F.C.J. SECONDARY SCHOOL
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MUSIC ACTIVITIES
January 2007
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THE AMERICANS ARE COMING! Their long awaited return is finally about to take place. The F.C.J Band flew across the Atlantic, almost 23 months ago now (it seems like a lifetime ago), and finally our American counterparts have set the date. The 180 students and chaperones from the Mount St. Charles Academy, Woonsocket, R.I. are due to arrive in Bunclody on the 15th of April and will spend 6 days here.
On Monday, April 16th, 2007 the Mount Saint Charles Orchestra & Chorus, as well as our Bands, are set to play in the National Concert Hall. The funds raised by the concert will go to the ‘Friends of Wexford General Hospital Cancer Day Unit Appeal’. Extra week-end rehearsals are about to start here in preparation for this occasion. During their visit the Mount Band will also play for the Primary Schools in the locality and there will be a concert in Bunclody.
Forty senior members of the F.C.J. Band had the privilege of performing for the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, at a ceremony involving all the second level schools in Co. Wexford on Tuesday, January 23rd, in Gorey.
The recruitment of the new Junior Band in September (held every second year) was very successful with 150 applications from 1st and 2nd year students and 107 eventually getting places. This year there are 259 students receiving music lessons in the school and rehearsing with the F.C.J. Bands : 152 Seniors and 107 Juniors.
We are delighted to report that Eoin Young (5th Year) and Niamh Fitzhenry (4th Year) auditioned and have been accepted for membership of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland (Under 18s). Both students play the trumpet and won their places against very stiff competition from all over the country. On New Year’s Day they played in their first concert with the NYOI at The Helix in Dublin under the direction of Gearóid Grant! Well done to Ciara Dunbar (4th Year), who has been accepted into the National Youth Orchestra String Training Programme. Congratulations are also due to Robert Tobin (5th Year) who has been accepted into the Royal Irish Academy of Music for advanced training in flute playing. On December 9th he played with the R.I.A. Wind Ensemble at the N.C.H. and The Helix in December.
On the 13th of November, the 3rd Year Music class attended the ‘Music in the Classroom’ Concert featuring the National Symphony Orchestra in the N.C.H. The event, devised and conducted by our Music Director, Gearóid Grant, gives students from all over Ireland an opportunity to hear their Junior Certificate examination pieces played live.
Two Band members, Mary Jo Bernie (4th year) and Claire Cosgrave (6th Year) performed in the High Achievers Concert on Sunday 24th of September in the National Concert Hall, Dublin. The girls received this opportunity due to their outstanding results in the Grade Examinations of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music London, which were held in the school during the year.
At the school’s Annual Academic Awards Ceremony in September, two Band members won the Leaving & Junior Certificate Awards: James Byrne won the L.C. Award and is now studying Medicine in U.C.D. Maria Tomkins achieved 11 A Grades in the J.C. and all of our Leaving & Junior Certificate Music students got honours in Music in their exams. Of the 24 other Academic Awards, twelve were presented to Band members.
The school’s Annual Prize giving was held in May and the 2006 Music Award was presented to the joint winners Jenna Rothwell and Dermot McClean, both trumpet players. Jenna is now studying Social Science at University College Cork and Dermot is studying Law at Trinity College Dublin.
Music filled the school on Tuesday, May 23rd, for what has now become an annual event - the concerts to raise funds for the F.C.J. Society’s Mission to the Street Children in the Philippines. The Band entertained Junior students in the morning, Seniors in the afternoon and parents that evening. €4,638 was raised, bringing to more than €15,000 the funds raised by the Bands for the Philippines.
On behalf of all those at F.C.J. Bunclody involved in music, thank you for your great interest in us and for your donations to the Anthony Kearns Music Fund.
Eileen Martin,
School Secretary.
