Born in Burslem in 1950, Anne did not come from a musical family. Her initial experience of music began with clarinet lessons from a teacher who constantly played her instrument, and piano lessons regimented with the smack of a wooden ruler across the knuckles. Despite this discouraging start she nevertheless went on to study music at the Welsh College of Music and Drama, graduating in 1973. It was here that she first discovered the recorder, and her passion was truly ignited.
Over 45 years of teaching, Anne has touched hundreds of lives of all ages. Her pupils’ exams number over 1,000, including 23 performance diplomas on the recorder. As a tutor at Swindon Young Musicians she ran the largest youth Recorder Orchestra in Europe, taking them on music tours to Holland, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Spain and Germany. The SYM Consort, formed in 1994, was drawn from the most experienced members of the Orchestra. The 156 professional bookings in their history include playing on Blue Peter in 2001, and playing for the Queen in 1997.
Anne made sure, however, that the youngest and newest members of the recorder clan were not overlooked. The Minstrels, Troubadours and Jongleurs had their own musical weekends at Braeside, based on the themes of The Elizabethan Era, Shows and Films, Jazz and The Circus. Highlights for them were 2 mass compositions – Not in Our Forest You Don’t! and Fish and Ships, performed at the Living Rainforest and Portsmouth Aquarium, respectively.
In her “spare” time, Anne became part of the committee behind the Swindon Music Festival, in which her students participated for many years. She then began adult recorder lessons for the parents of now-grown ex-pupils. This group quickly became established as a regular ensemble – Take Note is now working towards their Advanced Ensemble exam.
Anne’s tireless work to promote the recorder as a “proper” instrument is all the more remarkable considering her 34-year battle against Rheumatoid Arthritis, complicated later by Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Despite constant pain, she was nevertheless full of fun, energy and enthusiasm. To her students she was not just a teacher, but a friend and wise counsellor. To her family she was a wonderful wife and devoted mother. Our lives will be the poorer for her passing, but we will cherish every memory.
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