Janet Graham facts for kids

Janet Christine Graham (born 4 June 1948) is an English composer, music educator, and music therapist. She uses music to create beautiful pieces and to help people improve their lives.

Janet Graham's Life

Janet Graham was born in Consett, a town in County Durham, England. She loved music from a young age. From 1966 to 1970, she studied how to compose music at the Royal Academy of Music. Her teacher there was James Iliff.

After her studies, Janet started teaching piano at the Mid Hertfordshire Music Centre. She also kept writing her own music. She even continued to learn from another famous composer, Elisabeth Lutyens. In 1973, she married Philip Redpath Deane, who was an organist.

In 1978, two of Janet's musical pieces were chosen for a special program called the BBC Young Composers' Forum. This was a great achievement for her! Later, in 1986, she began volunteering at a local hospital that helped people with mental health challenges. She would lead musical evenings there.

Becoming a Music Therapist

Janet's experience volunteering made her want to help people even more with music. So, she decided to become a music therapist. A music therapist uses music to help people with their health and well-being. This can include helping them communicate, express feelings, or improve physical skills.

She trained for two years at the Nordoff Robbins Centre in London. In 1990, she officially became a music therapist. She worked there for 17 years, helping many people and also teaching others to become therapists.

In 2007, Janet moved to Nordoff Robbins North East. There, she became the Head Music Therapist. She started many new projects that used music therapy. She also led courses in hospitals and care homes. Janet especially enjoyed working with children and adults who had autism. She also helped older people who had dementia.

Janet retired from music therapy in 2013. After retiring, she started composing music again. She also began playing music with local groups, sharing her talent with her community.

Her Research Work

In 2004, Janet Graham published a research paper. It was about how music therapy can help people who find it hard to communicate. The paper was called Communicating with the Uncommunicative: Music Therapy with Pre-verbal Adults. In her research, she found that two patients showed better communication skills after music therapy. This showed how powerful music can be in helping people connect.

Janet Graham's Musical Works

Janet Graham has composed many different pieces of music. Here are some of her selected works:

• Pieces for organ: No.1, Prelude
• Pieces for organ: No.2, Lament
• Pieces for organ: No.3, Toccata
• North East Hauntings. 1. Snow Sky
• North East Hauntings. 2. Sea Mist
• North East Hauntings. 3. Lullaby for Lost Skylines
• North East Hauntings. 4. Red Dust
• Quartet for flute, violin, viola and cello
• Evening Flights
• Soliloquium
• This Great and Wide Sea
• Persephone
• Crux
• Epitaphs
• Diversitas
• Atque in perpetuum
• Cras amet
• When I Was Young
• The Light
• Ca' Hawkie through the water
• Cradle Song
• Eighty Notes for James
• Quest
• Earth Cry
• Tractor and Plough
• From Dusk to Dawn
• Two Winter Songs
• Two Christmas Motets
• Until the Sunset Hour
• Iris
• Hecate
• Four Pieces for Four Bass Clarinets
• Canta mihi aliquid
• Three Pieces
• String Quartet No. 4

Some of her music has also been recorded and released on CDs. One example is:

• Contemporary Music for Organ Performed by Kevin Bowyer, Audio CD (March 23, 1999) Nimbus Records, ASIN: B00000IGNJ