Tom Wright

I have no formal musical training (so don't take my opinions on your music too seriously!) but I have always had a keen interest in all types of music, although not always the time to indulge it. At school I had to choose between maths and music and made the pragmatic choice: I am now a statistician and actuary. I am a self taught guitarist (mainly jazz and classical - once quite good), pianist (mediocre) and double bassist (since April 2001). My interest in music has been rekindled in recent years by my kids: Jessica (born 1989, plays piano and flute), Helen (born 1992, plays violin and viola), and Ben (born 1995, plays drums). Although I played a fair bit of jazz in my youth, my contributions to Sibeliusmusic are my first attempts at written composition. These pieces were mostly written for an after school orchestra my kids belonged to, and an attached jazz band that I ran for a couple of years. I find writing for children a handy excuse for my lack of musical refinement. In an effort to make up for my lack of musical education, I took (and passed!) grade 5 theory exam in Nov 2001 and grade 7 piano in March 2002 (at the same time as my daughter Jessica, then 12, who is also on Sibeliusmusic).