Plenty of fun and noise at the creative music performance camp for children

“LOTS of fun, creativity and music-making to be expected!” beams singer-songwriter, musician and conductor Niamh Keane regarding the summer camp she will be hosting in Music School, Rathcoole.

The summer band camp is a fun and creative music performance camp for children and young people from the ages of 6 and over.

Music School Rathcoole has been based in Rathcoole Community Centre for the past year, and they have students coming to them all year round for music classes in keyboard, guitar and ukulele as well as group and solo performance and listening skills.

Between Niamh and two other musicians, the school have been operating as a collective, working together to build their classes around their students.

They aim to engage them in their interests and help them grow their confidence alongside an enthusiasm for their instrument and music performance.

They love to bring everyone together every couple of weeks to jam songs and encourage solo/group playing.

A young student was even invited to write and perform two original songs last term at the end-of-year summer performance.

The school’s summer band camp will be a hands-on learning experience open to complete beginners and students who are already experienced in performing or playing an instrument.

Guitar, keyboard, ukulele, percussion, singing and drums will be covered as well as songwriting and playing as part of a band.

It will be an interesting and exciting four-day experience with a chance for the band to perform a couple of numbers for family and friends on the final day.

As well as this, Niamh is also working on her debut album, set to be released later this year; “it’s been a whirlwind of a year and the busiest one yet for me as an artist.”

She produced this album herself, which is something she is “really proud” of.

She made the arrangements for the songs over the past year and a half, and then she booked some “beautiful” studios around Dublin to record the vocals, guitar, violin and piano parts herself.

Niamh had some “incredibly talented” friends join her in studios to add electric guitar, mandolin, Irish flute and double bass parts.

The album is called ‘A Stretch of Light’ and features songs that she has written over the past six years, some new ones but mostly older songs that she has been performing live for a long time.

For Niamh, it has been “very cathartic” to hear these “beautiful” full band versions and to be bringing them to new audiences.

She is “really happy” with how the news of her album release has been received so far.

Following the release of the lead single ‘Mornings Past’, it got radio play on BBC Introducing, Radio Nova, and KCLR FM among others, and Niamh was invited on air for a live performance and interview with the wonderful Charlie McGettigan.

She will be performing a tour in venues around the country this summer, kicking off at the Galway Folk Festival and then going to Tullamore, Tipperary, and Sligo, as well as a headline show in Dublin.

Niamh would like to thank the two sound engineers who helped her with the album, Elise Mollé and Declan Lonergan, as well as the funding she has received through the Music Capital Scheme.

The summer band camp in Music School Rathcoole is running from Monday, July 13 to Thursday, July 16 from 9.30am to 2pm each day.

For those interested in signing up or getting in touch, you can contact them at musicschoolrathcoole@gmail.com or 0858455368.

Niamh’s next single, ‘Tar Aníos’, written in Gaeilge, is releasing on streaming platforms on July 3, and the full album will release on Friday, August 21; she will perform a full band gig in the Cobblestone on Saturday, August 22 to celebrate.

Have a look at her social media or sign up to her mailing list through her website, www.niamhkeanemusic.com, where she will be sharing live videos with some of the artists she is collaborating with.

Supported by Music Network’s Music Capital Scheme, funded by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. Music Network is funded by The Arts Council.