connect 2018 • 13 musicians assemble music generation 2017-2021 building on partnership • 48,500 opportunities for children and young people to engage in music tuition • 400 employment opportunities, mainly for musicians • Tuition in 800 centres across 11 tuition contexts • 12 Instrument Banks • Delivery of 58,500 tuition hours • 150 different programmes offered across all genres of music • 8,100 musical instruments for young musicians On Friday, 23 May 2018 more than 100 representatives from 17 pro- gramme areas assembled in Dublin City University (DCU) to take part in Music Generation’s inaugural ‘National Musicians’ Day’. A milestone moment on Music Generation’s journey, this event marked the first ever meeting en masse of the extraordinary tutors that make music education happen for the children and young people with whom they work. The day, which was designed in close collaboration with the musi- cians, sought to create opportunities for them to make new connec- tions, share knowledge, reflect on their work, gain inspiration from colleagues, gather fresh perspectives and new ideas to energise their practice in the year ahead. Keynote speaker, musician and composer Bill Whelan, spoke to delegates about their vital role as Music Generation musicians in inspiring and educating our next musical generation: When, at the beginning, Bono expressed U2’s aspiration he said that what they wanted to do was “really simple. We just want to make sure that everyone, whatever their background, gets access to music tuition.” All of you sitting here today are not alone gifted musicians and performers in your own right, but you are also the hands-on ex- ecutors of that “simple” idea… Currently Music Generation creates some 400 employment op- portunities for professional musicians in 17 counties who each week engage in transformational music-making with tens of thousands of children and young people throughout Ireland. In November 2017 the Arts Council of Ireland announced the renewal of its enormously successful partnership with Music Generation, in- cluding an investment of €530,000 over three years, to 2020. The Music Generation/Arts Council Partnership was initiated in 2013 to create opportunities for children and young people to engage with world-class musicians and bring new dimensions to existing local programmes. Projects funded through the partnership’s first phase ranged from a major choral residency for 4,000 young singers in Ireland’s midlands, to an outdoor, all-ages brass and percussion extravaganza in Cork City, to a creative music-making programme for budding bands and song-writers in Donegal. To date, the Partnership has enabled the delivery of 23 diverse residencies and projects in 12 areas of Ireland, involving participa- tion by some 3,500 children and young people, working alongside 190 creative and performing musicians, producers, sound artists and poets. We look forward to seeing and hearing what wonderful musical possibilities will be realised with support through the Partnership during its next exciting phase!