Lace City’s unsung hero for 2021 is someone who has made a significant contribution to the chorus and her community over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Jo Bird is an unassuming lady with a quiet determination to succeed in everything she does. Jo has made a notable contribution to the musical life of the chorus in a really short time. When she joined the chorus in 2017, these musical abilities were apparent from the first rehearsal she attended so it was no surprise that she quickly became an assistant bass section leader. In 2020, when Ellie stepped up to direct the chorus, Jo threw herself into the role of bass section leader and also became a valued member of the music team.
She has use lockdown to learn new skills, including editing together chorus recordings for two of our lockdown projects. She invested many hours of her own time, not just on the production, but also supporting members with their individual technology challenges. Jo has also found time to enrol on the International Arrangers Programme and is fast becoming a competent barbershop arranger. She uses this skill to help with analysis and understanding of the arrangements we sing. She is also a regular on our daily chorus coffee and chat Zoom where she always brings a burst of humour and laughter.
Outside of chorus, Jo is highly respected and active in the brass band community and her talented family gave doorstep performances every Thursday evening during the 8pm clap for the NHS to raise the spirits of her local community; Jo on the trombone, her husband Dave playing the trumpet and her young son providing percussion on the drums. Not forgetting that she also continued to work as a primary school music teacher throughout the pandemic while supporting her own two children with their studies.