We thought we'd share this amazing story of Macca who joined us at aged 4 and was inspired so much he continued playing the violin. We're so happy that he has joined us this week for work experience at our Harborne Holiday Camp.

Founds Amy states, "Learning that Macca was really inspired by his time at The Strings Club has made my Summer. We're all about inspiring children through music and offering unforgettable experiences so we're just so happy to hear this. We hope Macca enjoys his work experience with us and we hope it ignites, his passion for music even further".

We asked Macca five questions about his experience learning an instrument for the first time with The Strings Club and how it has benefited him growing up.

1. What are your earliest memories of The Strings Club and learning an instrument?

Going right back, I think I was three and I was sitting down around Strings Club and picking between a guitar, violin and ukulele. Distinctly, I remember picking the ukulele, but whether through a change of mind or the influence of my parents, I toddled out of there with a violin instead. It was probably my first proper exposure to instruments. From thereon I attended weekly lessons, with about 4 of us in a room with a teacher, getting time to be familiar with the instrument.

2. Do you feel this inspired you to continue?

I would say so. It was really helpful for me to be in a smaller group, as opposed to being in a classroom with 30 kids, and it really grounded me in taking a more personable responsibility to my instrument learning. Just being able to say “that’s my violin” meant so much to me at that age. It encouraged me to continue with violin and play cello as well.

3. What do you love about playing an instrument and how has it benefited your life so far?

Pursuing my instruments so far has created a lot of great opportunities for me personally especially in terms of ensemble work and learning skills which help me take on new responsibilities with fresh air of confidence. It’s been important to me in that way, showing me a sort of a microcosm of that working environment. A simpler reason is just that it becomes more fun the more I learn; the more I understand the more I can look at other music and appreciate it in a new light. I would like to think that some of my favourite albums and songs wouldn’t have the same touch they do if I didn’t pursue music.

4. What else do you love doing?

I’m trying to draw more, as that’s something I’m passionate about. I love picking out bugs and watching movies and picking out those cool details which get me going and implement them into my own art. Otherwise, I enjoy playing indie games, walking in the canal, collecting transformers and doing theatre on weekends.

5. Top tips for someone starting to play an instrument. 

Take some time to apply your knowledge on something you actually want to learn. Only focusing on your lesson work is a sure fire way to get burnt out fast. One thing that helped me definitely was finding songs from video games I liked and then having fun playing those.

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