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Musical
Director

The
Bands Musical Director is Penny Jaeger, a highly regarded professional
music teacher who, luckily for the Band, just happens to live a short walk
from "The
Bell" in Cleobury Mortimer.
Penny's music making started with the recorder when she was about seven
years old in her home town of Warley in the West Midlands.
Her introduction to "Brass" was being taught to play the Trombone at
the tender age of ten by a peripatetic teacher that visited the school she
attended.
Even at such a young age it was obvious that Penny had a natural talent
for all things musical and it was not long before she was playing her
Trombone in The Sandwell Youth Band. When
Penny left school she decided on a career in teaching and, naturally
enough, she chose music !
The next few years were spent at Westbourne Teacher Training College
studying hard and getting involved in the local music scene.
It was during this time that Penny first tried her hand at conducting with
The Sandwell Wind Training Band and, as with her instrumental lessons,
soon mastered the technique needed to gain the respect of the people
around her. After
graduating Penny started teaching music at the Alexandra High School in
Tipton, where she became very involved with the highly regarded school
Brass Band.
Penny's next teaching post was at Bristnall High School in Sandwell.
Several years later Penny moved to the more rural setting of Bewdley High
School in Worcestershire, as head of the music department. Penny
has lived in Cleobury Mortimer, a
short picturesque drive from Bewdley, for about sixteen years and was
asked to take-on the role of Musical Director of the Band almost fourteen years ago.
The Band was at a low point in its evolution at that time but, with a
strong and determined core of loyal players, Penny has been able to infuse
enthusiasm and vitality in to the whole set up. Penny's
interests outside of teaching are mainly based on musical themes but, when
pushed, she might admit to a passion for her cats and the meditative
quality of running.
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