Free music lessons in Millport is life-changing altruism in action

Even if you left school without learning a musical instrument, it's never too late to start (Picture: Joe Klamar) | AFP via Getty Images

Playing a musical instrument can be incredibly rewarding, life-changing even. But for those who left school without any musical training, it can seem like something that has passed them by.

When violist Arianna Ranieri was touring rural Scotland with Women in Chamber Music last year, she overheard members of the audience saying they wished they had taken lessons and that there were no nearby teachers.

“It really stuck with me because I felt quite sad that this part of my life was not shared by so many people,” she said. And so Ranieri, who is studying for a PhD in rural community music at Edinburgh Napier University, decided she would offer classes, free of charge, starting in Millport on Great Cumbrae.

She worried she’d be “pulling teeth to get participants”, but the sessions were “unbelievably successful”. Her class has now started their own ensemble and will perform a concert this weekend. “It has just grown into a part of the island,” she said.

What a wonderful thing to do. Even if we cannot hear her students play, Ranieri’s altruism is music to our hearts.