Mary Bell trained in illustration and design at Glasgow School of Art and then gained a PGCE in secondary and primary education at Jordanhill, University of Strathclyde. She also studied voice and guitar at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Mary is also an art and music therapist.
Mary has personal experience in relearning to understand music since losing her hearing when she was 36 due to Meningitis and Meniere’s disease. She is fluent in BSL and relies on lip-reading to understand speech.
Mary has taught music to Deaf children in Gourock for the last 14 years and hopes to continue this important work; her vision is to expand it to include Deaf- accessible music workshops for young people and adults in other areas.
She was nominated as BBC’s 2015 Unsung Music Hero in Scotland for her work with Deaf children.
Mary is passionate about making music accessible to everyone, regardless of background or ability. She firmly believes that music is fun and that all of us should participate in it much more than we do!
Mary is also an enthusiastic wheelchair curler; she has played in national competitions and led her teammates to victory in the Highland Wheelchair Curling Triples.
