School Choir
The Holy Family Senior School choir meets each Friday in the hall and is made up of a dedicated group of boys and girls from 3rd to 6th class. Under their directors Jillian Bridge, Antoinette Loftus and Fiona Hickey they prepare fun and varied programmes of sacred pieces for the sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation. They also learn fun and popular secular choral pieces which they perform at concerts and fundraisers throughout the year at school or in the parish. They regularly participate in the Hallelujah Concerts in the RDS in Dublin and in The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland Peace Proms Concerts in The University of Limerick where they join with hundreds of children in a combined choir accompanied by a symphony orchestra.
In 2012, they came first in Ireland in the Walton's Music for Schools Competition and won €3000 worth of musical instruments. They were highly commended by the judges for their musicality, creativity, inclusiveness and originality.They To date they have sung for President Michael D. Higgins, former President Mary MacAleese, I.N.T.O. Presidents, and various other dignatories.
The School Band
The school band meets every Friday, under the direction of Eilís Faherty and Hugh Connolly. They prepare a variety of different musical pieces, most of which are Irish Traditional Music. The school band perform regularly at the Seinn na nÓg Concerts and enhance all our school concerts and events with their wonderful music. The band performed for Minister John Gormley, when the school received its first green flag. The school band also acts as orchestra for Christmas musicals.
Band Performing at Fleadh Nua
The School Rock Band
The school rock band meets each Friday with their tutor Graham Keane. They are taught a wonderful repertoire of Rock / Pop songs that they love and work with their tutor closely on this. They are not taught an instrument in rock band rather their current musical abilitity is developed and nurtured and they are given the opportunity to perform as part of a group - a really cool group!!
This wonderful group of musicians are comprised of drummers, keyboard players, guitarists, brass players, string players, accordian, concertina players and singers. Basically, any instrument is welcome to the rock band.
This group have performed in Glór, The University of Limerick, as part of The Ennis Street Festival and at the opening of the new market building in Ennis.
Rock Band Performing in UL
Music Generation Clare
We are so blessed at Holy Family Senior school to have Music Generation Clare involved with our school, delivering high quality, low-cost tuition to our students. Each week talented professsional instrumental tutors visit our school and provide music lessons in violin, guitar, concertina and percussion. Piano lessons are also provided in the local music school under the same scheme.This is a wonderful opportunity for any child and a huge convenience for parents as this tuition happens in school...after school. Lessons are heavily subsidised and children attending these lessons are very lucky indeed.
The initiative began in 2014 with a strings programme to our then 4th class students. They have now been studying violin for three years under the guidance of Ciarán Collins in a group setting during school time as part of their playing instruments strand unit of the Music Curriculum.
Guitar and percussion lessons take place after school on Tuesdays in The Parents' Room with Graham Keane, while our two concertina groups attend lessons with Padraig Rynne in the Teachers' Resource Room.
Piano lessons take place in Maoin Cheoil an Chláir on Monday evenings with Meghan Dineen.
All our instrumentalists are given ample opportunites to perform and to showcase their musical skills in public. To date they have performed in school - at assemblies, recitals and for special events; they have performed as part of The Ennis Street Festival on a float at The O'Connell Monument; they also have performed in The World Music Centre in The University of Limerick as well as Glór and the new market building in Ennis.
Pupils who are afforded this opportunity must commit to their new instrument for one full year in order to give it a proper chance. Learning a musical instrument is a lifelong skill that they can bring anywhere in the world with them, it improves academic skills, it develops physical skills, it cultivates social skills, it refines discipline and patience, it can help them make new friends, relieves boredom, and above all is great fun.
Summer Recital Coffee Morning
Each Summer, H.F.S.S. host a Summer Recital Coffee Morning to showcase all the wonderful musicianship taking place in our school. Those involved include our school choir, our traditional music school band, our rock band and all our Music Generation Clare instrumentalists. This is a wonderful opportunity for parents, grandparents and friends to come along and see their child perform as part of a group and to experience the joy of watching their child showcase their musical skills.
Christmas Musical and Nativity
Holy Family Senior School hosts a Christmas Musical every second year. Past musicals include Alice in Wonderland, Ali Baba, The Snow Queen, The Twelve Days of Christmas and Hansel & Gretel. Each musical is a whole school production, with every pupil from 2nd to 6th class playing a part on stage.
Every other year we hold a magical Christmas Nativity recalling the First Christmas. This is a beautiful evening of song, dance and scripture involving all our pupils as well as their parents.
Christmas Musical
Walton's Music for Schools Competition
Holy Family Senior School Chamber Choir were chosen as finalists and subsequently went on to become the First Prize Winner of the inaugural Walton's Music for Schools Competition in 2012. With their performance of 'One Small Voice' from Sesame Street they wowed the audience and adjudicators of this prestigious competition which was held in The National Concert Hall in Dublin.
The choir were highly commended for their originality, creativity, inclusiveness and musicality and won the €3000 prize from Walton's Music Store.
Since winning the prize, the choir have been very busy. The week of the competition the local media response was huge. They were on the local radio station Clare FM, and there were articles written about them in The Clare Champion newspaper, The Clare People newspaper and the parish newsletter. Also, the amount of phone calls and emails they received from inspectors, retired staff, local businesses, etc. was phenomenal.
The following is a synopsis of the events they took part in following their win
The Late Late Toy Show
In October 2012, Holy Family Chamber Choir were short-listed to audition for The Late Late Toy Show in the RTÉ studios in Dublin. Their director, Jillian Bridge had sent off the entry form and included a recording and video of the children singing 'One Small Voice'. The judging panel in RTÉ loved the entry and invited the children to come to Dublin and audition. The judges also wanted the children to perform a Christmas number at the audition.
On Saturday 27th October, a 70 member strong Holy Family School Choir set off to Dublin and did an amazing audition. They were highly commended and the judging panel loved their repertoire and musical performance.