This research project titled: Exploring Processes of Inclusion and Creativity in Music Education Showcases in Schools (EPIC_MUSS), set out to explore musical creativity in a sample of primary and post-primary schools from across a wide geographical area in Ireland. Specifically, the study sought to explore the processes of creative and inclusive music making that lay behind the schools’ previous participation in a non-profit, performance music competition, titled the Waltons RTÉ lyric fm Music for Schools Competition. At European level, creativity has been regarded as an underexploited resource, largely characterised by fragmentation of initiatives (UNESCO, 2019). However, as an all-of-government strategy, the Creative Ireland programme (2017-2022) has sought to connect cultural and creative practices across various sectors to enable access to, and participation in, creativity for all. Theoretical perspectives in the study focused on the nature of school music and representations of musicality in group music making. Research literature also explored collaborative, musical creativity in school contexts, as well as the role of competitions in music making, such as band or choral events. A focus on inclusion and inclusive contexts for music making was also examined. As part of the entry process to the Competition, the schools crafted video recordings of their creative musical endeavours and following a preliminary round, twelve groups, representing schools nationwide, were selected to perform at a finalists’ showcase event in the National Concert Hall. These schools were visited and studied to uncover their creative and inclusive processes. The Competition’s assessment criteria ((i) musicality; (ii) creativity; (iii) collaboration, and (iv) inclusiveness also served as a framework for interpretation, to deconstruct its salient features and to consider how such elements might be foregrounded through participation. The schools’ interpretations of these concepts and subsequent representations through music were also explored. Using collective case study design (Stake, 2012; Yin 2018), qualitative methodology was employed to frame understandings of participants’ experiences in individual sites, as well as in cross-case comparisons. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2012) guided the distillation of insights, drawing from experiences encountered in each of the individual cases, and these were also synthesised in a cross-case analysis of themes. The features of the Competition’s assessment criteria were also employed heuristically to frame understandings of the experiences of all participants and glean unique insights. Through visiting each of the case study sites, conducting interviews with children in primary schools, students in postprimary schools, classroom teachers, music teachers and principals, the study found that the experience of participation is a dynamic, collaborative and inclusive learning process for pupils, students and their teachers. Cultivating a strong identity as a school, reflecting its unique social and cultural contexts, and generating individual stories of growth through the experience, were strong themes in each school’s accounts of the process. Significantly, the musical strengths and unique of identities fused to create a wide range of social, cultural, creative and musical learning experiences that reached far beyond the short stage performance. While competitiveness can have negative connotations, in this instance, the music Competition inspired a unique type of creative and collaborative music making, heightening the experience of school as a community of music makers for all participants in varying, positive ways. Key issues: • The distinctive features of the Competition, especially its theme, sparked creative collaboration across class levels, and between staff and students in unique ways in each school, opening up a range of possibilities for creative exploration. • The parameters of the Competition focused attention on aspects of musical communication, interpretation and style, that were adapted uniquely in each school and shaped according to young people’s abilities, proclivities and experiences. • The processes of the Competition created scope for inclusion, as well as recursive and creative learning experiences in both musical and extra-musical ways. • The role of the National Concert Hall in providing space to perform in a national cultural venue motivated students’ creative work, while the support from RTÉ lyric fm also represented a recognition and valuing of the children and young people’s musical endeavours. For the schools, the impact of building towards the performances was formative, creative and generative—far beyond the experiences of any of the children and young people before, especially those located far from regional cultural centres. Overall, the value of the Competition model was strongly evidenced through the research. The study finds that the experience of participation is a dynamic, collaborative and inclusive learning process for pupils, students and their teachers alike, where the musical strengths and unique of identities of the schools coalesce to create a wide range of social, cultural, creative and musical learnings that reach far beyond the short performance that is presented on stage. Finally, the study concludes with key insights that highlight the potential for learning from such musical performances and competitions. Recommendations for policy development are also outlined.