A new campaign organised by Blues musician Matt Schofield to raise money for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy charity, which uses instruments to help sick or disabled children and adults, has enlisted a number of musicians including Pink Floyd's Nick Mason, the BBC news site reports.

The rock, pop, jazz and classical musicians - and Sir Patrick Moore - have been remembering their first foray into the world of music as part of a campaign to encourage parents to buy instruments for their children. Jazz musician Courtney Pine recalls his friends "laughing their heads off" when he tried out his first saxophone, while Nick Mason remembers saving up his shillings for his first drum kit...

To accompany the campaign, a music retail website has agreed to donate 5% from pre-Christmas orders to the charity appeal. More information on the campaign can be found at Matt Schofield's site, and it's also well worth visiting the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy website for more info on their sterling work.

Here's what Nick had to say:

      At 13 I had my first long-playing album - Elvis's Rock 'N' Roll... Within a couple of years I think all my friends had discovered rock'n'roll, and it seemed an excellent idea to put a band together.

      The fact that none of us knew how to play was only a minor setback, since we didn't have any instruments.

      We all asked for cash that Christmas, and armed with thirteen pounds, ten shillings (£13.50 these days) I acquired my first kit from Syd at Chas. E. Foote in Denman Street, Soho.

      Included in a job lot was a Gigster bass drum, a snare drum of indeterminate age and parentage, hi-hat, cymbals, and an instruction book on the mysteries of flam paradiddles and ratamacues (which I am still attempting to unravel). Armed with this devastating kit I joined my friends to form The Hotrods.

      Although I would now be cautious about encouraging anyone into a career in music, every kid should be in a band. It's great to play music, but even better to understand the necessity of working together to get the result. ..and it's a lot less arduous than football.

Our thanks to Titus for tipping us off regarding this story...