Biography
Janet Myatt was born in Watford to non musical parents although two of her grandparents played the piano.Janet attended Apsley grammar school in Hemel Hempstead, where she was lucky to find inspirational music teacher Lenore Reynell.
When the school purchased a bassoon she volunteered to learn and after two years transferred to private lessons with Vernon Elliott of the New Philharmonia orchestra, and composer of music for Noggin the Nog and Ivor the Engine.
On leaving Trinity, she taught at Camden school for girls, the Newham Academy of Music,and three schools in Hertfordshire.Later Janet worked exclusively for Hertfordshire as a tutor performer, playing for two days a week with John Myatt and Tony Aspden demonstrating the woodwind section from piccolo to contra bassoon in all of the schools in the county, including all special schools which they found particularly rewarding as the children were so responsive. Twelve years later Janet and husband John Myatt gave up the trios, she to have their daughter Polly, and John to concentrate on his specialist woodwind shop, 'John Myatt Woodwind and Brass'.
Janet taught privately at this time and ran an evening class at Hitchin, now North Herts college.
The Myatts moved to Suffolk in 1990, and Janet worked for the Suffolk music service and continued to run courses at the Benslow Music Trust in Hitchin. Janet was widowed in 2011 and continues to live in and work from her home on the cliffs in Pakefield.
Teaching
Janet started teaching at the early age of 19 when begged to take on the bassoon teaching at three schools in Hertfordshire including the school where she had been a pupil only a year before.Her teaching increased gradually during the rest of her college life, along side much freelance playing.Janet has worked for Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire music services playing in chamber groups demonstrating woodwind instruments for both authorities.She also worked for several public schools, including the Lees in Cambridge, St Christopher School in Letchworth and St felix School Southwold.Janet worked more recently for the now defunct Halesworth middle school, where she took on the role of instrumental music co-ordinator running two orchestras two string quartets, saxophone,clarinet,flute and recorder ensembles, while also teaching the wind instruments and recorders with 50 children learning the recorder in year five, and many still playing it when they moved on to high school, including boys.
The Recorder Consort played at Snape Maltings and was recorded by radio suffolk to great acclaim.Since the 1980's Janet has worked several times a year at the Benslow Music Trust in Hitchin tutoring and running wind chamber music weekends and summer schools for adults covering those who had never played with others before to courses for advanced students tackling the standard repertoire for wind quintets octets and many other varied groups. Janet was asked by old friend Bernard Parris to take on some independent courses he ran as he wanted to retire, Janet continues to run these to the present day, details can be found on the website Windchambermusic.org.uk
Frustrated by the restrictions of timetabling and finances within the state school system, Janet now prefers to teach at home in her dedicated studio where she has both technical equipment and a vast library of sheet music, and where she can nurture the talents of her pupils enabling them to reach their full potential in a relaxed but structured environment.
She currently has two students who have continued to the Royal College of Music, one on clarinet and one on bassoon, and has another bassoonist hoping to attend music college next year.