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Left: The Roman amphitheatre |
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Larry Johns has been a professional musician all his working life. Along the way - in between gigs and whilst there was no rehearsal to be done -he picked up several other skills. This is mentioned here just in case you arrived at this particular site via an art or writing page on another site. Taken at its face value, this is actually a fine commendation for the music business as a whole; should you have such leanings in mind, as, to quote Larry directly : "...there is only so long you can sit by the pool sunbathing..." (You need to think laterally on that one!) Currently, Larry is teaching reeds/woodwind/performance studies at TRURO COLLEGE.
MUSIC STUDY
Learning to play an instrument should be an enjoyable experience. There is, of course, a direct correlation between the amount of time you put into it and the progress you perceive personally. If you are directed correctly you will experience real progress each and every lesson, this gives you the resolve to move to the next level. That "resolve" is the key to everything! There is a much-overused maxim out there: "No pain - no gain"... In Larry's view, the word "Pain..." should be replaced by "Time..." If you don't DO it, you'll experience no progress, and you'll quickly lose interest. It is the "interest" that started you on the road to musicianship in the first place, and that same interest should carry you through to completion - at whichever level you wish to be at. There should be no actual physical pain involved.
MUSIC AS AN ART FORM Music is an indispensable part of most peoples lives, and more beneficial to our physical and mental health than it may at first appear. Keyboard music training is known to improve skills which require mental imagery. Performing music in an ensemble environment teaches us to interact, listen and respond to others. Improvisation and Composition open up the imaginative and creative persona., whilst "Music Therapy" is at last gaining the support it deserves.
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PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT I assume that you are reading these pages because that is just what you want to do. I also assume that becoming a professional musician is not on your agenda. You can, however, lift yourself to a professional standard - or, indeed, any standard you wish - without actually packing your suitcase. In short, you want music to be your spare time activity. This is the exact opposite of the part music has played in my own career, but, given todays' economic/musical climate, it is the better option, and will be just as fulfilling. If not moreso.
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Truro College Jazz Orchestra at the Vienne Jazz Festival Left to right: Viv Rodd(Keyboards) Larry Johns (M.D./saxs/flute), Bill Walker(bass), Sarah Ping (vcls/flute), Dan Hughes (ten sax), Amy Fletcher (ten sax), Jamie Ryder (ten sax), Steve Turner (gtr), Tim Nightingale saxs, James Gillespie (Gtr)
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| The Viv Rodd Quintet
performing at the Cliffhead Jazz Club
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The Viv Rodd Quintet performing at the SeaFusion Jazz Festival |
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To see more about these CDs, visit my personal MUSIC PAGE |
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