It has been many years since Shaina Kelly Williams took violin lessons with the Menuhin Foundation.At 36, she believes she’s still reaping the benefits.Dr Williams first took part in the foundation’s Free Schools Programme when she was seven.The programme provides free stringed instrument lessons for a year. Students may then continue with the Menuhin Foundation on a fee-paying basis, taking Associated Board of the Royal School of Music exams as they progress.Around 200 children take part in the programme each year.“Menuhin started a programme at the Francis Patton School where the Menuhin teacher would come at a certain time during the week and teach us the fundamentals,” said Dr Williams. “Sometimes we would play in school concerts. It piqued my interest. My parents enrolled me in private lessons. I continued with the private lessons until I left the Island when I was 19 years old.”Even while studying at Pennsylvania State University Medical School Dr Williams did not completely put away her instrument.“At one point, I found a group, when I was in medical school,” she said. “Four of us would come together to play. It was a cool thing to do on the side and relieved the stress of medical school. I like the opportunity to play in groups. With an instrument like the violin, you can play in a big group in an orchestra or a small ensemble. You can interact with other people and make music together.”Dr Williams returned to Bermuda in 2006, and joined an adult Menuhin string group soon after that.They meet on Saturdays and perform together. They have only performed publicly once - during the annual Bermuda National Trust Christmas Walkabout in St George.“That was fun,” she said. “We finally got to perform all the songs we were practising for the last couple of years. It was a good experience. Playing on Saturday is a break from the hassles of life.”She thought Menuhin was a great charity because the school programme gave many children the opportunity to try an instrument, even if their parents could not afford private lessons.“That is unique,” she said. “It is really important that they have the programme in the schools.”Dr Kelly is pregnant and is expecting a daughter next month. She said music was going to be a big part of her child’s life and she would definitely enrol her in Menuhin, when the time was right.The Menuhin Foundation will sell tags at various spots in and around the City of Hamilton tomorrow, to raise funds for its various programmes.Terri Allison, executive director of the Menuhin Foundation and mother of three teenage violinists, said she was excited by the difference that the foundation could make.“I have experienced firsthand the benefits that my children have experienced as a result of pursuing excellence in music,” she said. “The Menuhin Foundation provides opportunities for all of their students to develop and hone their musical skills through their string ensembles and youth orchestra on Saturdays as well as in their theory and aural classes. The Menuhin Foundation invites all residents to support this initiative as they expose Bermuda’s youth to the beauty and benefits of classical music.”For more information visit www.menuhin.bm or call 295-4063.