StKilian’s Community School

SOUNDWAVES FESTIVAL

One of the aims of the Music Syllabus is to promote ‘a culture of creative enjoyable engagement with Music’. I am passionate that people will love music if they feel it, experience it, hear it, and never close their minds to hearing things that sound differently.

Essentially, it is life experience to attune oneself to the other (whoever or whatever that may be) and accept that it may not be the same as me but will only enhance and enlarge my world view. This is what I hoped would happen in some small way this week for all of us: to hear the other.

We had some amazing and magical music in our school recently with our second Soundwaves Music Festival. The festival was due to take place from October 16 to October 20 but, due to ex-Hurricane Ophelia, some of the activities were deferred to the following week. It was a festival of fun and music-making, enjoyment and talent as we were entertained by our own students, staff and guests. We had students from every single year-group including debuts for a number of students who had never performed in front of the school before.

For four lunch-times, the canteen was packed to capacity as we clapped and enjoyed the fun and frolics on stage playing guitars, ukuleles, drums, from our participating students and staff, and some incredible dancing from Caleb McGrane (LCA2). It is often an ordeal for students to play or sing in front of their peers so we aim to encourage, cajole and provide a platform for students to perform. Some students even composed their own music i.e. Saoirse O’Neill (third yr), Nathan Flanagan (sixth yr) and Ben Rowsome (fifth yr).

We had a joint talent show-case between pupils of St Fergal’s National School and our students. Students from both schools participated and entertained one another with song, dance, baton-twirling and instrumental playing. What an exhibition of extraordinary talent. Our own past-pupils, Tia Kenna, Jordan Maher, Dylan Cassidy and Jamie Brierton, now students in BIMM, came and gave a lively concert interspersed with information about the course at BIMM Kenneth Harte gave a talk about the Sound Engineering course in BIFE.

We had a large group of primary school traditional musicians from St Martin de Porres National School in Aylesbury, Tallaght. They came and treated us to a really wonderful selection of Irish music over lunch-time, with songs, tin whistles, flutes, bodhrans and drums, directed by their teacher and traditional flautist, Brian O’Donnell. Tim Doyle from Music Generation gave an enjoyable and riveting performance on the uilleann pipes displaying facets of the instrument and exploring the different times and tempos of traditional Irish music.

Our current fifth year students, Jamie Owens and Miguel Luna, did a workshop with selected senior students on music composition and arrangement software. Students found the experience of Soundwaves inspirational, enjoyable, fun and said it created a great atmosphere in the school.

I would like to thank our principal, Mr John Murphy, and the dedicated staff of St Kilian’s without whose support and encouragement this would not be possible. Finally, thanks to all our wonderful fun-loving students who coordinated and participated in all of the events. Thank you to our guest artists for sharing their extraordinary talent with us.

But most of all a HUGE thank you to our fabulous music teacher Ms Louise O’Sullivan, who has created this, and many other outstanding and memorable musical experiences in our school since her arrival. Certainly the rhythm of St Kilian’s resounds to the beat of her all inclusive heart, and the smiling faces everywhere are in part due to all the great things happening musically in our school. Well done Louise and to all who took part.

ZOO VISIT

Classes 2N and 1Z went to Dublin Zoo on Thursday, October 28, as part of their CSPE Action Project. Pupils took part in a class on stewardship, and were introduced to a number of endangered animals as a part of their visit.

They learnt about protecting these animals, and had a great day out facilitated by their teacher Ms D’Arcy.

Now the hard work starts. They have been divided into groups to carry out various aspects of this project and will also be working in a cross – curricular context with their art teacher Ms Hume to produce posters highlighting the dangers to these species.

A big thank you to Ms D’Arcy for organising and to all the other teachers, SNAs and the librarian who accompanied the group on the day, helping to make it an enjoyable, worthwhile and educationally valuable experience for all.

HALLOWEEN FUN

This Halloween all the spooks were out and about in St Kilian’s, where Ms Watson and the student council hosted a very enjoyable and successful fancy dress day.

On Friday, October 26, the school was filled with ghosts, ghouls and zombies but despite the scary characters around the school, there were lots of happy faces, and not just due to the impending holiday.

An amazing €320 was raised and all proceeds went to Silverpines Community House in Bray which provides respite breaks and therapy for children with disabilities.

A huge thank-you to all involved, particularly to Ms Watson herself who somehow managed to avoid being photographed by Mr Murphy in the wonderful selection of ghoulish photos published here last week.