Music Choir using Lámh
18 Feb 2019

Music in Motion

Music in Motion Choir

Music in Motion is a Lámh signing choir supported by the Brothers of Charity Services South East. The choir share and promote the use of Lámh signs through music. Lámh is the manual sign system used by children and adults with intellectual disability and communication needs in Ireland. Music in Motion was formally founded in 2012 by Speech and Language therapist Ashley Boyle and has collaborated and performed with a number of choirs locally.

Lucy Blake in Killean Resource Centre, with support from Maura Bolger, Speech and Language therapist, continues to orchestrate this choir and has initiated and organised the choirs’ appearances at many community events.

Regular events Music in Motion perform at are the Killean Resource Centre Christmas and Easter services, where they collaborate with a range of local choirs and musicians.

Below are some of the events the choir have performed at since 2012.

  • Winterval, which is Irelands’ biggest Christmas festival that is held in Waterford. Music in Motion first performed at Winterval in 2012 and have been part of the festival every year since then.

  • The Waterford Festival of Learning which took place in The Tower Hotel. The Festival of Learning was in association with Waterford City VEC and Waterford Institute of Technology amongst others. Music in Motion gave a 30 minute presentation on the use of Lámh, part of which featured people who use the services of Brothers of Charity Services South East. They demonstrated their use of Lámh, followed by the Music in Motion choir performing a number of songs supported by the De La Salle college choir.

  • The Bealtaine Festival takes place every year in Waterford. Music in Motion have performed twice at this event alongside the Bealtaine choir in John Roberts Square and also in Waterford City Library.

  • The Singing for Wellbeing workshop in Ferrybank Library. This was open to members of the public. The workshop was organised and hosted by Ferrybank Library and delivered by Fr Willie Purcell and his musicians.

  • The Waterford Well festival in which Music in Motion performed with The Bealtainne Choir in Waterford Regional Hospital.

  • Music in Motion were invited to perform as part of the Animated Community Arts event in Christchurch Cathedral in April, where we performed with a number of community groups and collaborated with The Ritz Co-op and Mary Prendergast and Friends.

  • The Wyse Park Family Fun day supported by Ritz Co-op.

  • The choir hosted an event as part of the Waterford Diverse-city festival in August. We invited Fr Willie Purcell to co-host a Singing for well-being workshop with the choir. This was filmed as part of the Diverse-city video entry for the Better Together video competition. The video was shortlisted and as a result some of the choir members attended the awards ceremony in Dublin Castle where they met Joe Schmidt.

  • The choir took part in The Imagine Festival – Parade of Light.

  • Music in Motion performed Christmas carols for the Solas Cancer Support Centre Art and Craft Christmas Fair in December, some members of staff from Killean resource centre and their families sang along with the choir..

  • The Diversity Festival launch in alongside The High Hopes Choir. This event was attended by Aodhán ó Ríordan and Colm O’Gorman.

  • The Blessing of the Hands Nursing Graduation in October 2015 which featured in the RTE 1 documentary Nurses.

  • The choir travelled to Charleville in County Cork where they collaborated with St Josephs Lámh signing choir to present a music workshop followed by a performance of both signing choirs together.

  • Music in Motion hosted a celebration evening for the choir, their families and friends in Killean resource Centre where all watched a video of the choir performing, had refreshments and also had a beautiful cake for the choir to thank them for all their hard work.

  • The choir performed in WIT Arena for The Nursing and Midwifery conference and also taught the large audience how to sign ‘Hello’ and ‘Goodbye’.