Corpus Christi Parents Choir Welcomed to the Irish World Academy

The Irish World Academy was delighted to welcome the Corpus Christi Parents Choir directed by music therapist Sarah Alley to the Academy for a unique performance on the 19th of October. Provost and Deputy President Prof Shane Kilcommons, and Director of the Irish World Academy, Prof Helen Phelan, welcomed the choir.   

 In 2018, Corpus Christi School, Moyross, engaged a music therapist from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, to develop a therapeutic choir for parents of children at the school. This community engaged research project has been formally adopted as a community engagement activity of the Irish World Academy and was recently showcased as a UL Engaged Research project. MA students from the music therapy programme at UL support children and parents, while three PhD students have undertaken collaborative research with participants. As well as bringing choir participants to UL and other venues to perform in public, research outputs include journal publications and a research impact film, created with UL Engage: https://vimeo.com/654914605. This project is guided by three principles of Community Music Therapy, an approach rooted in social change that endeavours to empower individuals, create space for self-expression through active music making, and reduce social isolation (Ansdell, 2002). On evaluation of this project (now in its 4th year), participants cited loneliness as an impetus for joining the group and described key benefits of the programme as ‘Lifting spirits and building community’. “They all understand. We have a voice. We have an opinion.”