Ian White was 29-years-old when, in 1985, he embarked upon a full-time career in music.
Gospel music was his speciality to start with.
He made a record which sold very well in Church of Scotland bookshops and other Christian outlets.
This led to 25 years of trying to sustain a “modest” international music career, which included TV appearances on Songs of Praise and Highway.
“I became an establishment figure in Gospel music, mainly in the UK,” he says.
“I travelled round the world as well on a modest basis.”
Everything changed 10 years ago, however, when his musical journey was “dying down” and a new opportunity arose.
He was introduced to a couple of disabled people who live in the Upper Springland facility run by Capability Scotland in Perth.
“I just felt something in my heart,” the 65-year-old recalls.
“I thought, in my later years, I could contribute to the whole field of music and disability.”
Formation of orchestra
Ian gathered some people around him and, in 2016, they formed the Perth-based charity The Inspiration Orchestra.
Now in its 6th year, The Inspiration Orchestra focusses on improving life quality for people of all ages with registered disabilities, through music and art.
“It’s remained quite small,” says Ian.
“We’re open to anyone joining us. But we don’t have to go out and place adverts looking for disabled people. People phone in. We’ve got around 20 people who participate.”
Ian says around 30 people have participated since 2016, and the benefits have been tangible.
Several of the participants don’t speak at all and verbal feedback tends to come from parents.
Impact of Covid-19
When the first Covid-19 lockdown hit in 2020, however, Ian had to think of how to run the orchestra in other ways.
“The number one we had to think was what can we do to keep morale up?” he says.
“Many of the participants have severe learning difficulties.
“So Zoom lessons just wouldn’t work. So we ended up with a series of different things.
“For example, if someone was in a flat on their own, I would go round and stand in the street and play a song through a window and chat through a window.
“I’d make little DVDs that groups and group homes could watch.
“I’d do long extended phone calls and things. Like any which way.
“We managed to survive well in terms of morale. All the parents were saying things like this has been a Godsend.”
Singing praises of orchestra
One of those singing the praises of The Inspiration Orchestra is Jenny Laurence, carer to Stewart Jamieson, who lives in the Kinloch Court community in Carnoustie.
“Stewart has thoroughly enjoyed his time in the orchestra,” says Jenny.
“He gets very excited about performing in front of audiences and is super proud of what he and his friends have achieved together.
“Every one of them has grown hugely in confidence, going from being very reluctant to even join in, to enjoying every minute of performing in front of an audience!”
The Carnoustie/Monifieth group is just a part of the whole orchestra, which across Tayside now consists of more than 20 performers.
The pandemic restrictions have led to tutor Ian breaking things down into small groups.
This group consists of Gavin McIntosh, 35, keyboard; Stewart Jamieson, 35, keyboard; Scott Smith, 33, percussion, and Louise McKay, 43, guitar.
Ian adds: “It’s been a wonderful thing for me to be able to help keep their moral up through the huge restrictions to activities that the pandemic has brought.
“The light is at the end of the tunnel, and it’s great to have some concert dates in the diary for the summer, for example in Forfar East and Old Church on June 9.
“The orchestra is not a religious organisation, but church groups have been hugely supportive of us.”
Satellite gigs
Ian explains that before the Covid-19 pandemic, he was thinking of one big concert every couple of months with 15/20 people playing in them.
What’s happened instead is the establishment of “wee satellite gigs” across five venues.
“That little satellite thing has formed a transition between nothing and getting to bigger ones,” he says.
“For example, we’ve got a very supportive base in Forfar.
“There’s two very active churches in Forfar with lady ministers.
“They have been incredibly supportive. In pre-Covid times they would have put on bigger concert with the church full.
“Right now, things are starting to move back to be more public again.”
In terms of music, The Inspiration Orchestra caters for individuals who desire to play and perform.
It gives free music lessons and provides instruments for anyone in the Tayside area with a registered disability, revolves around weekly individual music lessons, weekly orchestra practices and monthly public concerts.
The charity raises funds to pay tuition fees and looks forward to engaging additional tutors in the coming years.
Expansion into the arts
Beyond that, it’s also looking to expand into the arts.
“The arts thing really came about because I’ve got a big interest in the arts,” says Ian.
“I realised that even though I don’t paint I’ve got a real heart for painting.”
Ian explains that the charity offers a range of greetings cards all designed by disabled artists, with artists receiving royalties from sales.
Just before the pandemic, an Inspiration Orchestra support shop was opened in South Street, Perth, offering the usual charity shop clothing and gifts.
However it also had an art gallery feel.
Pandemic pressures from all sides forced the closure of the shop after two years.
However, everyone involved felt it had still been really worthwhile.
“Many friends were made, many artists had their work displayed and bought, and incredibly, despite long periods of lockdown closure, the shop still turned an overall profit over the two years!” says Ian.
Ian says they now have a range of 70 different greetings cards done by a group of 40 artists.
It’s been very slow to get off the ground.
But as concerts open up, there’s going to be a chance to sell them at concerts.
“It will never be a big financial earner,” he adds, “but it’s more in the area of encouragement and wellbeing.
“Just the sense of achievement of someone trapped in a dysfunctional body that feels artistic.
“Can you imagine the kick they have when they see cards in front of them?”
Virtual cards
Another exciting area being explored in 2022 is that of virtual cards.
“The huge advantage of this,” he says, “is that card sales can go global.
“For example, one of the orchestra’s photographic artists, Houston Vandergriff, who has Downs Syndrome, lives in Tennessee, USA, and has a massive online following in the USA, with over 400,000 followers on TikTok, with one TikTok clip getting over eight million hits.
“Even a small percentage of his followers spending a dollar on a virtual card made from one of his designs would make the project worth it, and that’s just one artist, one country.
“Once material is in a digital realm, translating into other languages becomes simple too.
“For example Spanish and Portuguese opens up the whole of South America.
“The set up process is long and takes many hours of software code writing, but first steps have been made!”
Challenges of the future?
In many ways, these are troubling times, whether that be two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic fallout coming in its wake and now the unsettling and dangerous implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, some of the best aspects of humanity have risen to prominence from neighbours helping each other during the Covid-19 lockdown, to people selflessly helping refugees flee war in Eastern Europe.
Asked if The Inspiration Orchestra has its own challenges to contend with moving forward, Ian says: “I’ve been in music and the arts all my life and I’ve always had a grateful feeling.
“I’ve always been aware that I’m just a musician. That old saying ‘don’t shoot me I’m just a piano player’.
“I’m a minstrel. I’m not a doctor. I’m not a psychiatrist. So I don’t like coming out with high horse comments about huge importance and stuff because people face financial challenges, psychological challenges, etc etc.
“But it’s still very well documented and very current that the arts do contribute.
“The beneficial effects of music in people’s lives are very real.
“The challenges are when we see social services situations, when we see difficult family situations with members of the orchestra – we feel sad about it but it’s not really our job to do much.
“There’s a kind of element of ‘we’re just musicians’ doing what we can to help.”
As well as performing locally, for example in The British Legion in Carnoustie, and in good weather outdoors in Kinloch Court , the team are very excited about playing in a larger concert being put on for them in Strathallan School on the evening of Monday March 21.
To find out more about the orchestra, go to www.theinspirationorchestra.com
