Don't Tell Me I Can't...Learn To Play The Cello!

It might have taken until her forties, but Claire Devine’s finally achieved her childhood dream 

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With my fingertips pushing down on the strings, I move the bow from side to side on the cello and the sound of music fills the air. another tune mastered, I smile to myself, as my chest swells with pride. I can’t wait for the day I get to perform in front of my friends and family – only, it might be a little way off. Because while, aged 46, you might assume I’ve been playing the cello for decades, I actually only started learning it last year.

Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean music hasn’t always played a big part in my life. As a child I’d blare pop songs on the radio and join every choir I could find. I even taught myself how to read music! Then, when I was 11, I saw Elgar’s Cello Concerto on television. I was mesmerised – the cello sounded beautiful.

I was desperate to learn to play, but my parents couldn’t afford lessons.So I made do with listening to orchestras and I promised myself that one day, when I was grown up, I’d learn.