This article is from page 29 of the 2007-05-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 29 JPG
MAKING beautiful music in Scariff means that pigs will fly – and all ina very good cause.
The youngsters involved in the Scar- iff Music World showed what they could do at a benefit gig in the Cob- blers Rest on Saturday evening.
More than 17 young musicians aged between seven and 12 years played their hearts out in a sponsored seisun which raised money to send a breed- ing sow to a family in need through the Bothar scheme.
The talented young musicians played ten tunes apiece and got each sponsor to pay them €1 per tune learned and
played on the night.
They came together to play and raise funds after learning how to play their instruments at the Music World school, which is an after-schools project run out of the Scariff Community Col- lege.
The music classes were started by the Community College’s head of music, John O’Brien, several years ago.
The classes are for adults and chil- dren alike and lessons are for every level of capability.
Part of the fees for the classes go back to the school to buy musical in- struments for the pupils.
Over the years, students have come to learn everything from guitar to pi-
ano, flute and fiddle.
Numbers vary but the weekly classes are Open to anyone who wants to join although the pupils come mostly from the east Clare area for practical rea- sons.
Which instruments are taught in any year depends on what teachers are available.
Nicki Griffin, who teaches flute and whistle at the school and who helped organise the night said the fundraiser was a way of getting young musicians together to play outside of lessons and jo eee Neer
“This lets them see that there is an end involved, a reason to play beyond the practice and the lessons. It’s play-
ing together in way they have never ex- perienced before and for a cause which will have great benefit,” said Nicki.
Once the young musicians finished their session on Saturday, Nicki and a band of older session players took the floor and did their turn.
“We were sponsored to play 50 tunes at 20 cent a tune. That was only fair because we started knowing more tunes,’ she said.
The cost of sending a breeding sow is €250 and Nicki said that the group had hoped to raise that much rather than aiming too high.
“Now I think we night have raised even more than that and that would be fantastic.”