BIOGRAPHY

I don't come from a particularly musical family, but my Dad had once taken a few accordion lessons while on leave from the army.  He would say that the accordion was a good instrument to learn because you can accompany yourself and you can carry it around! 

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It was just as well I could carry it around as my family frequently moved with my Dad's job.  Consequently my musical education was somewhat disrupted but there is no doubt that my greatest musical influence was Charles Duncan, a pioneer of the free bass accordion in the UK, a great teacher and a warm and encouraging human being.  During the two periods I was taught by Charlie I laid down strong musical foundations and achieved some success in accordion competition.

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My peripatetic childhood resulted in me attending six different schools and it was at my first high school that I had the chance to learn a woodwind instrument.  My choice was the clarinet - I loved that velvety timbre and I still do!  Sadly, my next school couldn't offer me the opportunity to continue so clarinet playing was on hold.

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During my late teens I was performing regularly on accordion. I was part of a Scottish Dance Band, and I did some pit work.  While accordion has remained a constant presence, life took me in a different direction - I had started working in Financial Services when I left school at 16 and so began a 39 year career that encompassed Chartered Banker qualifications and a Masters degree in Business Administration.  I now find that many of the skills I acquired are transferable to the music business.

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In 2009, I decided I needed to pick up a clarinet again.  It troubled me that I hadn't been able to properly learn the instrument I had chosen for myself all those years ago.  Private lessons with Jennifer Dickson followed and some Performance and Theory Grade exams gave me the confidence to take the clarinet forward as my first study for HND Music at Edinburgh College where I studied with Rocio Banyuls-Bertemeu.

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During my final years in Financial Services I was contemplating what I wanted to do next.  I have always been quite practical, so I took a sabbatical and completed several instrument repair courses with Trevor Head.  After a period of consolidation and practice to gain necessary experience, I established my workshop business "Instrumentality".  I have met a few music graduates who were also training in instrument repair and the combination of skills proves to be very useful, particularly in those circumstances when it is unclear if technique or the instrument is the source of a problem. 

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After completing HND Music I articulated to study BMus at Edinburgh Napier University, and I hope to graduate in summer 2024.  I now possess a complementary portfolio of performing, teaching and repair skills, and if these might be of value to you, I would be delighted to help!

 

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