Council strike chord with new guitar initiative
Posted on 1 Feb 2023
A NEW initiative that brings music to the fingertips of local residents is coming to the Three Towns.
North Ayrshire Libraries and Music Service are in partnership with We Make Music Scotland in a National Initiative called ‘We Make Music Instrument Libraries’.
The premise of this initiative is to have musical instruments in public libraries across Scotland which can be borrowed by members of the public free of charge.
Further to the success of this initiative in The Harbour Arts Centre, Kilbirnie Library and Kilwinning Library, this initiative is being extended with a further 14 guitars going into the Three Towns locality.
To celebrate this expansion, a musical performance took place last Thursday in Saltcoats Library featuring guitarists from local secondary schools and the North Ayrshire Chamber Strings Ensemble.
The learn-at-home opportunity is allowing people to borrow acoustic guitars from Kilwinning Library, Kilbirnie Library, Harbour Arts Centre and now Saltcoats Library so that they can learn to strum at home, for free!
Guitars are one of the most universally played instruments and compared to other musical instruments like violin and piano, learning guitar is relatively easy to master.
Councillor Alan Hill, Cabinet Member for Communities and Islands commented: “We are delighted to be extending this initiative to the Three Towns.
“This is a great opportunity to learn something new - boosting your confidence, improving memory and eye coordination, and providing an enjoyable outlet to relieve stress and anxiety.
“The We Make Music Instrument Libraries project is a brilliant learning opportunity in partnership with the Council to do just this… Much like borrowing a book from the library, it’s very easy to do. Simply pop along and register your interest.
“The team will then provide you with an acoustic guitar, its own carry case and details of how to access the easy-to-follow online tutorial guide.
“This really is a great opportunity to learn something new so I would encourage anyone interested to get involved!”
To find out what else is happening at your local library, follow North Ayrshire Libraries on Facebook at: North Ayrshire Libraries | Facebook
We Make Music Scotland is a programme led by Scottish Charity, the Music Education Partnership Group.
The group advocates for excellent music education in Scotland in all forms, and brings together a wide range of partners, from young people and music teachers to schools and local authorities, universities and higher education, freelance music tutors, community music groups and other music organisations. Find out more about them via the website: About – We Make Music (wemakemusicscotland.org)