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Keri has been strongly drawn to music, and the emotion that it evokes for as long as she can remember. her first experiences include the junior school choir and recorder group where she was promoted to Sopranino recorder (a little tiny one!). After a brief stint on brass, and after months of pestering the secondary school music teacher, she finally came home clutching a rather battered Clarinet at the age of around thirteen. At the age of fifteen she had achieved grade 5 ABRSM.
Whilst embarking on A levels, and being of a very 'hormonal ' age! She did not pursue music further at that point, preferring art as her main subject.After meeting Carl (her future husband) at 16, she worked in a design studio creating artwork for a promotions company. On an impulse buy, she bought an alto saxophone aged 22, and a flute soon after that.
It wasn't until her first child was born in 1997 that she realised that music had always been her first love, and a strong desire to continue her studies and begin teaching was born. Studying and practicing whilst bringing up 2 children was not always easy, but the strong desire and pure love of playing held the motivation. She studied with local woodwind teacher Trevor Vernon, resulting in grade 8 Clarinet, and grade 6 saxophone. Further lessons with Woodwind teacher Susan Leigh resulted in the DipABRSM in Clarinet teaching (July 2005), in which she received a distinction, grade 8 Alto Saxophone (Dec 2006), also with distinction, and grade 8 flute with Merit.
In around 2006, Keri heard the saxophone played in the classical style for the first time at a Nottingham Saxday , and it was love at first sound! With the help of renowned Saxophonist/teacher Alistair Parnell (Nottingham) she was soon indulging in this beautiful newly found style. The DipABRSM in Saxophone performance was awarded in 2007, in addition to grade 8 Soprano sax with distinction in December 2007( the Soprano sax had been added to the instrument collection a few months before!). Keri plays the following instruments; Soprano sax, Alto sax, Sopranino sax, Clarinet, Flute, EWI (electronic wind instrument) and Piano.
Although Keri loves teaching, and finds great enjoyment in this, she has recently become more involved in composing and performing. Due to this, Keri chooses to only teach a small number of pupils to allow time for this. As a composer she draws inspiration from a number of sources, particularly nature, and as a Christian, the greatest Creator himself. Other influences include Satie, Astor Piazzolla, Saint-Saens, and many more. Lately, the two areas of teaching and composing have become intertwined as she is currently writing a collection of light hearted pieces based on her students....watch this space!
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