Walton’s Music for Schools Competition 2025

Details of the 2025 Walton’s RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition have been announced.

Founded in 2012, the Music for Schools Competition is a non-profit national event celebrating and supporting music in Irish schools.

The Competition’s objective is to promote the enormous benefits of creative music making for young people. Its open nature offers schools the opportunity to think and work creatively in any genre (or genres) of music and with any combination of students, developing an original musical project that has learning potential at every stage of the process.

Each year’s Competition culminates in a gala Finalists Concert in the National Concert Hall, in which twelve Finalist school music groups (six primary and six post-primary) perform before their peers and two distinguished adjudicators, as well as one of the Competition’s co-directors.

More information here.

Application Process:

Schools form an instrumental, vocal or mixed music group of no less than 8 and up to 40 members, made up of current students in the school. If required, primary school groups can include up to two adult participants, a conductor and/or an accompanist. Post-primary school groups can include one adult participant, a conductor or accompanist. (Any adult participants should be included and listed as part of the group number and should not bring the group number to over 40 participants.)

The group develops a piece or song, no more than five minutes long, that responds to the year’s Competition theme. The 2025 theme is The Key of Life. The piece or song can be in any music genre (classical, traditional, rock/pop, musical theatre, jazz, world, etc.) or combination of genres, and it can consist of existing or original material.

If the group decides to combine more than one song or piece in their entry, the combination or medley should include no more than three individual song or piece elements. Schools submit a video of the group performing their piece or song, as well as an entry form and jpg photograph of the performing group, by the entry deadline.

Dates:

Deadline:
Apply by Wednesday, 12 February 2025 at 5pm.

Announcement of Finalists:
Friday, 28 February 2025.

Finalists Concert:
Monday, 24 March 2025.