In collaboration with Sanctuary, the Paul Partnership, and Presentation Primary School, the Irish Chamber Orchestra designed ‘World Playground,’ a world music and song project.

Limerick city has the highest concentration of immigrant and asylum seeking peoples in the country. Consequently, Presentation Primary School has one of the most culturally diverse student bodies in the city.

The pupils’ ratio is approximately 50:50 Irish to international, with 21 different nationalities represented. ‘World Playground’ not only encourages children to celebrate these diverse cultures but also to develop common skills in language and communication at an early age. It will also provide young children with the unique opportunity to meet and perform with professional orchestral musicians.

World Playground’ was a project designed specifically for children in Junior Infants – Second Class. Every week an Irish Chamber Orchestra Facilitator worked with each class to learn new world song repertoire.

The songs explored a variety of different cultures and included the nationalities of the children and the musicians taking part.

The project took place over 24 weeks from September 2009 and culminated in workshops with the ICO professional musicians and a public concert held in March 2010, for parents, pupils and the local community.

Sanctuary, the primary partner of this project, is a cultural initiative from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. It is funded by the Higher Education Authority and celebrates the musical traditions of refugees and asylum seekers in Ireland, whilst also recognising the importance of music in cultural integration.