Jane’s formal music training started as a 12 year old, winning an Exhibition to Kent Junior Music School in Maidstone where she studied with Gillian Sansom, Bela de Csillery and Lionel Bentley (leader of the Amici String Quartet). After playing in the Kent Youth Orchestra while at school, Jane went on to study with Lionel Bentley at the Royal Academy of Music, and later with Clarence Myerscough. She qualified as a class music teacher at Sittingbourne College, and has made a career as a free-lance player and teacher of violin viola and piano. Jane runs two very successful youth groups (writing all their material) – the St. Nicholas Children’s Orchestra and the SNDC players – both of which have won places in the National Festival of Music for Youth at the Royal Festival Hall. Her career was broken in order to have two children which gave her time to develop what has become a second career as a writer and illustrator of children’s books. Her published books include an illustrated song book – ‘Sing a Story’; and picture books – ‘The Little One’, ‘My Wicked Stepmother’, ‘Starlight, Starbright’, ‘The Little Stowaway’ . Jane’s work is published worldwide by Julia Macrae Books. Apart from bringing up a family, Jane teaches, plays in The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Kent Concert Orchestra, The City of Canterbury Symphony Orchestra and The Becker Ensemble