| James
Ford: Musician, Music Teacher |
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James:
A musical journey: |
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| The
Journey... |
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the age of 6 James was inspired by his grand father, an Organist
& multi-instrumentalist with a house full of instruments.
Clarinet, Piano
& Violin became James's instruments & he took private
& school lessons |
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James learned
these instruments because they were there. The
first time James chose an instrument, the Trumpet, he was
14 & already learning 3 others. His music teacher understandably
refused to allow him to learn it. It would be 15 years later
that James bought a trumpet
& became hooked. It's now his main instrument. |
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On taking
his grade 5 theory at age 13 he achieved 100%.
At the age of 16 he took grade 8 clarinet. He already had grade
3 violin & grade 5 piano. |
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In his
home town of Scarborough, he played violin in the School Orchestra
& clarinet in the 40 piece 'EASY' band (Eastern Areas Schools
Youth Band). After winning auditions in Manchester for the 'Schools
Proms' at the Albert Hall & on TV, the Band took part in second
round auditions in Croydon. It was a time of discipline &
a masterclass in the art of playing with others. The EASY band
was known thoroughout North Yorkshire for it’s disciplined
approach to playing, because of it’s visionary leader Tony
Turner & it's success. It finally did get to play at the 'School
Proms' - though by then, James had left school.
Wilderness
Years… |
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In 1981
James left school - & as a result had to leave the band he
loved. James hardly played a note of music for around 10 years.
He had to give his treasured wooden clarinet back to the school
& couldn’t face going back to his plastic affair. He
didn’t consider himself to be a musician during this time.
It was something he ‘used to do’....but he didn't
stop listening. |
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| James always had a good ear & now liberated from teachers, but with the benefit of the skills they gave him, by playing along by ear to his favourite music, or to whatever came on the radio, he found he was suddenly playing along with top musicians. |
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Then, for no reason he can remember – except that it was cheap & wooden, James bought a second hand clarinet at the age of 26 & started playing along with music on the radio.
This was a revelation. |
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| Of-course such a conventional background helped, but James began to see how easy it was to learn a new instrument this way & simply got hooked. In his isolated cottage over the next decade, James’s obsessive hobby was learning new instruments. |
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He joined several bands over these years & brought the instruments onto the stage as soon as he dared - mainly in the Herculean Ceilidh Band - with whom he played for 9 years.
Many adults have given up along the way, & James loves to re-inspire those who learned something long ago but who now no longer play. It's always amazing what they remember & they are the ones who are the most surprised. James's 10 year absence from music simply heightened the passion when it returned. It's not wasted time. |
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