John is playing: Schubert Impromptu No.3 D899

I loved that old piano. It gave me my love for music. I felt lost in another world when I touched the keys. Having driven my family and friends nuts throughout my childhood, I then didn’t play at all for many years.

However, when I met my future wife Michèle, she decided to “buy” me a piano for our engagement. That’s a story in itself (I will write a blog about that in due course). In turn, I proceeded to drive Michèle and my boys nuts and discovered the power of a piano as a weapon of mass destruction! I still loved to play but work and family commitments meant that I had less and less free time. This was especially true when Michèle got very ill and I became her full time carer.

In time, I began to play the piano again and I cannot even begin to explain how wonderful writing my little songs was in helping me to come to terms with the loss of Michele in 2010. Many years earlier I had written a psychology paper on the benefits of music in overcoming trauma, loss and stress. My personal experience of bereavement confirms my deep belief that music has the capacity to comfort, excite, rejuvenate, heal and transform one’s life.

The aim of this website is not just about sharing my music or what inspired me to write it. It is also about other musicians and composers, some very well known others less so, who have inspired and offered me something of great value through their work.

Finally, I hope you will feel free to comment on some of the content. You may even want to submit a short Guest Article. It would be so lovely to hear from you and, if through this website I can give you even a modicum of pleasure, how cool would that be! I do hope you enjoy exploring music together.

Love, John xxx