{"id":443,"date":"2020-07-21T10:16:25","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T10:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/es\/ceoleileansiar\/?p=443"},"modified":"2021-03-18T11:21:25","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T11:21:25","slug":"term-4-round-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/es\/ceoleileansiar\/2020\/07\/21\/term-4-round-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Term 4 round up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well, what a busy term it has been for the Instrumental Music Service here in the Western Isles.\u00a0\u00a0Here is a brief summary of some of the things our staff and pupils have been involved in.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Online Teaching<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Through eSgoil, utilising the Vscene video conferencing platform and Microsoft Teams provided through Glow, our Instrumental Music Teachers (IMTs) have been able to provide online tuition and we are proud to say that CnES is one of only two local authorities in Scotland who have been able to provide online lessons for pupils from day one of the lockdown.<\/p>\n

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This has also enabled us to continue to deliver our Youth Music Initiative project work (YMI) which fulfils the Scottish Government targets for pupils to receive a year of instrumental lessons before the end of primary school.\u00a0\u00a0Staff worked hard to upskill and as a result have reported a high level of engagement with pupils.\u00a0\u00a0Our staff have been delighted to have been able to continue teaching throughout the lockdown and to have contributed in some small way to the health and wellbeing of our students by providing a focus, not only with online lessons but also project-based work, some of which is outlined below.\u00a0\u00a0Some teachers have even been able to carry on ensemble activities, this is a particularly difficult task online and those tutors involved are to be congratulated on their hard work.<\/p>\n

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The impact of the work undertaken is summed up in this comment from a recent survey which was sent out at the end of term to parents\/carers and pupils:<\/p>\n

“Music l<\/em>essons were a lifeline for my child during lockdown. They were the first lessons to get up and running (soon after schools closed) which provided an anchor for those scary first few weeks.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

e-C\u00e8ilidh and e-C\u00e8ilidh nan Og<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Conceived, administered and produced by Eilean Siar Instrumental Music Service and the Comhairle Multi-Media Unit staff, e-C\u00e8ilidh and the primary school version, e-C\u00e8ilidh nan Og have provided local professional, community and school musicians with a performance focus throughout the lockdown.\u00a0\u00a0They have also enabled some of our staff to flex their presentation and performance skills in front of the camera.\u00a0\u00a0With total views in excess of 79,0000 for the six e-C\u00e8ilidhs and two e-C\u00e8ilidh nan Og events they have certainly proved popular with performers and audiences. Several people commented on the e-ceilidh in our survey.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf possible it would be great to retain the e-ceilidhs on a regular basis as it encourages kids to practice for a purpose and it\u2019s lovely to hear all the other talented people on our islands.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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More information on e-C\u00e8ilidh and e-C\u00e8ilidh nan \u00d2g \u00a0can be found on the dedicated website www.eileansiareceilidh.com<\/a> as well as in the e-C\u00e8ilidh section in this blog site.<\/p>\n

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Key Worker Tributes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thursday night tributes took place weekly since lockdown began and have provided our string, wind, brass, piping students and others, with a weekly focus for practice and learning of new repertoire as well as to show our appreciation for the keyworkers during the pandemic.\u00a0\u00a0The performances became important to family, friends and neighbours with many looking forward to garden\/street performances.\u00a0\u00a0Students were encouraged to record their performances on video many of which they have proudly displayed on social media.\u00a0\u00a0The large bank of heart-warming videos, which music service staff have been sent, attest to the amount of hard work and practice that has gone on by all of our students during lockdown.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHaving tunes to learn and playing on Thursday nights\u2026\u2026\u2026has helped to maintain focus and concentration.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Partnerships\/Local and National Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our staff and pupils took part in various local and national projects, some of which you can read about in our earlier blog posts. These include:<\/p>\n