Our Approach: Performance Music Education

We create access to performance music education for children and young people in Ireland, from age 0 to 18.

For us, performance music education means supporting children and young people to make and learn music in creative, diverse, inclusive ways, whether that’s writing and performing a song, playing an instrument, practising as part of an orchestra or jamming with a band.

We believe that making and performing music should be a joyful experience that has the potential to transform children and young people’s lives in many possible ways.

Diversity is one of our greatest strengths

Currently there are 25 different Music Generation areas in Ireland.

Though founded on the same shared values, each individual area has the flexibility to imagine and create a programme that responds to what is needed most by its local community.

A network of 25 experienced Music Generation Development Officers (MDOs) take on the role of designing the kinds of performance music education initiatives that will engage and inspire the children and young people living and learning in their locality.

MDOs are creative leaders from across a range of music, education and management backgrounds, committed to finding new and innovative ways to provide young people with the best possible experiences in music.

MDOs also build vibrant teams of local musician educators who bring with them a richness of performance experience, a range of musical perspectives and educational expertise.

This rich diversity gives every Music Generation area its own unique identity.

We put children and young people at the centre

Every decision we make is motivated by wanting to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

We believe that all children and young people are naturally musical. Our role, and the role of our musician educators, is to find ways to nurture their creativity and guide them in reaching their full potential.

We create the opportunities and provide the support needed for children and young people to carve out their own musical path. Their voices are valued and they are encouraged to play an active part in deciding how they make and experience music.

We value quality in all our work

We strive for the highest standards in everything we do and we are committed to learning and improving every day.

In 2019 we published our first strategy for quality. Its overarching intention is that any child or young person engaging in a Music Generation programme should have the best possible quality of experience.

Through partnership we achieve more

Each local programme is reinforced through partnerships, developed over time with like-minded organisations and individuals. Their valuable, on-the-ground collaboration helps us reach more children and young people and allows us to support and sustain their musical journeys. Read more about our partners

We’re only getting started

Our first ten years have seen an explosion of music in schools, community hubs and youth work settings in Ireland, from Cork to Carlow, Dublin to Donegal and beyond. We have launched community choirs and traditional Irish music ensembles, opened production studios and rolled out mobile recording facilities. We have created hip hop musicals and commissioned symphonies for strings, led international tours and hosted gala concerts in local arts centres. We have seen the development of inter-county festivals, professional development networks for musicians, and reached thousands of children and young people in schools across Ireland.

The good news is, we’re only just getting started.