Singing helped build my confidence

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Janet, now, and singing in her younger days

Songwriter Janet Hussain tells us about feeling isolated at school with a stammer, and how music changed everything. 

My name is Janet, I am 74 and I've had a stammer since a very young age. My mother also stammered but none of my brothers and sisters did. I was very shy at school because of it and was bullied and laughed at, which resulted in me drawing into myself even more. I felt alone. 

As I got a little older, I found things like asking for directions very difficult. So much so that I would walk for miles until I found wherever I was headed, rather than ask someone. Using the telephone was hard too, and I would always explain to the person on the other end that I stammered before I started a conversation.

Discovery

Music changed my life. I can remember buying a weekly magazine that had song lyrics in it, taking it to school and finding a corner in the playground to sing these songs. One in particular was 'Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)' by Cher. I found that I didn't stammer when I sang it and the realisation shocked me! That was when I realised that music was going to be a big part of my life (and still is). 

I found that I didn't stammer when I sang it and the realisation shocked me! 

I decided to get some training and worked with a singing teacher. As a soprano singer, I have a good range in chest voice, thanks to her. I am also involved with a weekly choir and we do many performances for charity. 

In the early 90s I entered a singing competition on Radio WM's The John Taynton Show, where I had to sing down the telephone along with other competitors in a queue. The song I sang was 'Walk on By' by Dionne Warwick, and I won! I put my own spin on the song and they loved it! Somebody from The Evening Mail newspaper was in the studio at the time, and they did an article about my win. I also appeared in another magazine in Bromsgrove after they heard me on the show, and had some lovely write-ups from the BBC.

I am not afraid like I used to be. 

I have since taken up songwriting and have done it for many years now. I often ask myself, 'How do I do it?' but I find it easy to write about anything, and melodies come very easily to me. People always comment on my songs, which has helped me build up a lot of confidence over the years. I love it! One of my songs, 'War Child', was played on The Brett Birks Show for Radio WM. I was quite shocked when it was chosen, but they said they loved it so much they had to play it. 

Confidence building

Singing has given me the confidence to stand on stage in front of an audience, and I get very excited whenever I get opportunities to do so. I often take myself off to karaoke nights and will get up and sing acapella. I have been a part of The Mac Arts Centre in Edgbaston for many, many years and am currently enrolled in the Songwriter's Circle, again continuously helping me build even more confidence. I find myself helping others at times too.

I have pushed myself to be involved in many other activities over the years, including taking up karate (I'm up to my purple belt), aikido and judo. I also took up boxing classes! As well as these, I signed up to volunteer with the police force for six months, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I am not afraid like I used to be and music has opened many doors for me. I found that my stammer reduced and my confidence grew through singing and I have made many friends along the way. At school I was very lonely as a child who stammered, but now I shine bright. 

You can listen to Janet's music on her Soundcloud page.

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