Ronnie Scott's to host instrument Amnesty in January 2022

Ronnie Scott's will be hosting an all-day Musical Instrument Amnesty, collecting London's unused musical instruments on the 22nd of January 2022.

All instruments - from plastic recorders to violins and state-of-the-art mixing desks - will be donated to school-aged children in the UK and overseas, enabling musical education amongst communities across the world.

The iconic Soho venue, which will be entering its 64th year in 2022, will open its doors between 10am and 3pm for the public to drop by and donate.

Donors will have the opportunity to rub shoulders with stars and celebrities who have graced the world-famous Ronnie Scott's stage over the years, whilst learning more about the project, and the impact their donation will make. All instruments will be given a tracking number so donors can follow the journey of their instrument and see first-hand where in the world it will find its second lease of life.

The 2019 Musical Instrument Amnesty saw huge success with over 300 donations pledged to new homes. Happy recipients included the London-wide musical charity World Heart Beat Music Academy, which provides music tuition and personal development opportunities to children and young people. Croydon-based Play for Progress, which strives to build a world in which societies ensure equal access to the use of the arts, play and therapies in safe spaces, also received donations from the amnesty.

Over the years the Ronnie Scott’s Musical Instrument Amnesty has welcomed several high-profile donors. The Grammy and Brit Award-winning Sam Smith donated a white violin from his iconic 2015 Brit performance of ‘Lay Me Down’ – the violin travelled from London to the Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club along with other donations which were then shipped to the MusicArt Society, a charity in Nepal which teaches disadvantaged children to play donated instruments. British multi-instrumentalist Nithin Sawhney donated a guitar, Neil Cowley a violin, and two specially commissioned trumpets have been made courtesy of the Jazz FM Award-winning trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah.

Working in partnership with Julian Lloyd Webber’s charity Sistema England, all instruments will be checked and distributed to children whose access to music education has been compromised due to their social situation and/or geographical location. Ultimately, the project aims to transform the lives of young people and communities through the power of music-making, a shared belief between Sistema England and Ronnie Scott's Charitable Foundation, which has organised the amnesty.

As part of Ronnie Scott’s Charitable Foundation initiatives for 2022, the club will also help collect and repair broken or forgotten instruments, bringing them back to life and sharing them with the next generation of aspiring musicians. 2022 projects include workshops at Ronnie Scott’s, based on the hugely successful Big Band in a Day programme whereby school children are invited to Ronnie's to work alongside world-class musicians in forming their very own band. Ronnie’s encourage all genres of music for the programme, including pop, hip-hop, RnB, blues and soul genres, ensuring that our rehearsal space is accessible to young musicians of all backgrounds.

How do I get involved with Ronnie Scott's Musical Amnesty?

Anyone and everyone is welcome and encouraged to get involved. Donors can express interest via ada@ronniescotts.co.uk and then pop into the legendary Frith Street club on 22 January to donate.

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