What people are saying about the Scots Music Group
Quotes from Scots Music Group members
- ‘What I felt was an instant sense of belonging’
- ‘Not only were the classes excellent, but the end of term concert was a joy, bringing together complete beginners and regular players, who encouraged one another to play’
- ‘I am a young 68 and I have not finished learning with this excellent organisation yet. I remain a very grateful OAP with a spring in my step thanks to you.’
- ‘The Scots Music Group has opened a lot of doors for me. I’ve started being able to do things I didn’t have time for before. It’s been inspirational. The tutors are so welcoming and helpful. It’s an empowering organisation, and confidence-building too. It’s great that we can have fun and develop new skills at the same time. I feel a real sense of achievement. The other important thing is that I feel part of a community’
- ‘The best thing is when you’re playing for a dance, and you see the feet moving in time to music that you’re helping create. It gives me a buzz I don’t get in other ways.’
- ‘A good supportive atmosphere’
- ‘The Scots Music Group tutor involved has demonstrated outstanding skill, patience and persistence and has worked miracles with me. ’
- ‘Smashing fun! Smashing music! Smashing tutors!’
- ‘Start as a beginner and watch yourself blossom, or bring your lifetime skills and share them around’
- ‘I just can’t remember what my life was like before I joined the Scots Music Group’
- ‘It really has made life sparkle’
- ‘I am amazed at how far I have come and how much I have enjoyed and am enjoying playing and learning.’
- ‘The impact is impressive – both for individuals, for traditional music in Scotland and beyond, and for the community of Edinburgh’
- ‘I can’t visualise a time when I won’t be with SMG. May it grow from strength to strength’
- ‘SMG has opened so many doors for me and I’ve discovered talents I didn’t know I had’
- ‘Keeps a sense of identity’
- ‘It was clear that people took genuine pleasure in each other’s company and came for one reason: They loved singing together’
- ‘Old songs relearnt, new songs discovered, many friends made’
- ‘Much of what the organisation does, and the way that it does it, is designed to foster creativity and a really genuine sense of community amongst its members, which is then regularly taken out into the wider community’
- ‘Fantastic way to experience Scots culture and gain confidence singing and playing’
- ‘The sense of safety and acceptance in the group is what makes this group work’
- ‘I’m quite confident singing and would sing anywhere now’
- ‘I think what SMG does is to light the touch paper’
- ‘Now I feel as if I’m more of a person in my own right. I’ve got my own identity’
- ‘Meeting one person opens doors to others’
- ‘Mark’s finger picking workshop changed my guitar playing’
- ‘I’ve had a lot of encouragement from class members and the tutor’
- ‘I’ve been able to start by ‘dipping my toe in’ with a lot of supportive people in a small environment’
- ‘The Scots Music Group has opened unexpected avenues for me. I never anticipated doing all these things’
- ‘Before I was part of the Scots Music Group, I was fairly isolated – I didn’t feel it was a problem at the time, but looking back I can see that’s how it was’
- ‘Opportunities like the Performance Skills workshops are stepping stones to something bigger’
- ‘It was a very palpitating and uplifting moment at the end (of the stramash) when the pipes were playing and everyone was singing, dancing, punching the air or playing. Proud to be Scottish and part of SMG!!’
- ‘It’s a great example of an organisation that genuinely includes all sorts of people in the real community that exists in the city’
A Tribute to Scots Music Group
Searching for a hobby, we went to SMG,
Tried to sing a little, dance and play,
But once there, we sang our hearts out,
Danced away all our stress and pain,
Made friends, and our own community formed.
Then began a long, slow, painful journey,
Step by step, learning to play.
Taking the inner voyage, that leads you
To know yourself and your limits so well.
And then to learn, there are no limits here,
No-one to say you nay, so go, spread your wings,
Write a tune, and a song, topical or sad,
And float, soar, ride the currents,
Let the creative flow take you, no limits.
No drug can match this high.
No-one to say “You’re not able”.
You make your own life your own way,
And so much more than merely a hobby
by Chris Mahoney (June 2007)
...and from some of our tutors:
- ‘I really enjoy teaching people right from the early stages, and seeing people developing their skills.’
- ‘Some of the classes develop a really wonderful atmosphere – members become really supportive and encouraging to each other. I really enjoy encouraging autonomy in the group, too’