amateur musician

Arts Council England has launched a new scheme to make musical instruments and music lessons easily affordable.

The ‘Take it away’ scheme allows people to apply for an interest free loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of a musical instrument. The money is paid off in nine monthly instalments.

Arts Council England, South West Executive Director Nick Capaldi said:

‘Take it away demonstrates our commitment to encourage as many people as possible from across England to take part in the arts. We believe that this initiative will help individuals from all backgrounds to establish new musical passions and nurture existing musical talents. England currently has one of the most vibrant and diverse music scenes in the world and we hope that this initiative will continue to inspire and establish new talent across the country.’

Take it away loans will be available through a network of musical instrument retailers across the country. The scheme includes all musical instruments from electric guitars to harps. Equipment and services such as music stands, amplifiers, sheet music and tuition can also be included within the loan.

The scheme is open to everyone (over the age of 18)and is designed to help people who might otherwise be unable to afford an instrument.

A full list of participating retailers can be found on the website.

www.artscouncil.org.uk/takeitaway/

July 2007