Ailsa's Blog: Margaret Downham - Musical memories

My early memories of music go back to Christmas time when we all gathered round the piano with my Mum or Dad playing tunes that we could sing along to. When Phil the Fluter's Ball was played we used to bang on saucepan lids and anything that would make a racket and make as much noise as we could. My Dad played accordion, my brother the bugle and an aunt the violin.

I started piano lessons age 7 but didn't practice as much as I should have but over the coming years there were 2 people who encouraged me to keep up the piano. Our next door neighbour played organ in the cinemas to accompany the film being shown (that goes back doesn't it) and he would come in on Sundays and play piano with me. Then a customer who came to my Dad's butcher's shop, Eric Prince, suggested he could teach me a bit about chords. He was a musical arranger and worked with people like John Barry. On one occasion he took me to a recording studio in London where an orchestra was rehearsing and he pointed out the harpist Marie Goossens. I didn't know the name at that time. It was quite something sitting watching the proceedings with all the levers/dials on the deck inside the window overlooking the orchestra.

I sang in the school choir at primary and secondary school and took Music at 'O' level. The school was a member of the Dulwich/Peckham Choirs Association and we used to join together and performed a concert at the Royal Festival Hall.

Another stand out moment was a visit to the Royal Albert Hall to see the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein. It was a classical concert but at the end the orchestra played the fabulous jazzy percussive prologue music of West Side Story which was tremendous.

I was always around the practice rooms at lunchtimes and I was introduced to modern jazz by some school friends, one of whom later joined the Joe Loss Orchestra as a pianist. I remember going to London and visiting the record shops listening to jazz in a booth.

Music was a very strong influence at the school and one Christmas we performed Amahl and the Night Visitors - I've never forgotten it with all the costumes and makeup.

My daughter learned the violin up to grade 5 and enjoyed playing in an orchestra in Sidcup. At her secondary school whilst studying music she went on a trip to Barcelona in 1992 playing concerts and visiting the Olympic stadium to watch Linford Christie, Sally Gunnell and Roger Black competing.

I joined Seaford Choral Society after John Hamilton knocked on our door and invited me to come along. Ailsa and Marilyn were there also starting their time at the Choir and the rest is history.