!!!! Music Generation
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 (Louth, Mayo, Sligo, Cork City, Laois, Wicklow, Carlow, Limerick City, Offaly/Westmeath, Clare and South Dublin) and in September 2017 a further nine areas were selected for participation as part of ‘Phase 2’ (Galway County, Waterford, Wexford, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Leitrim, Kilkenny, Cavan/Monaghan, Galway City and Roscommon). In addition, in December 2017 as part of the launch of ‘Creative Youth’ Government announced its commitment to support expansion of the programme nationwide by 2022. Currently the programme creates more than 48,500 opportunities each year for children and young people to engage in high-quality, subsidised performance music education across more than 150 different programmes in all musical genres and styles – from trad to jazz, rock, pop and hip-hop, samba drumming, brass band, choral and orchestral initiatives, composers clubs and much more.
Music Generation believes in every child and young person’s musical potential and their innate artistry, that it is every child and young person’s right to have the choice of access and the chance to participate as a musical citizen and that music doesn’t just change lives, it transforms lives.
!!!! Creative Clusters
Creative Clusters is an initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme to enable the creative potential of every child. It is one of 17 actions outlined in the Creative Ireland – Creative Youth Plan which will be implemented as part of the first steps of a comprehensive arts education plan.
Schools Excellence Fund – Creative Clusters Initiative
Creative Clusters is a national pilot initiative of the Department of Education and Skills, led by and in partnership with the 21 full-time Teacher Education Centres (ATECI) and funded through the Schools Excellence Fund – Creative Clusters Initiative. Creative Clusters is a national programme of local projects and the 21 full-time Education Centres across Ireland are lead partners in the initiative. Creative Clusters is an important initiative of Creative Youth – A Plan to Enable the Creative Potential of Every Child and Young Person, which was published in December 2017 as part of the Creative Ireland Programme. The Creative Youth Plan aims to give every child practical access to tuition, experience and participation in art, music, drama and coding by 2022.
- The Creative Clusters initiative commenced in the 2018-19 academic year with 23 clusters established, comprising 71 schools countrywide.
- In the academic year 2019-20, 21 Creative Clusters, comprising 77 schools were established.
- In September 2020, a further 72 schools across 21 Clusters joined the initiative.
- For the academic year 2021/2022 a total of 81 schools across 21 Clusters will join the initiative– one from each of the 21 full-time education centres in Ireland.
What is a Creative Cluster and how many schools are involved?
A Creative Cluster will typically consist of between three and five schools collaborating on the design, implementation, evaluation and dissemination of an innovative creative learning project which supports them to address a common issue or challenge. Creative Clusters will include schools at different stages of their journey in using creativity in the classroom. Clusters can consist of primary schools only, post-primary schools only or a combination of primary and post primary schools. In selecting the clusters to participate in the scheme, the initiative will seek to have all three configurations represented in the national pilot. Clusters can be drawn from existing networks or result from the creation of new ones. Each cluster must nominate a lead school. The lead school must identify a Creative Cluster Coordinator who would normally be a member of the school’s senior leadership team. The other schools in each cluster must nominate a representative to participate in the project.
Funded by:
Creative Clusters is a national programme of local projects and the 21 full-time Education Centres across Ireland are lead partners in the initiative. The initiative is funded by the Department of Education and Skills through the Schools Excellence Fund – Creative Clusters Initiative.
For further information go to www.gov.ie/en/publication/f0342-schools-excellence-fund-creative-clusters/.
!!!! Arts in Junior Cycle Initiative (JCT)
Through the Arts in Junior Cycle initiative, Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) aims to present a range of professional development experiences for teachers to support engagement with the arts and learning in junior cycle.
This initiative is guided by the principles expressed in the Arts in Education Charter (2012) and Pillar 1 (Creative Youth) of the Creative Ireland Programme (2017–2022). The initiative originated from a joint Arts Council and JCT pilot partnership initiative that took place in the 2013/2014 school year.
The initiative is based on partnership and collaboration with key elective partners across the arts and education sectors. The initiative aims to support artists, writers, actors, musicians, filmmakers, theatre companies, and others working in the arts industry, to create rich continuing professional development experiences for post-primary teachers.
!!!! Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD
Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD for Supporting & Enhancing
Arts in Education in Ireland (Primary Schools Initiative)
Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) CPD is a unique Department of Education and Skills initiative which commenced on a pilot basis in 2014/15 in response to the objectives outlined in the Arts in Education Charter. This initiative is guided by the principles expressed in the Arts in Education Charter (2012) and Pillar 1 (Creative Youth) of the Creative Ireland Programme (2017–2022).
Nurturing the abilities and commitment of artists and teachers for the promotion of arts-in-education is a central concern of the Arts in Education Charter. One of its major initiatives in this regard was the design and implementation of a pilot teacher-artist CPD Partnership Summer Course. Part of supporting schools in the provision of high quality arts education for children, this pilot arts in education initiative was Association of Teacher Education Centre of Ireland (ATECI) led, in partnership with the Department of Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht (DCHG), Encountering the Arts Ireland (ETAI) and the Association for Creativity in Arts Education (ACAE). The initiative is administered by the Education Centre, Tralee. This innovative teacher-artist CPD programme was aimed at developing a model of arts in education CPD for teachers which could be used as a template for the future.
The Pilot Project was researched and the Research Report on this Pilot initiative was launched by both the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in March 2016 and has been published (available on here).
Teacher-Artist Partnership CPD Summer Course & Residency Programme is now mainstreamed and consists of free DES approved (EPV days) Summer Courses operating in each of the 21 full-time Education Centres in Ireland in either July or August each year. Each Course will have 20 primary teachers and 4 professional artists participating. It will be delivered by a trained and experienced Teacher Artist Facilitator Pair. The initiative includes funded Artist in Residency opportunities in which participating teachers and artists work together in collaboration in the School during the following academic year.
Teacher – Artist Partnership (TAP) CAP Information Flyer
!!!! Creative Schools
The Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools initiative aims to put the arts and creativity at the heart of children and young people’s lives.
Creative Schools is a flagship initiative of the Creative Ireland Programme to enable the creative potential of every child. Creative Schools is led by the Arts Council in partnership with the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Creative Schools, formerly Arts Rich Schools/Arís, draws on the commitments set out in the Arts in Education Charter.
This pilot initiative will understand, develop and celebrate the arts and creativity in schools. It will establish a range of collaborative opportunities for schools and will develop and strengthen the relationships between schools and the broader cultural and community infrastructure within which they operate. The long term aim is for every school to be supported to fully embrace the arts and creativity, ensuring a positive experience and strong outcomes for children and young people.