“I
hadanidyllicupbringing,
especiallywhenit cameto
music.Mymotherwasa
singer,mysistersangandone
lotofgrandparentswereboth
singers– theymetperformingin
thesameoperetta!Dadplayed
a kitdrum.Heplayedin a dance
band;youknow,theoldFriday
nightdancesthatwerea thing.
I wenttoa verymusicalschool
andwassurroundedbymusic
thereaswell.It wasanincredibly
nurturingenvironment.Most
girlsatthattimeweresteered
intocareerssuchasnursing,teachingorsecretarial
work,butI felta verystrong
drivetopursuemusic.
Sothat’swhatI did.I
wenttoVictoriaUniversity- whereI metmyhusband
Sam– andgraduatedwith
a BachelorofMusicin
vocalperformance.In 1997,
wemovedtoSydneywhere
I studiedoperaatthe
ConservatoriumofMusic
andthenfreelancedas
a soprano,doingrecital
tours,concertwork,doing
what’scalledtheoratoriocircuit.
Atthesametime,I got
shoulder-tappedbya colleague
whohada kids’entertainment
trio,IncyWincy,soI saidwhy
not?!It wasrunbyABC
(AustralianBroadcasting
Corporation)forKids,who
alsomanageTheWiggles.
I absolutelyadoredit. It
wasanincrediblyrefreshing
experienceformegoingfrom
classical,operaticaudiences
tochildren,whoarejustso
beautifullyhonest.
I didalbumswithIncyWincy
andwedidtours.Beingonthe
roadwaschallenging– notonly
becauseofthedistanceyou
havetotravelin Australia,but
becauseI’doftenhaveoneof
mybabiesin towaswell!
Sam– heplaystheFrench
horn– wasbackin Sydney
performing and teaching. The
babies, Oscar and Jack, are now
25 and 23!
We were in Australia for 10
years before deciding to move
back to New Zealand, mainly so
the boys could get to know their
families and their grandparents.
We got as far as Auckland
initially. I had written two of my
own albums (which both won Tui
awards). So I did hundreds of
one-woman shows based on
those that I took to schools and
shopping centres.
Alongside that, the Auckland
Philharmonic was wanting to
do an under-fives programme,
so I introduced Baby Proms,
which I did for nine years. I also
went back to school and got my
diploma in primary teaching!
We are now living in
Palmerston North, where Sam’s
from. It’s where I first became
interested in drumming. I’ve
always had a very strong pull
to try African drumming. I
don’t really know why; it was
just something in my gut.
Drumming for the first time
was a very profound experience
for me – I couldn’t stop crying.
People very quickly become...
I guess you’d call it addicted.
It’s very primal and it gets you
out of your head. It’s a fantastic
way to forget what’s going on in
your life, but at the same time it
connects you with other people.32 NewZealandWoman’sWeekly
We ran a drum and danc
tour to Ghana in 2016.I
remember sitting in the
bus in a traffic jam watching
what looked like a parade
but was actually a funeral.
The Rwandan prescription
for depression is sun, drum
dance and community!
Sam’s now an audiologis
and yes, there’s much irony
that! It has made us veryaw
of our ears. The sort ofdru
we play are designedtobe
played outside, but herew
playing in echoey halls.I ha
drumming tonight andI’llb
encouraging everyonetow
ear plugs!
As well as drums, I alsot
ukulele and I’ve recentlyad
laughter yoga to my repert
plus I have a women’s chor
the Shed 23 Chorus.
Because I had a reallypo
early experience musically,
took me a long time torea
that’s not always the case.J
about everyone has a nega
story when it comes tomus- they’ve been told theyca
sing or whatever. I guessI f
that it’s my job to convince
people they can experienc
joy of music and singing.”
As told to Julie Jacobso
Above: Jennifer was a
successful kids’ performer in
children’s band Incy Wincy.
Right: Yet another incarnation
as an opera singer.THEY’RE YOUR STORIES
weeklyPEOPLE
Quick-fire:
Three words that best
describe you? Joyful,
persistent, spontaneous.
You win $1m – what
would you do with it?
That’s so mean! I would spend half
the year in Africa and half the
year in New Zealand making music
more accessible to kids.
What’s the last CD
you bought or music
downloaded? Anything
Goes by New Plymouth-based,
Swiss-born artist Andre Manella
aka Sonic Delusions.“Drumming for the
first time was a very
profound experience
for me – I couldn’t
stop crying,” she tells.cegm,st
yin
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