Alan Ganley

Remembering fondly the legend Jazz drummer Alan Ganley who sadly died yesterday aged 77.

The end of an era!!

Felt rather sad this morning.

Most of my work is now writing, but apart from adjudicating and workshops etc I do have a few private pupils. These are mainly children of friends.

I have been teaching one family for years, and all four of them have stayed with me until sixth form. This morning the yougest, Daniel (yes Dan the man!!) had his LAST lesson before starting A levels, and there are NO MORE!!!!!!.

I was saying to Dan this morning that the family have been with me from the very early stages of my writing, testing out pieces and playing from manuscripts, even co writing pieces, and certainly influencing things .

The piano piece "Angels" was written for all the Cashmans, "Anna Lou" which appears in some violin books was for Anna, and even the Mum, Charlotte had a piece ("Madge's maggot"in Razz 2), written to celebrate her becoming a magistrate.

Its so nice that in my new choral book "Sparking Songs for Starter Choirs", Mike (the Dad, and a clever lyricist) has contributed the words for some amusing songs.

I would just like to say Tom, Peter, Anna and Daniel, I am waiting for the next Generation!!.

The picture is of the French window that Tom Cashman ran into while trying to get into our back garden. Sorry a strange harmonica player got in the way.

Greatest challenge yet.

I have just finished writing "Harmonica Romantica" a virtuosic piece for harmonica.. I set out to the task with five sheets of manuscript showing chords and note combinations that were possible on the instrument, and started on the mind blowing task of writing around the restrictions of blowing and sucking ( or drawing as its called) and the note combinations that were possible.

It was like doing a Sudoku puzzle trying to put something together that worked, and actually sounded musical.

After finishing the project it was interesting looking at how people like Gordon Jacob tackled the task .

I eagerly await the first performance by the (pictured) world famous harmonica player. El Shrimpo.

Happy Easter

Still Christmas!

I have finished my Christmas piano arrangements!!. They are all ready to go to print.

I felt there was a gap in the market for piano teachers, and hope I have come up with a resource that will be really useful,

There is an excellent "first" Christmas piano book by Pauline Hall which everyone seems to use, but this is very easy. I wanted to do something for grade threeish players and have done jazzy arrangements of twelve carols which will appear on the next page to very playable arrangement sof the original "Traditional" versions. I felt that in this format, the teacher and pupil had a great resource and they could choose which to play.

I hope they think so too.

Tin Sandwich anyone?

A certain very famous harmonica player ( who lives in my house) has asked me to remind everyone, that there is a very fine programme on the history of the harmonica, and its influence on many artists throughout the world, on BBC 4 on Friday night at 8.00.

This does look very good, and is a must to watch, but I would also like to add, that the certain harmonica player of which I wrote, is himself to be shortly playing in the prizewinners concert of the Chipping Norton music festival, after once more taking a woodwind class by storm.

Never under estimate the powers of a harmonica.

Its my birthday!!!!

Having a nice day and telling everyone (even the man in the petrol station) that its my birthay.

Listening joyfully to my new CD's (Nikolai Kapustin preludes in jazz style.... brilliant!, and Eric Whitacre cloudburst.... Awesome!)

Wearing my new socks, loving my new bag, playing my new bamboo flute, wearing my new bracelet, reading my new books..........Life is good.

Music in bed.

We have an Ipod full of incredible music, and I long for time to listen to it.

My husband cannot understand why I can't listen to music before going to sleep, but I really can't otherwise I just don't sleep. If I listen to music, I have to really LISTEN to it, and that is certainly not a winding down experience. I do find music relaxing, and I agree its a great de stresser, but for me it isn't a sedative.. I think the act of writing music all day, is better for a good nights sleep.

(The picture isn't my husband)

Early Easter!!

If your'e wondering why everything is so crazy this year, read this Email a friend sent me.

Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts: 1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

New oboe piece

I wrote two new oboe pieces recently for Martha. She played one at a soloists competition. sadly I didn't get to hear her play it as I was adjudicating for the same competition in another room!.

Its such a thrill to hear music on manuscript come to life. The piece may reach publication one day in the form of "Fresh air for oboe 2" (?).

Until then, does anyone want to play a groovy oboe piece??.