Janice Turley has led the band of visually impaired players for 10 years – for free. The Guardian Angel helps her repair a beloved childhood toy
When Janice Turley was 39, she was focused on her career as a teacher – perhaps a little too focused. She’d retrained after bringing up her children and was in her second year as a primary school teacher in Hulme, Manchester. Often she’d put in 70-hour weeks. One of the school governors said she needed a night off.
The governor took Turley to see a steel band at a local school. It was taught by British-Trinidadian musician Arthur Culpeper, one of the pioneers of steel band music in the UK. The room was big and draughty, but the atmosphere was brilliant. “There was a chattery buzz,” says Turley. Learning to play steel pan was addictive. Culpeper was gentle and patient with newcomers. “Arthur stuck me on the bass,” Turley remembers, “I never looked back.”
