My Musical Childhood

This blog is about the music and performances I have been involved in over recent years. But to start with, a bit of childishness: how I began my musical journey.

My mum and dad first noticed I was interested in music when at the age of 4 I began picking out tunes on an electronic keyboard my dad had bought for my mum for her birthday once. I was certainly playing it more than you mum, sorry!

So they got me some piano lessons from a very charming young woman called Emma. I wasn’t an easy pupil, I would have to admit now. I kinda thought I knew everything already so didn’t listen to what she asked me to do…. anybody recognise that tendency???

But my parents persisted, and after a break I came back to piano lessons and got interested in music at school.

My big break was when we moved to Monmouth in Wales. I can’t say a whole lot positive about my time at Monmouth Boys School – we had differing views on what makes an interesting lesson – but the very good thing was that they wanted every boy to play an instrument. Because I had arrived in Monmouth a bit later than the other boys in my class, they gave me the instrument no one else as playing – the tuba. Woo hoo! I loved it, even though it was bigger than me at the time and dragging it to and from school was character building. I had excellent music teachers too – Miss Beak was my favourite. The band played in school competitions and I quickly improved to a standard where my teachers were asking me to perform in all different kinds of music and concerts.

My dad started learning trumpet about this time, something he had wanted to do as a child but living in a small flat in central London couldn’t do – too noisy! He started taking lessons, bought me a trumpet to accompany him while he was practising (German tune, of course…) and that’s how I transferred to trumpet. I had joined Monmouth Band (brass band) on tuba but thought maybe the cornet would be better. (I was wrong, more about that in another post later.)

So, lucky breaks all along in Monmouth. That’s enough about the time I was a kid for now.