Happy Cruinniu na nOg Day! Launching: It All Works Out
Here we are!!! Our "little song that could"......Produced in lock-down and despite the hard-drive with all the soundfiles getting lost in the post, this song and video made it to launch for Saturday June 13, Cruinniu na nOg!
Fifth and sixth class children from St. Colmcille's Senior National School Choir and Grúpa Ceoil join Emilie Conway and her quartet in a song that affirms, even if you have a disability, or you don't quite fit in in school, or a pandemic turns the world topsy turvy, with a little kindness and creativity, it all works out!It all began when my beady eyed 4th class teacher, Mr Murphy of St. Colmcille's, Knocklyon, (from way back in nineteen hundred and eighty-hmmmm"!! ), now dep. principal, spotted my name in relation to this year's Sightsavers children's art competition. Mr Murphy contacted me to ask me to give a talk to the children about my music and etc. I decided to put my "talk" into a song and so I wrote, It All Works Out.Well, the school and children loved the song .. and we began some very excited talks back in early February about recording together with the school choir and grupa ceoil. With the arrival of Covid, hope of recording together looked dashed, until we began to think a bit more creatively! And so here we are! It All Worked Out - in lockdown!I sent the children their parts by email and which they learned and then recorded at home. The sound of all those little voices coming into my inbox over those locked down weeks and then the artwork pouring in made it the most heart-warming project I've ever done. Huge thanks is due to Mr Murphy and all the teachers for agreeing to and facilitating the whole thing. At one point, Mr McGowan, principal, quoted my song back to me !( which was around the time the hard-drive had gone missing but I didn't tell him that!)Please give it a look-listen. It's 3.5mins long and it will brighten your day. You'll also hear my wonderful musicians, Johnny, Barry and Dominic, the studio mastery of Dave McCune and video editing of Richard Lennon, who were all super duper to work with in very strange times.
A wee side-story....back in 4th class, Mr Murphy remembered me most forwas reading. He had brought back a set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books from a sports scholarship in America and I was entranced, obsessed. The books were meant to be read in school but I rememberpleading and being allowed to take them home with me!....Here's the thing, ... he STILL HAS THOSE BOOKS! Over twenty years on and he brought them in the day I gave the school talk !! (Please see photo above.)
Well there you go! i'd love the song to get to radio especially for the sake of this year's 6th classes who are missing all the end of primary school graduations - so if anyone out there knows anyone - shout!
Warmest wishes,
Emilie
UPDATE JUNE 5. 2020!
We’re nearly there! Working away on fine-tuing the recording and video!
To credit all the work, I do believe we have a gorgeous little song, with video!, on the way. The children really did amazingly, recording all at home, and creating some beautiful artwork. Quite a zeitgeist piece. I'm so thankful to them and their parents who so supported the project. It couldn't have happened without the parent facilitation either .....
Our event is up on the Cruinniu Creative Ireland website here:
https://cruinniu.creativeireland.gov.ie/event/it-all-works-out/
As our event has been supported by Dublin City Arts Office, it will launch on Dublin City Arts Office page, 11am June 13. At that time you can go to the Dublin City Arts Cruinniu page to see and hear all our work!!
And of course, welcome to share away..... or send on to family and friends!
In case you try to access the event from the Cruinniu Creative Ireland website , you will read at the bottom of the page: "Further details on this event.." and a big blue link to Cruinniu na nOg, Dublin. Follow this link, and it will also take you to Dublin City Arts Cruinniu page where you can find our event!
And of course, I can send the video and song to the school to put on your website.
UPDATE MAY 25
The recordings are coming in from all the children and they sound ADORABLE! It’s such an absolute joy to listen to every voice and hear the different ways each child sings it. There’s also lovely playing and great precision from musicians in the Grupa Ceoil.
Not only do they all sound great, I’m really impressed at how well they recorded their parts. Just brilliant, Well done to St. Colmcille’s SNS Choir and the Grupa Ceoil. Very excited for mixing this altogether and it’s giving me lots of ideas!
In a way, it’s a happy accident as a result of having to re-adapt this project to Covid-19 guidance. Getting to hear each gorgeous voice individually has given me different ideas about the song’s arrangement .. so let’s see.
HUGE thank you to Mr. Murphy (my 4th class teacher!( Mr. McGowan and the Choir teachers, and Grupa Ceoil teachers for facilitating and supporting this process!! And thank you to the parents!
Keep an eye out for our event being listed on CruinniuCreative Ireland.
Cruinniú na nÓg 2020: It All Works Out, Musical Collaboration with St. Colmcille’s SNS
Fifth and sixth class children from St. Colmcille's Senior National School Choir and Grúpa Ceoil join past pupil, Emilie Conway and her quartet in a song that affirms, even if you have a disability, or you don't quite fit in in school, or a pandemic turns the world topsy turvy, with a little kindness and creativity, it all works out!
Initially planned as an in-person collaboration, this project has been adapted as a virtual one in line with Covid-19 restrictions. Pupils who are in the Choir and in the Grúpa Ceoil are busy learning, practising and recording the song at home and creating artwork for the video. We are all very excited to see how it comes together for launch on June 13!!
"It All Works Out" written and produced by Emilie Conway
Sung by Emilie Conway and St. Colmcille's Choir
Grúpa Ceoil: fiddles, flute and tin whistles.
Johnny Taylor: piano, Barry Donohue: double bass, Dominic Mullan: drums
Video artwork by St. Colmcille's SNS fifth and sixth class pupils.
Video by Richard Lennon, Darn Skippy Productions
Recorded at Home and at Camden Recording
Mixed and mastered by Dave McCune, Ventry Recording
Special thanks to St. Colmcille's SNS especially Emilie's fourth class teacher, Deputy Principal John Murphy, and Principal, Brian McGowan, for their facilitation, enthusiasm and support of the project and its re-adaptation. A big thank you to Grúpa Ceoil directors, Sarah Jane Woods and Alison Neville, Kate Kirwan, Sarah O'Keeffe, Maurice O'Keeffe; and to the Choir directors, Sinead O'Brien, Emer O'Connor, Sue Synnott and Tara Walsh for all their assistance, support and enthusiasm!A huge thank you to all the children of St. Colmcille's and their parents and guardians for their essential and beautiful contribution to this work!
