was featured in the award winning documentary, “Music Changes Lives”, broadcast twice in 2010 on RTE and made by Mind the Gap Films.
St Agnes’ Community Youth Orchestra has grown out of the project – this involves children from the school who wish to further their musical experience beyond the classroom. The project continues to support secondary school pupils as they move on with loan of instruments, lessons provided after school, and support for their membership of an orchestra.
Last year parents and grandparents of the children in the school, came together to form a Parent’s Orchestra. They had a chance to see how the children learn, and try it out for themselves. Due to the huge response a whole ‘instant orchestra’ was formed, with violins, violas, cellos and double basses.
All of this means that music is changing lives across many generations in Crumlin – the age range of the musicians is 3–80 years old!!!