MUSIC AT HOME
What music I listen to at home, musical instruments I have, music I play.

MUSIC IN PUBLIC PLACES
The kind of music I enjoy listening to outside my home

SPENDING MONEY ON MUSIC
My musical purchasing habits!

ABOUT ME
Find out more about me here.

"I had a toy piano when I was four for Christmas, and my father taped me playing "The First Noel". None of our family can hear that carol without memories of that Christmas morning in 1964 - the plinky-plonk sound of the faltering piano. I've always like piano music, and when we had a real piano a few years later I started to have piano lessons. I didn't really enjoy the lessons - too much like school, but I quite enjoyed making a pleasant sound.. As I got older, I got into boogey-woogey, and played (very badly) all sorts of RnB and pop tunes, enterntaining (and paining!) family and friends.I've loved pop music since I can remembering hearing The Beatles, and "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies - reminding me of family Christmas parties (dancing with the cousins, being watched indulgently by the aunts and uncles); school discos; youth clubs;and adolescent parties, where music was just a background to more physical engagements.

My father loved classical music, and I was influenced by his taste: Beethoven primarily, but also Brahms, Schubert, Mozart and Tchaikovsky. The Emperor Concerto we were given as an L.P. for buying x gallons of petrol, and I now treasure that copy. Dad also loved jazz: Louis Armstrong was one of his favourites, and I remember the day Satchmo died - standing in our garden hearing the news over the radio, with Dad trying not to show how moved he was. Mum often sat in the back room on her own (while we were watching some inane TV programme), listening to opera - Rossini and Mozart being amongst her favourites.

I got into folk music, mainly through getting to know a group of local folk dancers. Since then I've enjoyed folk sessions in pubs, occasionally joining in on the piano or piano accordian, but more often than not, just enjoying it, or wishing I could be better to truly participate. I've beennout with several musicians who were good enough to perform in public: I felt proud of them, but also envious.

Now I'm in a women's harmony group, and like to feel that collectively we can make a beautiful noise (!), even if individually we may not be strong. When I'm preparaing meals, doing housework - jobs which need no great concentration - I like loud pop or other jolly music. When I'm driving I sometimes like classic pop music/RnB/American "driving" music. Sometimes when I'm writing or reading I enjoy soft, non-intrusive classical or blues".