Sandra Singh still remembers tapping her fingers on a printed keyboard foldout 38 years ago and hearing nothing but the pitter-patter of her fingertips playing on her dining room table.
“Not being able to actually hear myself play was so dispiriting,” said the city’s chief librarian, who grew up in a first-generation immigrant family.
Singh hopes that won’t be the case for future would-be musicians thanks to Vancouver Public Library’s newest program — the Sun Life Financial Musical Instrument Lending Library, based at the central branch, which launched Tuesday.
“With this program, hopefully every Vancouverite will get to play the instrument they always wanted — and be able to hear it too,” she said.
As the first program of its kind in Vancouver, and just the second in a Canadian public library, the free program will provide library card holders the opportunity to borrow a variety of instruments for up to nine weeks.
Sun Life donated $130,000, as well as 100 instruments, including guitars, banjos, violins and keyboards to jumpstart the program.
“Public libraries have always been a platform for encouraging creativity, ideas and talent,” Singh said. “This program was just a natural extension for us.”
In addition to the actual instruments, the central library also offers how-to videos on instrument care, music learning books, sheet music, a classical and jazz music streaming service, an in-library CD collection and recording studios.
The Toronto Public Library Parkdale branch is the only other public library in Canada that offers a similar service. Also in partnership with Sun Life Financial, the instrument lending program in Toronto has been wildly successful since its inception April 7.
“All instruments were borrowed within the first five days of the launch,” Vindra Ramnarine, a representative of the Parkdale library, told the Courier. “As soon as an instrument is returned and inspected, it usually gets borrowed again within that day.”
In addition to the instruments given by Sun Life, the VPL launched an instrument donation drive, on now until July 4. Singh said she hopes it will improve and expand the program to meet the anticipated demand. The central library is the VPL’s largest and busiest branch, receiving more than 6,000 visitors a day, said Marya Gadison, a representative of the VPL.
“With so many people coming in and out, there’s going to be a huge want for these instruments,” Gadison said. “I hope the drive will bring in lots of instruments so we can accommodate that demand.”
Singh, who never picked the piano back up after dropping out of her junior high school’s band, has since lived vicariously through her 13-year-old son who was “surely” encouraged to play the piano. However, with the new instrument lending program, Singh hasn’t ruled out getting reacquainted with the blacks and whites just yet.
The public can drop off new or gently used musical instruments at any Vancouver Public Library branch and at two participating Long and McQuade locations in Vancouver and Surrey.
Visit www.vpl.ca/instruments for more information.
@biancachan_
This story has been revised since first published.
