About

Kieran Quinn’s Teenage Theme Nights give a platform for older teenagers (Transition Year and up) to perform with their peers in a professional, safe and friendly environment. It provides them with invaluable musical experience and encourages them to explore music further in their own lives. Some of the teenagers have also gone on to play important parts in the adult theme nights.

How to get Involved

If you live or attend school in Sligo or the surrounding areas AND you are in 4th, 5th or 6th Yr AND you would like to get involved, please contact Kieran at kieran@kieranquinn.ie with your name, age, instrument and previous musical experience (can be zero).

Kieran’s blog (below), published in the aftermath of Teenage Theme Night #15 in Oct 2018, describes in detail a lot of what is good about these nights.

Kieran’s Blog – 28/10/18

This morning I’m reflecting on the 15th in the series of the Teenage Theme Nights. We had two wonderful nights where almost 70 teenage musicians performed their favourites from the 1970s. 

The four teenagers in this photo – Julie, Joy, Eoin and Conor were our emcees for the two nights. Julie performed an instrumental version of Billy Joel’s Scenes from an Italian Restaurant on piano, Joy arranged strings for and sang Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain, Eoin arranged and sang a Neil Young medley accompanying himself with harmonica and guitar, and Conor led a keys/piano/bass/drums quartet to play Chick Corea’s Spain. And there were many other standout performances over the weekend, too many to list.

But that’s not the point I want to make today.

Expressing yourself, being true to yourself can be difficult as an adult. It can be even more difficult as a teenager. However it’s key to your happiness.

And so when I see these teenagers be true to themselves through their performances, the way they introduce their song, through the jokes they make when introducing their peers, or through the jokes they don’t make when introducing their peers, I know that’s another step in the right direction for them not just as musicians, but as people.

Playing music has helped me hugely along the journey to be myself. And it’s why I enjoy the theme nights (adults and teenage) so much – because through music, I believe they help others do the same.

It won’t be music for everyone, but if you can find something that plays that role for you…stick with it, embrace it, work at it, do more of it. It’s invaluable.

Full list of Teenage Theme Nights

Teenage Theme Night #25 - Questions (March 2022)

Teenage Theme Night #24 - Now That’s What I Call Music (November 2021)

Teenage Theme Night #23 - Those Who Have Gone Before (September 2021)

Teenage Theme Night #22 - Nature (April 2021)

Teenage Theme Night #21 - On a First-Name Basis (November 2020)

Teenage Theme Night #20 - The Grammys (October 2020)

Teenage Theme Night #19 - One-Word Wonders (January 2020)

Teenage Theme Night #18 - Best of British (October 2019)

Teenage Theme Night #17 - Arena Anthems (May 2019) 

Teenage Theme Night #16 - Musicals (January 2019)

Teenage Theme Night #15 - The ‘70s (October 2018)

Teenage Theme Night #14 - The Best of Irish (May 2018)

Teenage Theme Night #13 - Weather and the Solar System (January 2018)

Teenage Theme Night #12 - Location Location Location (October 2017)

Teenage Theme Night #11 - Film Music (May 2017)

Teenage Theme Night #10 - The ‘80s (February 2017)

Teenage Theme Night #9 - Colours (November 2016)

Teenage Theme Night #8 - The Beatles (May 2016)

Teenage Theme Night #7 - Musicals (February 2016)

Teenage Theme Night #6 - Motown (November 2015)

Teenage Theme Night #5 - The Best of Irish (May 2015)

Teenage Theme Night #4 - Love Songs (February 2015)

Teenage Theme Night #3- The Name Game (November 2014)

Teenage Theme Night #2 - Film Music (June 2014)

Teenage Theme Night #1 - The ‘60s (March 2014)