Teacher
After qualifying as a music teacher, Jan worked with children of all ages, both in schools at all levels and as a private music tutor. Many of her pupils won awards to prestigious colleges and universities, some achieved fame and one was named in a BBC Power List of 40 most influential women in the music industry. After receiving support and encouragement from Spike Milligan and TV composer Ed Welch, she left teaching to form her own music publishing company.
Media Work
Jan’s compositions and children’s choirs and orchestras attracted interest from the media and led to many rewarding projects. In the 1990s, she was Musical Associate to Jim Henson Productions, directing and recording all the choral music in several series’ of The Animal Show. The series was broadcast coast to coast in the USA and shown on BBC1.
The small choir cast for the shows featured the voice of Jon Lee, Jan’s long- time pupil, who was spotted by Cameron Macintosh and won the title role in his West-end production of Oliver! Jon sang one of Jan’s songs to win his television debut and went on to enjoy fame as a member of the hugely successful, chart-topping band S Club 7. He is now an international musical theatre star, with leading roles in Les Miserables and plays Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys.
Jan’s choirs have been commissioned regularly for TV work. From 2004 -2008, she was part of HIT Entertainment’s creative team, working on Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, recording over 50 songs for this project, including the famous theme tune that many generations and millions of children have loved!
Firesticks and Song
Working in the world of children’s television, Jan was fortunate to gather support from some of the world’s finest talents in TV animation and music production. In the late 90’s , her musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince won a place in the finals of The International Musical of the Year so, at the start of the new Millennium, with her husband, she established Firesticks & Song as a vehicle to introduce her musicals to children and provide some outstanding resources for schools, communities and theatre groups. The company has enjoyed global success, gaining support from luminaries such as Cameron Macintosh and Michael Morpurgo, as well as countless teachers, children and audiences, many of whom have become personal friends.
There have been outstanding performances on 6 continents, the smallest with only 7 children and, in contrast, the stunning event when 60 schools and nearly 4000 children took part in a Giant Sing in Hampshire. Venues have ranged from tiny village halls to the Linbury Theatre at The Royal Opera House, to the streets of India and Brazil. A school in Berlin prepared a performance of The Selfish Giant for the Queen’s visit; a group in Barcelona translated Rainmaker, script and lyrics, into Catalan; and audiences in the UK were moved to tears watching the brilliant performance of a profoundly deaf boy, supported with much love by his friends.
Recent Work
A Necklace of Songs
Love letters to my children and grandchildren for you to share with yours.
Lullaby of the Tides - A Song Cycle
A collection of 12 lively and reflective songs with beautiful orchestrations, written for a multi-media, global celebration. Inaugural performance at The Minack, Cornwall in July.
Design Jan Stroud / Mia Thame
Deep Peace - music as meditation, magic and medicine
The healing power of music has been scientifically proven to reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain. Let these soothing instrumental pieces and gentle songs be an antidote to stress. Perfect wind down.
Piano scores, vocal scores and rehearsal tracks for the title song are available
The Selfish Giant
Oscar Wilde’s timeless tale, narrated by the legendary Johnny Morris, with Overture and 3 songs from my musical adaptation.