Music Generation Laois were delighted to host Irish Singer-Songwriter Duke Special, as part of an 8 day Summer School that focused on songwriting and performance and culminated with 3 days of recording in Golden Egg Studios Portlaoise. This fantastic opportunity was made possible by Music Generation National Development Office’s partnership with the Arts Council.
32 young people participated in the camp, with an eclectic range of instruments, from uilleann pipes to ukuleles. Over the course of the week, some fantastic original songs were written, including ‘Faces’, ‘Inside TV’ and ‘Kevin.’ All these songs will be available on disc format. An intimate concert in the Dunamaise Arts Centre on Friday 3 of July showcased songs, both original and covers, that the young musicians and singers worked on over the course of the week.
Speaking about this year’s focus on songwriting, one participant said, ‘I felt that concentrating [on songwriting] helped not only my understanding of the different methods that can be used to write a song but also my general understanding and knowledge of music, for example how to add different instruments at different points of the song, and how to use dynamics.’
Another participant spoke about Duke Special’s input, and how it brought ‘many productive ideas...[he was] great at telling stories while writing a song. He told us about his inspiration to write lyrics about any concept. He was very funny and I would love to do another writing workshop next year.’
The Music Generation Laois School of Rock and Pop provides tuition in guitar, drums and keyboard, and weekly Jam Sessions for young musicians and singers.
For further information on this or any other Music Generation Laois initiaitives, please contact:
Rosa Flannery
T: 057 8664078
E: rflannery@laoiscoco.ie
www.musicgenerationlaois.ie
32 young people participated in the camp, with an eclectic range of instruments, from uilleann pipes to ukuleles. Over the course of the week, some fantastic original songs were written, including ‘Faces’, ‘Inside TV’ and ‘Kevin.’ All these songs will be available on disc format. An intimate concert in the Dunamaise Arts Centre on Friday 3 of July showcased songs, both original and covers, that the young musicians and singers worked on over the course of the week.
Speaking about this year’s focus on songwriting, one participant said, ‘I felt that concentrating [on songwriting] helped not only my understanding of the different methods that can be used to write a song but also my general understanding and knowledge of music, for example how to add different instruments at different points of the song, and how to use dynamics.’
Another participant spoke about Duke Special’s input, and how it brought ‘many productive ideas...[he was] great at telling stories while writing a song. He told us about his inspiration to write lyrics about any concept. He was very funny and I would love to do another writing workshop next year.’
The Music Generation Laois School of Rock and Pop provides tuition in guitar, drums and keyboard, and weekly Jam Sessions for young musicians and singers.
For further information on this or any other Music Generation Laois initiaitives, please contact:
Rosa Flannery
T: 057 8664078
E: rflannery@laoiscoco.ie
www.musicgenerationlaois.ie