Celebrating
Highland Music...

5th - 15th Sept 2008

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YMI: Youth Music Initiative

About Youth Music Initiative (YMI)

This continues to be a successful partnership with the Highland Council, delivering up to 12 weeks per year of traditional music lessons in all 196 primary schools in the area. In the academic year 2005-06 it is expected that 5,237 pupils in Highland will have participated in this scheme. Over the last 12 months, Rae McEachern has taken on the responsibility of coordinating the project on behalf of Fèisean nan Gàidheal, and she is in regular contact with Fèisean, tutors and the schools to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as it should. In addition, tutor training sessions have been organised and new teaching materials developed.

Feedback from schools and pupils has been very positive indeed and it appears that the project is going from strength-to-strength. Of particular significance is the employment this scheme offers to musicians in the Highlands, and many are choosing to settle in the area, given the regular supply of work.

The traditional music programme of the Youth Music Initiative covers all primary schools in the Highland Council area. Each school is given a 12-week programme broken into three 4-week blocks and with their choices being taken from the menu of options. In order not to duplicate or interfere with existing music provision in schools, the options offered lay in four main areas; tin whistle, Gaelic song, children’s song and group music. Musicians and artists involved in the initiative have included such talents as Rachel Walker, Deirdre Graham, Louise MacKenzie and Bob Massie.

For more information of the Youth Music Initiative contact: rae@feisean.org