I'm 'retired', a granny, and a bipolar bear. As my family live a fair distance away, I'm in the lucky position of filling most of my days with 'fun' stuff.

I started playing flute, in Paris, in my twenties - my old teacher had bad breath and told me that playing flute would ultimately make my teeth fall out! But here I am still 'tooting' and not yet toothlesss!!

I sing with Bath Rock Choir, and am trying to learn to play ukelele. Music is at the heart of my days - it's been my only 'medication' for a number of years, keeping anxiety at bay and filling up my heart and spirit.

I played the piano and oboe at school but then, work and children came along and the music petered out, somehow there never seemed enough time.

After being given an accordion much later (20 years or so!) I started playing again, mainly classical and folk music in big and small groups and a community swing band. After moving to Wiltshire I switched to soprano saxophone which is now my absolute favourite instrument.

I was really happy to find the BathTub Orchestra which I joined this year. For me, music is a huge pleasure and enhances life and mental health enormously. And playing with this group is the best! Ed our Musical Director arranges a wonderful, eclectic and sometimes quirky mix of tunes for us to play. We are a friendly and supportive mixed ability group and parts are tailored to suit us all. We are making a good sound and getting to perform in some great venues and events.

I started learning the flute about a decade ago, but eventually stopped playing to focus on my GCSEs. A decade later, in-between university semesters, I decided to try again and it all returned to me. Once I got back on campus I danced in a cèilidh (a traditional Scottish/Irish dance), and found myself joining the wonderful Southampton Folk Society, where I learned to perform music for others.

However, that was my final year at university, and I had decided to move to Bath for work. This meant saying goodbye to my fellow folk musicians. Fortunately, not long after moving I discovered the BathTub Orchestra from a post on the Meetup app. I went along, was rather nervous, but I quickly warmed up to the challenge and felt very welcome!

Since then we have put on a large number of concerts covering all sorts of music from pop songs, jazz, blues, film soundtracks, to classical favourites. I have definitely grown as a musician and have also recorded many of our concerts, which you can find uploaded to YouTube and posted to my blog.

Before I joined BathTub I was a bedroom guitarist for many years. I didn't have much experience playing in a group and had only played to an audience once in my life!

My musical 'career' started on electric guitar when I was 17 and my best friend showed me how to play Marilyn Manson's cover of Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics - I was hooked from that day! The next few years I played almost nothing but Metallica covers (Nothing Else Matters and Master Of Puppets being favourites) before moving on to playing more prog, including an instrumental four-piece band called 'PMMF!' (search on soundcloud).

I started playing bass guitar in my early twenties and made my first ever live performance in 2009 at a work Christmas party in Washington D.C. with a band called Hot Shoop that I had formed with my wife.

I joined BathTub Orchestra when it first started in November 2018 when my wife said she wanted to join on clarinet. I was a bit nervous about joining because I didn't consider myself very experienced at playing in groups but the atmosphere is always very welcoming and it's fine to make a few mistakes in rehearsals.

We really enjoy our Tuesday rehearsals and it has been great to get some more experience playing in front of live audiences in Bath.

I enjoy playing with the BathTub Orchestra because playing with a large group of people is so much more enjoyable than playing alone. Furthermore, the BathTub Orchestra has some really talented musicians who are able to inspire relative beginners, such as myself.

My name is Scott and I moved to Bath from Sydney Australia in 2018. Literally the first thing I did when I arrived was sign up to this new orchestra that was being formed. I love the idea and feeling of playing in such a big ensemble with a mixture of abilities, which I did as a teenager as part of the world's first amateur production of Evita. I have played guitar for nearly 40 years now, but in 2010 I broke a finger bone into 7 pieces playing Australian Rules Football. It took over a year before I could play guitar again but I got there eventually! I now suffer from chronic arthritis in both of my hands which limits what I can do these days, and prevents me from playing altogether every now and then. In addition to playing with BathTub Orchestra I also write, record and occasionally release my own original music which can be found at scottoharamusic.com.

I grew up as a child with this old German piano but never played it or anything else until I inherited it from my father in 2009 and decided to begin lessons. My only regret is that I didn't start when I was younger! It's been a steep learning curve as I worked my way through the grades towards grade 4 and then decided I didn't want to take any more exams! In a moment of madness I suggested to my piano teacher that it would be great to start an informal orchestra for people of all abilities to fulfil my fantasy of playing with others and having loads of fun too. Edward my teacher is now the orchestra director and the rest, as they say is history.

I can't deny its been a challenge at times for a late learner like me, but I am amazed to be playing music that I never thought I could play, and in front of audiences too! I am also amazed at the amount of time I have spent practicing, and I sometimes have to pinch myself that I have achieved so much in just a few years. I will never be a musical maestro, but who cares? I can actually play stuff with others, it sounds pretty good if I work at it, and it's hugely enjoyable.