OnFife’s Musical Instrument Library is about to hit a high note with March Music Madness.

OnFife’s Musical Instrument Library is about to hit a high note with March Music Madness.

Based at Lochgelly Centre, the service lets people take out and try instruments for free, just as you would borrow a book.

The centre will be alive to the sound of music every Saturday morning in March with a series of different musical activities, all free, for young and old to get involved with. March Music Madness is marking the culmination of work by volunteers to improve the instrument library’s cataloguing system.

The instrument library has been a real community success story, with all the instruments – there are now over 100, from guitars to French horns – donated by people in Fife. Now, it’s also brought together volunteers who have been updating the instrument catalogue with new images and information to make it easier for people to decide what to borrow.

March Music Madness kicks off on 1 March with a Musical Instrument Library Open Morning, where all the library instruments will be out for the public to see and music tutors will be on hand to help people ‘have a go’.

“People will also get a chance to hear the tutors play, be shown how to access the Musical Instrument Library Catalogue and learn all about the upcoming Saturday morning workshops,” said Debra Salem, one of OnFife’s Creative Instigators and who has been co-ordinating the project.

The free music workshops will run from 11am to 12.30pm in the Studio and each week the session will cover different instruments. On 8 March, it will be Only Strings Attached with strings, ukeleles and guitars; 15 March is Band on the Run with a band-type session with electric guitars, bass and drums; 22 March is All Things Brass and Beautiful with cornets, trumpets, French horns, tenor horn and bugles, and finally on 29 March is The Big Jam Session where all the tutors will be there to support everyone who comes along to play together.

“Whether you’ve never played before or have more skill – all are welcome and if you have an instrument at home, bring it along to play at the relevant week’s session,” said Debra. ?“And we’ll also have the café open from 11am to 1pm if you’re bringing someone else and want to wait with a coffee and a filled roll.”

The sessions can be booked here or at the Lochgelly Centre box office.

The Musical Instrument Library is part of national programme launched by We Make Music Scotland to get musical instruments into libraries across Scotland. The organisation also provided funding, through Creative Scotland’s Youth Music initiative, for March Music Madness in addition to some new instruments for the library.