OrganFax

Where do you originally hail from, Janet?

Slough, in Berkshire. Then I moved around in the South of England and am happily living in Reading now.

How did you come to take up music?

I badgered my parents into buying me a Bontempi chord organ from Woolworths when I was eleven - I just loved the sound of it. They had the foresight to find me a teacher at the same time. I ran out of notes very rapidly, so a few weeks later they bought me a Yamaha B5BR from Arthur Lord's Organ Studios (then in Guildford).

What other instruments have you played?

Clarinet, flute and church organ.

Who were your teachers?

Initially Captain Len Tyler, Bandmaster of the 3rd parachute regiment. He taught me the electronic organ, and general musicianship and theory. Later, Ian Saunders on classical organ, and Colin Clarke on electronics ( demonstrator for Logan organs - do you remember them?!)

And who else influenced your musical development?

School music teachers for 'O' and 'A' levels - because so much of electronic organ playing involves having a sound knowledge of general music and musical instruments. Hitting the right notes in the right order is only half the story! I wasn't really influenced by any electronic organists as such, since I didn't really hear them until my own style had been established. Of course, I greatly admire many of them now.

Does music run in your family?

Not in my immediate family, but having studied my Family Tree over the past few years I've come to discover that a paternal Great-Grandmother was a pianist in the London cinemas playing for silent movies, and a maternal Great-Grandmother was a piano teacher. So the music seems to have skipped several generations!

Was there a turning point in your life when you decided you were going to make music your career?

Yes, when I left school after 'A' levels - I joined Yamaha straightaway.

Were there other subjects that attracted you at school?

I studied Music, French and Economics at 'A' Level. All have stood me in good stead and are all regularly used!

What was your first musical job?

I was a demonstrator for Yamaha at 18. My first demonstration for them was a week after I was employed - for Allen's Music in Great Yarmouth. Then the next day I played a concert in the Dolman Theatre in Newport, Wales, for the then 'Musicland' in Cardiff.

And what other posts did it lead on to?

I stayed there for 11 years, becoming the Promotions Manager. Then I left to go freelance. Since then I've developed my playing career on both theatre and electronics, and my teaching and examining careers, as well as writing for magazines. I also run a website with hubby - www.themusicpeople.co.uk. We started this business several years ago with a view to the long-term future of the organ world. At the time, we speculated that I might not be travelling around for ever playing organ concerts, so would need a source of income which could be generated by staying at home. I ran 'The Music People' part-time for years.

Then 18 months ago, the business had grown so much that we decided to take the plunge - Neil (hubby) left his full-time job with Modern Music in Basingstoke, and now runs the website and mail-order business. It's a phenomenal business - we now sell not only music books, but accessories and gifts, computer programmes, and so on. The site is forever growing, and, thankfully, custom is expanding daily. Now that Neil runs the business for the majority of the time, I have been able to take on even more concerts and teaching.

From the many facets of your life, which do you find the most satisfying, and which the most enjoyable?

I truly like the mix of everything I do. I couldn't bear to just be on the road as a player - the traffic would drive me potty! But I do love the performance side of things, and enjoy playing to audiences a great deal. This week, for instance, I've done 3 concerts - in Cambridge, Penrith and Harrogate. I fitted in a visit to a lovely Wurlitzer in Peel Green in the middle. Today has been a teaching day -it's nice to be able to balance the concert performances with other work. Teaching can be very rewarding indeed - especially when you see a student achieve something themselves, such as an exam, or a public performance. Examining is very interesting and absorbing. Writing is relatively easy (especially since I'm a trained typist!) I even enjoy running our website when I give my husband an occasional day off!

When did you start teaching? And when did you join LCM as an examiner?

I've been teaching for about 15 years or so - at about the time I joined the LCM as an Examiner. I'm now a Senior Examiner, which means that I get to train new Examiners and moderate the existing ones - which is very rewarding.

What is your potted teaching philosophy?

Wow! The student needs to be motivated by the end of each lesson to go home and work hard. Sometimes this means praising, sometimes it means shouting (only a little!), sometimes it means setting tiny tasks to be done, sometimes it means setting huge, demanding tasks to be done. Each student has a different personality and a different reason for taking lessons. You can't apply the same philosophy to two different people. It keeps you on your toes!

If you were choosing your 8 Desert Island tracks, what would they be, and why?

In no particular order:
Barry Manilow - 'Even Now' - because it's the most stunning love song ever written.
Stravinsky - 'The Firebird Suite' - because it's hypnotic and rousing.
Gershwin - 'Rhapsody in Blue' - because it's a classic.
Emerson, Lake And Palmer - 'Nutrocker' - because of my age (I used to listen to ELP all the time when I was a kid), and the sheer energy in the performance.
Tometa, playing Debussy's 'Arabesque' - because of it's exquisite voicing.
John Rutter - 'Suite Antique' - because it's stunningly beautiful and I love playing it on my flute.
Simon And Garfunkel - 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' - because of the sentiment behind the words.
Queen - 'Bohemian Rhapsody' - because of the structure, and I've always wanted to be able to play the guitar solo near the end.

What are your views on the future of electronic keyboards and organs?

I'm sure there's a great future for the organ and keyboard world. There are thousands of keyboard exams taken every year in the UK by students who are learning to play properly and constructively. However, Organ Societies will only continue to thrive if there are enough people who are willing to put time and effort into running them properly. I don't think there will ever be a shortage of players, or audience - just the volunteers doing the work of running the places.

Interview conducted by OrganFax contributor and friend, Penny Weedon