Feel good video highlights two difficult years for school students
A music project put together by students of St. Oliver’s Community College has resulted in a fantastic video that is bringing smiles and tears to viewers as it’s shared across social media platforms.
The students’ rendition of Wham’s classic hit ‘Last Christmas’ showcases the huge talent at the school and features a number of singers form diverse backgrounds.
Teacher Ronan McQuillan produced the music and also filmed the students over two days for the video in which he captured teachers, cleaning staff and special education classes at the school.
“We’re delighted with how it turned out” Ronan said, “and now that it’s online, we can see it’s somehow captured a little bit of magic. We’ve been getting incredible feedback and lots of people have confessed it’s bringing a tear to their eye!”
While many of the students in the video are studying music for Junior or Leaving Certificate, some of the singers featured were put forward by their friends based on their singing talent.
“This project has done wonders for their confidence,” Ronan said, adding, “it’s lovely to work on something bright and positive after the challenges faced by school students since the pandemic.”
St. Oliver’s Community College suffered a fire in recent years that destroyed the existing music room and stage hall. A new extension planned for the school will include new music rooms.
“As a past pupil of St. Oliver’s I cannot stress how important and influential music as a subject became to me and how it shaped my career as a composer and sound designer.
“I hope people get to watch this video and see the potential that all these singers have. It’s been a joy to work with them. And we’re so proud of how our project has turned out.”
