The spirit of the City of Derry Jazz Festival is still echoing through classrooms across Derry and Strabane, as Live Music Now’s 2026 schools outreach programme reaches its end point. Having delivered 28 concerts reaching over 4100 local primary school children, the initiative brought live jazz and creativity directly to thousands of young people—many experiencing the genre for the very first time.
Building on a successful partnership with the festival since 2017, Live Music Now has spent the past nine years connecting over 22,000 pupils with high-quality live music. This year’s programme has continued that legacy, combining in-person workshops with digital concerts to ensure as many children as possible can take part.
Inside school halls, pupils clapped along to infectious rhythms, experimenting with improvisation and discovering the stories behind jazz and blues. Designed to be inclusive and accessible, the sessions invited children of all abilities – including those in special schools and specialist provision in mainstream schools – to actively participate, express themselves and build musical confidence. The response from schools has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Our children absolutely loved the performances and really enjoyed the opportunity to take part in a number of the musical pieces. It was a wonderful experience for everyone involved and a brilliant way to build excitement ahead of the 25th year of the City of Derry Jazz Festival.” – St Oliver Plunkett Primary School
As well as the in-person workshops, this year schools had the chance to join the celebration through the programme’s popular Musical Mondays – a series of free, live-streamed concerts designed to reach even more classrooms across the district.
Schools across Derry and Strabane were invited to join The Henry Girls for two interactive Zoom concerts, with one specially adapted for children in SEN classes and Specialist Provision in Mainstream School classes. In total, the two concerts reached over 3000 pupils, streamed live into 45 mainstream primary schools and classrooms, and 30 SEN and Specialist Provision in Mainstream School classes.
Feedback from teachers emphasised the joy and engagement that The Henry Girls brought to their Monday morning.
“One child said, it was really great and one of their best days!”
“A different musical experience for our pupils allowing them to discover new instruments and genres in engaging ways”
“Thank you so much to The Henry Girls. You are all amazing! Wonderful performers and a great example of how to make music time fun!”
Commenting of the success of the project, Live Music Now NI Programme Director Margaret Kelly said:
“This is one of our favourite times of the year and it has been inspiring to see the energy of the City of Derry Jazz Festival live in classrooms across the region. Through this programme, we’ve been able to spark curiosity, creativity and confidence in thousands of young people – many discovering jazz for the very first time – and that sense of connection and joy is exactly what Live Music Now NI is all about.”
Jazz Festival Coordinator with Derry City and Strabane District Council, Aisling McCallion, added:
“Legacy is so important to us at the City of Derry Jazz Festival and ensuring that people of all ages have the opportunity to engage with the programme and experience the thrill of a live music performance. The Live Music Now Programme provides a wonderful opportunity for young people to meet some of our talented local musicians and perform with them in a relaxed and fun environment. It’s a unique and memorable experience that has inspired many to follow a musical pathway, which is what the festival is all about, bringing music to a new generation.”
You can enjoy live jazz in various venues throughout Derry from Wednesday 29th April – Monday 4th May 2026. The full programme is available here: www.cityofderryjazzfestival.com
