The six week workshop programme with artist Robbie Perry was conceived
as part of Earth Explorers, The Ark’s multidisciplinary art project
running from May to August 2009. Earth Explorers aimed to encourage
children and families to engage creatively with the environment and explore
the impact we have on our surroundings through a range of fun, inspirational
and imaginative arts activities. Workshops ran weekly from Thursday
14 May to Thursday 18 June in St Peters N.S. and The Ark.
This specific element of the programme was devised to address the needs of children
with learning and autistic difficulties and in doing so enabled The Ark to continue
to prioritise this key aim within The Ark’s four year strategy. The
programme proposal offered a second opportunity to work with students taught
within the special teaching unit and mainstream classes of St Peter’s National
School, Greenhills, Dublin 12, whose first encounter with The Ark had been during
The Artist In Residence workshops in the 2007 programme. The Ark was eager to
work with and build on relationships with St Peter’s N.S. Involvement in
this subsidised project enabled thirty-two students from the school to experience
an enjoyable and meaningful workshop programme for free.
The workshops were designed to engage students in the exploration of sounds,
vibrations and self-expression using melodic, percussive and electronic instruments
made from existing and recycled materials. Through the processes of free
improvisation, creation of instruments, composition and performance the children
developed new skills and grew in confidence and creative expression.
The workshops received great praise from students, teachers and the artist, demonstrating
that they had been engaging, beneficial and enjoyable for those involved. The
workshop programme in turn proved the potential for ongoing development of the
artist’s specific work with new technology to support the curricular learning
and musical appreciation of children with individual needs.
The workshop programme demonstrated a creative application of new technology
through a relatively cost effective media that the artist had constructed himself. The
benefit of the instruments which utilised new technology was that all students
regardless of their age or ability could produce a range of unique sounds, strengthening
their capacity to express ideas, feelings and experiences through music and composition.
This project would not have been possible without the support of The National
Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) and The Community Foundation for Ireland.
Please click here to view the evaluative case study in PDF format.
