The Blackwater Valley Opera Festival (BVOF) 2019 educational programme commenced this week with visits to schools in the Blackwater Valley. The week long classroom workshops, which are performed in association with our partners Mobile Music Machine (MMM), are designed to introduce schoolchildren to music and engender an appreciation of its classical form. Members of MMM ( led by Gerald Peregrine/ cellist with Sandra Oman/ soprano and Lynda O’Connor/violinist) host up to 5 enlightening sessions with classes ranging from infants to 6th Class in each of the schools and the positive reaction of children & teachers so far has been overwhelming.
Mondays (28th Jan) visit to Bun Scoil Bhothar Na Naomh in Lismore got the week off to a great start where the children enthusiastically joined in with the artists. MMM were joined by BVOF Chairman Michael Alen-Buckley and BVOF CEO Breda O’Brien along with School Principal David Corbett. After a busy day in the classroom MMM later entertained residents at St. Carthage’s House Nursing Home, Lismore which was a very special occasion.
Tuesday’s workshops were again a great success at Ballyduff National School before MMM moved onto Aglish National School on Wednesday. The programme of over 20 workshops will be completed by visits to Tallow & Cappoquin Primary schools on Thursday & Friday respectively.
BVOF is delighted to be able to provide these schoolchildren with perhaps their first live experience of classical music and we hope it will sow the seeds for further exploration by them in music. BVOF has ambitious plans to expand this programme and we are immensely grateful for the co-operation & interest of the Children, Teachers and Principals of the schools visited in making the initial week a resounding success. For further information in our schools’ outreach programme please see our Education section
