Music Broth
Music Broth, founded by Felix Slavin, aims to improve access to musical equipment for everyone. They do this by removing barriers such as high costs to music leaning and playing through their unique shared resource- Scotland’s first Musical instrument and equipment library.
Where did your inspiration come from?
As a musician himself, Felix found that the music tuition in schools was lacking in many ways. His experiences at school and later at university highlighted to him the difficulty of accessing musical instruments and recording devices at a low cost. However, it was only after a close family member sadly passed away, leaving Felix their extensive supply of music equipment, that his first idea of Music Broth was formed.
“My Uncle Paul, a hard-working and supportive husband and Father of 3 amazing daughters, had passed away following a short illness with Cancer. He was a Chief Operations Officer for a big tech company but his real passion was music and in his spare time he flung on his musician cape and performed in wedding bands and toured all over the UK. Due to my musical associations the family wanted me to take his musical equipment as an inheritance which I gladly accepted”
Top Tips:
- Start now, not later. “Ideas pop in and out of our heads all of the time. When you get the ball rolling the momentum will keep you going, even when the times are tough.”
- Use your diary and communicate as much as possible. “It’ll help with getting used to juggling lots of information and coordinating many tasks, people and events.”
- Keep telling people about your idea. “Your idea will catch the attention of people and each time you talk about it you will get better at articulating it”
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help “Writing a funding application is challenging so get help with it, run it by someone you trust and in this case never feel that you can’t contact Firstport for help and advice.”
- Gather data, talk to the community. “Funders want to see That there is a clear need for what you are proposing and so carrying a community conversation (even just a few folk with tea and biscuits) or doing an online survey will help give your proposal a bit more body.”
Challenges:
“I have found myself working over 70 hours per week both day job and Music Broth but now see the value in structuring my life to ensure that I have my own time to relax and spend with friends and family, enjoy days out and even just sit and read a book!
Another thing that is challenging is assuming responsibility for not only the business but also the people involved, all of the volunteers and people using our services. It can be quite overwhelming at times particularly when you see so much good happening and hearing how your idea is helping others. But that quickly becomes a feeling of joy and heart-warming happiness – again it is unbelievable to see how great people can be.”
What’s next for Music Broth?
“I hope for Music Broth to reach more people and support a wider community. Potentially to establish Music Broth libraries across different areas of Scotland and to develop further afield. I know of only 3 other musical instrument libraries in the world and it is clear there is a need for them. We want to make that happen.”