My position is very varied – no two days look the same. Every now and then I might do a bit of teaching, but most of the time I am on stage with a microphone and a piano! I work quite a lot on cruise ships where I fly out for a week, perform a couple of shows, and come back. I have also done a lot of international contracts where I work in China or the Maldives or other exotic places. There’s lots of travel involved, and I get paid to do what I love which is singing songs for an audience! It’s so varied, so some weeks I play for Symphonic Ibiza which is an orchestra that plays with a DJ, or I tour with people as their keys player. I love that I’m not doing a 9 – 5: I’m mainly doing a 9pm – midnight which is so much fun!

I attended in 1999, and I went through what was Dewsbury Music Centre (now Musica Batley). I did all the bands I could, so I did the wind bands and all the swing bands. And once I got back from university, I went to work for them as a teacher!

I was initially a supply teacher for them, and then I was offered a job covering one of the singing teachers. Then I started covering the woodwind teaching as I was a clarinet and sax player growing up. It was a bit of everything, because I covered at Batley Music Centre and did a bit of piano teaching as well. There’s so much variety within Musica Kirklees with groups and instruments – it was so much fun!

The music centre I attended was on a Friday night, and we would go from school and just play together (and sometimes go to the pub after once we were older). It was such a great start to the weekend honestly! It brought together musicians from all the local high schools, and meant that I made friends with people I otherwise would never have met. We all really bonded over our joint enjoyment of music!

My big memory was when we went on tour to Paris, and played in venues (and in Disneyland!). That was my first step into the world of being a musician and getting to travel. That’s definitely where I got the bug of performing and travelling with music.

• Stick at it!

When you first start, it can be so daunting to walk into a room full of people playing instruments. But stick at it because you can really succeed and do well. 

• It's a massive confidence boost, and sharing this experience with others makes playing in a band all the more exciting. 
• There's no rule about when you can start playing. Music is an amazing thing to do, either with your free time or as a career!

Whether you're in primary school or you're 70 years old, you can pick up a new instrument. Don't be discouraged just because you're a beginner - we all start somewhere and it's such a great skill to have!