Big hand to Mary

New music teacher Mary Kelly is using her ‘celebrity connections’ and ‘big hands’ to inspire students to generate a love of music.

The Irish 28-year-old strings teacher at St Christopher’s School only recently arrived in the kingdom after working with award-winning rapper Tinie Tempah, hit-makers Massive Attack, actor Liam Neeson and classical legend Bernard Haitink.

Flourishing her passion at the age of three on the violin, Mary was told by her instructor her hands were ‘too big’ for the instrument and she would be better suited playing the viola. She agreed and has never looked back.

Mary, who now lives in Saar, said: “I was one of those kids with loads of energy and my mum asked me if I wanted to learn the violin and I jumped at the chance. I always enjoyed practicing and going to orchestra on Saturdays and meeting new people outside of school.

“When I was 13 and started having lessons at the Academy of Music in Dublin, my teacher said to me ‘those are awfully big hands you got there Mary, would you like to try a bigger instrument like the viola’ … so I did. The following year I was playing the viola and she was right – I have enormous hands. I also picked up playing the piano around the same time.

“I have played with a lot of big names but the one that gets me the biggest kudos with the kids is playing at the Brit Awards with Tinie Tempah in 2011. Someone from his record company called me because he wanted to play live with an all-female quartet and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity.

“He is so famous but absolutely lovely and welcoming. My iTunes is filled with his music. I didn’t know what to expect and I thought it would be difficult mixing in his pop rap and classical music, but we created something that worked really well together.

“I also recorded a soundtrack to The Story of Christmas which starred Liam Neeson. It’s still cool that I worked on something he was involved in.”

Mary, whose musical career includes a spell of busking on the streets of London, played in The Heritage Orchestra in the UK and when Massive Attack were involved in the Meltdown Festival in London in 2008 the band decided to play Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner soundtrack with a live orchestra.

“We were asked to play,” she explained. “I still have some of their memorabilia and it was just an amazing experience that I will never forget.”

However, Mary’s biggest inspirational moment was when she was undergoing her Bachelor’s of Music at the Royal College of Music in London. Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink visited the university where she had the opportunity to play with, in her words, an ‘absolute legend’.

She said: “He’s just amazing. He is in his 80s now and is still the best conductor out there.”

Mary will continue teaching at both the Saar and Isa Town campuses for six months before she heads back to Ireland. She said: “The idea of completely immersing myself in teaching for six months is really appealing, especially in a new place like Bahrain – it’s like an adventure. I was told before I came that all the kids are really enthusiastic and dying to learn … that’s what you want to hear.

“I know a lot of people who started an instrument in school but then gave up at a young age because they said their teacher was horrible … I never want to be that teacher! If someone’s struggling I prefer to teach them through games and inspire them to love music.”