What if the next great guitarist in the neighborhood is right there... behind a library card? For those looking to borrow a musical instrument in Paris, this tip might surprise you: in several Paris libraries, you can actually borrow an instrument just as you would a book or a DVD. Yes, between the shelves you can walk away with a ukulele, a violin, or even a small synthesizer. It’s proof that the neighborhood library can be a much rocer, louder corner of culture than you’d expect.
The formula is simple and effective. Instruments are loaned as packs that include the necessary accessories and a self-learning method. The idea isn’t to turn all of Paris into a symphony orchestra overnight, but to let curious people discover an instrument, or former musicians brush up on theirs, without jumping straight to a purchase.
You can find classical and folk guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, banjos, violins, harps, percussion, small electronic keyboards, wind instruments, and in some venues more specialized gear like electric guitars and basses, or even djembés, xylophones or synthesizers.
The loan is free for adult members of the Paris library network, upon presentation of a piece of ID. You can borrow only one instrument at a time, for a period of four weeks. And if the instrument you want is already taken, you can reserve it.
This initiative falls under #MusiquePourTous, a project supported as part of the City of Paris’s Participatory Budget 2017, with the aim of democratising access to making music, especially for the youngest. And for those who already own an instrument that’s gathering dust in a corner of the living room or attic, the library network also offers the option to borrow music method books to get back into it.
A cure for creative block—and perhaps a revival of a few vocations.
Recommended age
From 18 to 99 years old
Official website
bibliotheques.paris.fr
