Folk trio The Henry Girls recently completed an Inspire Level 1 residency at Rossmar Special School, Limavady, creating meaningful moments of joy, creativity and musical connection for pupils across the school community.
Launched in 2016, Inspire is Live Music Now’s workforce development programme designed to enrich music provision in special schools while supporting musicians to develop skills in inclusive and accessible music-making. Delivered by Karen, Lorna and Joleen of The Henry Girls, with mentorship from musician Cindy Yung, the programme brought regular live music experiences into classrooms through engaging, interactive sessions tailored to the needs of each group.
Working with three different class groups each week, sessions were carefully adapted by the musicians to support a wide range of ages, abilities and communication styles, encouraging every child to participate in their own way.
In Lilacs class, pupils explored an exciting variety of musical genres, from nursery rhymes and classical pieces to Irish traditional music, while experimenting with shakers, drums and chime bars. Cedar class worked collaboratively with the musicians to compose original music to accompany a video documenting a visit to a local café as part of their work experience programme. Meanwhile, Rowan class sessions focused on singing, movement and app-based music activities designed to encourage creativity, confidence and self-expression.
Throughout the residency, children were encouraged to take ownership of the creative process by contributing lyrics, experimenting with percussion instruments and using ICT tools to compose original pieces of music together. The impact of the programme within the school environment was deeply felt by both pupils and staff.
“One child, who had been having a very difficult morning transitioning to school, walked into the Music Live session and smiled. He went straight to the piano, where he played the first 8 notes of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony (from memory). He displayed an excellent understanding of rhythm when he played a drum in perfect time with the music.”
– Cindy Yung, Musician
The Inspire Level 1 programme at Rossmar Special School proved a rewarding experience for pupils, staff and musicians alike highlighting the transformative impact of collaborative music-making. Following the success of the residency, The Henry Girls are continuing their partnership with Rossmar Special School through an eight-week Count Me In! programme, culminating in a showcase performance in June 2026.
The Inspire Level 1 and Count Me In! programmes have been made possible thanks to support from the SPAR Community Fund and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Annual Funding Programme.
Photo credit: Stephen Latimer Photography.
