Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) were delighted to recently welcome their friends and collaborators from the Curso de Música Silva Monteiro, Portugal. This group of music teachers were visiting the Institute to participate and undertake professional development with teaching staff in DkIT.  Whilst working with lecturers in the Institute this group also received a workshop from Dr Daithí Kearney on Irish traditional music.

DkIT has previously collaborated with this group from Porto on our Erasmus+ funded projects and this Portuguese musical group is also currently involved with the Institute on the Music and Mindfulness for Children project. This venture has been extremely successful to date and has created opportunities for staff and students at DkIT to join forces on international projects aimed at inspiring and supporting teachers to work with arts & mindfulness in their educational practice.

During this project the Department of Creative Arts, Media and Music has worked with the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Early Years on the Erasmus + Strategic Partnership 'AMiE' - an acronym that stands for Arts & Mindfulness in Education. The project aims to help to meet the need for preventive measures aimed at children to support their mental health. The aim of the initiative is to provide European teachers with inspirational and supportive tools regarding the introduction of mindfulness in pre-primary and primary education.

During their recent visit the team of music teachers from Curso de Música Silva Monteiro kindly performed at the Institutes’ concert celebrating DkIT’s 50^th Anniversary which was held in the Droichead Arts Centre.