Madam, - In response to Toner Quinn's letter of April 24th, the Music Education Working Group was established to generate debate at policy level on music education in Ireland. To this end, the group strongly welcomes participation from all relevant constituencies which have been working to compensate for official neglect in music education provision.
This argument is too broad to be burdened by genre-specific - and countless other possible sub-sectoral - issues.
The model proposed by the Music Network report, A National System of Local Music Education Services, is inclusive, non-discriminatory and open to all musical genres. The existing pilot music education partnerships in Co Donegal and the city of Dublin both encompass music teaching in a range of genres, including traditional Irish music.
Delegates attending the seminar organised by the Music Education Working Group on April 18th included representatives from a number of organisations from the traditional music sector. A key outcome of the seminar was the unanimous endorsement of the Music Network report as the way forward for music education in Ireland.
Music Network and the Music Education Working Group value the contributions of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, the Willie Clancy Summer School, Na Píobairí Uilleann and the countless other summer schools and organisations active in providing music education in Ireland.
Our aim is to harness this work into a coordinated national policy, bringing educational provision to areas that have not benefited to date, and ensuring that for subsequent generations access to music education, in all its forms, will no longer be an accident of geography or social circumstance. - Yours, etc,
DEIRDRE McCREA, CEO, Music Network, On behalf of the Music Education Working Group, c/o The Coach House, Dublin 2.