This weekend a special music event will take place at St Mary’s College in Derry showcasing a unique project undertaken by the Ulster Orchestra, St Mary’s College and local Spina Bifida group Shine.
The project was designed and developed around the City of Culture’s Music Promise programme to enable children and young adults with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus to engage in an inclusive project allowing participants to explore and develop their existing musical skills.
They will also now have the opportunity to perform live on stage with family members and friends at a wonderful free family event on Saturday at 7.00pm.
The youngest performer on the night will only two-years-old, and the musicians will play a range of instruments at all levels of ability.
Support and Development worker with Shine, Sandra Campbell, explained: “The whole idea was to create an inclusive project which bridged a spectrum of abilities, and allowed the participants to work with a range of different instruments and sounds.
“We had teenagers from St Mary’s school, members of the Ulster Orchestra, and members of Shine all working together in a series of workshops since May.
“It’s not often that members of Shine have access to performance opportunities due to their physical disabilities, so this was a fantastic project which everyone really enjoyed. I have to say I’ll be really sorry when it’s all over.”
The event will be a musical extravaganza with something to offer all music fans – from nursery rhymes to Abba and Queen. But the project has been of benefit to all the musicians on many different levels to all those involved according to Sandra.
Saturday’s performance will take place at 7.30pm in St Mary’s College, and is free to the public, with refreshments afterwards.
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