Musical instrument rental initiative launched
BUDDING young musicians will now be able to borrow instruments from the local library thanks to a new initiative launched last week.
The scheme, which is a collaboration between Wicklow County Council and Music Generation Wicklow, is designed to encourage young people to start playing an instrument and they will now be able to rent the likes of guitars, saxophones, accordians and flutes from branches of Wicklow County Library.
The music instrument banks will be placed in Arklow and Blessington libraries and will be available to rent by families or community music groups providing an opportunity for young people to try out playing an instrument before making a financial commitment.
Music Generation Wicklow is a local partnership between Music Generation Ireland, the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) and Wicklow County Council. At the end of Music Generation’s first (hugely succesful) phase in 2015, the elected members of Wicklow County Council decided to give funding for a scheme that would support children progressing onto instrumental learning from choral singing and to encourage new participants to consider picking up an instrument.
The scheme, which was launched on Monday, May 8, is also funded by the KWETB and the Department of Education and Skills and is managed and administered by KWETB and it steering committee, Wicklow Music Education Partnership.
Cllr Pat Fitzgerald, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, and Cllr Nicola Lawless, Chairperson of Wicklow Music Education Partnership, officially launched the scheme at County Buildings.
Several young Music Generation Wicklow students performed at the launch to demonstrate the importance and joy of music education in the lives of young people.
More information will be available on the availability of the instruments on the library websites in the next few weeks.