Project
Singing and Sustainable Social Integration facilitates a number of educational, community-based and music led projects in Limerick to examine the impact of music on the integration and inclusion of newcomers in Ireland. Projects include ‘World Carnival’ in Presentation Primary School and the ‘Irish World Music Café’ in CB 1 Limerick; a community café and gallery. It also supports musicians using their music to promote social inclusion, for example, Elikya Choir, the longest established Congolese ensemble in Ireland. We have been engaged in qualitative research around these projects and others since 2000.
According to Global Trends, a report of the United Nations Refugee Agency, there are more than 65 million people currently displaced across the world. The first preoccupation of any migrant is with the basic human needs of food, shelter and safety. Migrants also have the same emotional and psychological needs of all people and there is a growing body of research demonstrating that music can play a very important role in meeting these needs. Our projects are built around an investigation of three primary ways in which singing is seen to play a role in social integration: * Social Singing: informal contexts emphasising social inclusion * Diversity Singing: celebrating diverse cultural practice *Education Singing: singing as a means through which inclusion skills can be acquired
Doras Luimní (human rights and migrant support NGO) Irish Chamber Orchestra Music Generation Central Buildings Community Project Presentation Primary School Elikya Ensemble and other newcomer musicians
The Irish Research Council recognised the initial research in this area through funding a ‘best practice’ study, proposing the Limerick project as a potential international model. Qualitative feedback from our partners and participating musicians: “The Irish World Music Café has been a hugely positive experience for our learners and the people with whom we work. Music is a fantastic way for people to connect with each other, particularly when there are language barriers. The Irish World Music Café has enabled people from new communities to interact and engage with each other, the tutors, staff and the wider Limerick community through song and in a relaxed environment. We’re all looking forward to the next event and we hope to see this initiative grow and become a permanent fixture in Limerick city.” Aideen Roche, Doras Luimní Communications & Campaigns Officer “ELIKYA has provided a new breath of life on a personal side. Not because it means hope but because of the spirit within the organisation and the family. The warmth and peaceful environment that surrounds the music is what attracted me the most. Elikya became a passion that renews my thoughts and ways every day. As a member of the Elikya band I’ve realised that we all have hopes and whether we’re old or young our personality resonates around us. Perhaps Elikya is gathering the best sound to create harmony among the human race and provide a place of peace and everlasting love for people.‘’ Eric Kings, Musical Director, Elikya ‘’As a community musician, World Carnival was an extraordinarily rewarding experience. In Presentation Primary School, we used music and singing as tools for exploring and discovering new cultures, languages and traditions.Each week was a musical adventure and an opportunity for me to learn from the children as well as teach.’’ Kathleen Turner, Musical Director, World Carnival and Course Director, MA Community Music, Irish World Academy of Music and Dance “World Carnival brought a festival of colour, sound and happy faces to both the children and adults of Presentation Primary School. Tapping feet and swinging hips couldn’t be stopped as we sang, danced and were lost in the music. It was a wonderful project that celebrated the many cultures in our city and our school in a fun and inclusive way. We are privileged to have been part of it” Laura Horgan, Principal of Presentation Primary School, Sexton Street
Learning
Research
There is a growing body of arts-based, sociological and psychological research evidencing the positive role played by singing in social integration and incusion. The international migration crisis raises profound humanitarian issues around integration. This song-based research explores a three-pronged, evidence-based approach to sustainable integration of migrants and refugees through social singing, diversity singing, and educational singing. The project is run by the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick in partnership with Doras Luimní, an NGO supporting migrants and refugees. It is also supported by the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Music Generation, the Irish Research Council, Presentation Primary School, Central Buildings Community Project, and newcomer musicians in Ireland, both amateur and professional. It aims to increase awareness of this approach through networking and dissemination.
The current international migration crisis raises profound humanitarian issues around integration. While singing may not immediately leap to mind as a way of addressing this challenge, there is growing evidence that singing is one of the more sustainable and accessible cultural activities to assist with integration and inclusion. I have been researching the impact of singing on the integration of refugees and migrants since 2000. This research has led me to the conclusion that a synergistic approach to singing is the most successful at bringing about sustainable social integration. This approach combines social singing, diversity singing and educational singing: Social singing involves opportunities to sing and/or listen to music in informal, socially integrated contexts. Diversity singing recognises that, as well as integrating into a new culture, it is important for migrants to have a domain for expressing and transmitting indigenous cultural practices. Educational Singing uses singing as a medium through which integration skills (such as language) may be taught. With this research, we explore ethnographic case studies of singing initiatives with migrants. As well as documenting these discrete cases, this project concerns itself with dissemination and networking and the introduction of this model internationally in the context of other singing and integration projects. There is growing international recognition that accessible cultural production (such as singing) plays an important role in sustainable social integration for migrants and Limerick has been developing capacity in this area through a number of related research projects. This project proposes to build a model of best practice on evidence-based research and to disseminate its findings through networking and publication.
Existing research has been validated by the Irish Research Council through its funding of a ‘best practice’ study. Partners provide regular, qualitative feedback to facilitators and practitioners. Research publications are peer-reviewed.
