Louise has always had an ear for music, but it wasn’t until her children started school that she really put her talent to good use. Now volunteering for Forget Me Not as a musician, she delights our Little Stars with her piano-playing and songs!
Our lovely volunteer Louise is a big star with our Little Stars who join her in singalongs and music time at our fortnightly group session for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. “The children get a lot from it,” she says. “It can build their confidence and self-esteem, it’s creative and loads of fun!” Not only that, but “I get a lot of satisfaction from it too - it’s lovely to be able to share my skills with these families, hopefully it makes a difference to them.”
Louise has always had a talent for music - “I would hear things played at school assemblies when I was young and just come home and play it on our piano.” She reached Grade 6 piano and also learnt the clarinet. “But after I left school I did nothing with it.”
Then, when she found herself with more time on her hands when her children went to school, “I felt I didn’t want this talent to go to waste.” She volunteers at two schools and has been Forget Me Not’s volunteer musician since February 2018.
“Ideally,” she says, “I’d like to do this as a job but it’s pretty niche and it’s hard to find something that will fit around my kids. This is the next best thing.”
“Forget Me Not is a lovely organisation to volunteer with and you get to share your skills with children and families who will really benefit, plus it enhances your CV and helps with job prospects.”