Jack Trubshaw
JACK’S JOURNEY:
Transitioning from the voice of an angel
Joan instantly recognised the perfect pitch and uncharacteristically signed him up on the spot. Recalls Jill: “From about the age of two he was singing all the time but, at four, I remember thinking to myself, ‘Gosh, he’s really got a voice that’s in tune’. It was just this beautiful high little boy soprano sound and it was just lovely.” Musically-talented herself, Jill approached her equally musical parents who knew Joan Kennaway. “I discussed it with them and we decided to wait until he was five and then I took him along to her. “She listened to him and I said, ‘So, what do you think?’ and she said, ‘Yip, I think he’s great’. But she said, ‘Just one thing; can he read? Because he’s got to be able to follow the lyrics along’. He was a really good reader and I said, ‘Yeah he can read’. So she took him on and never looked back.” After a little training from Joan, Jill says Jack’s voice became the ‘voice of an angel’. Joan wouldn’t usually take on kids so young but once said in an interview: “He comes in to see me and his eyes light up – how can I not teach that?” “She basically made an exception for him,” tells Jill. “Aged seven, she said, “Jack, I think you’ve got perfect pitch’. He said, ‘Have I?’ And she said, ‘Do you know what that means?’ He said, ‘No.’. And she said, ‘It doesn’t matter; if I ask you to sing me an A or a B, you can sing it straight away and you just know’.” Under Joan’s tutelage for the next eight years, Jack thrived and joined a choir performing in various concerts, regularly singing in vocal competitions and then becoming an active member of Opera North.
But it hasn’t been an easy, natural journey for Jack. With the tragic loss of his beloved singing teacher in 2018, the Year 13 Huanui College student spent a year in limbo with no guidance during the crucial years his voice transitioned, which took its toll on his vocal chords. As a result, his voice derailed somewhat. “I think Jack was quite lost for that year,” recalls Jill. Says Jack: “After Joan fell ill, I didn’t have a singing teacher for about a year and I picked up a lot of bad habits which kind of destroyed my voice so I’ve had to work to fix it and kind of had to retrain.” During this time, Jack’s voice was merging from soprano – the highest pitch, to alto – the lower female range, tenor – the highest male range and is now settling at base. “When I first started, I didn’t need as much training as I do now, I could just sing. Now, I have to focus on every single note and the technical side of it rather than just singing. It’s much harder to produce a nice sound effortlessly and you’ve got to use your body rather than just your vocal chords. I’ve now got quite a small range.” Before she died, Joan peered him with his current singing teacher Lisbe Jooste, who helped guide Jack’s voice back on track. Says Jill: “He went through a tough time but it was so nice to finally hear him singing freely again. He’s got some beautiful tone to it.” Among Jack’s biggest support group are his family with grandparents in their 80s who still sing in the Whangarei Choral Society choir and Jill, a member of Opera North. His brothers are also musically-talented and one of Jack’s favourite pastimes is singing together as a trio.
Jack and Joan had a close bond and he thrived under her singing tutelage.
BY JODI BRYANT
When tiny tot Jack Trubshaw opened his mouth and the sweet soprano strains of his favourite nursery rhyme came out, his mother Jill detected a talent and stood him before esteemed singing teacher Joan Kennaway.
SKIN CANCER MEDICINE AND SURGERY
COSMETIC MEDICINE
• Surgical/Non-Surgical Skin Cancer treatment
• Botulinum Toxin Treatments • Dermal Fillers • Microneedling • Advanced Platelet Rich Therapy (PRP) • Non surgical Thread face lift • Injectable Hyaluronic Acid Treatment • Skincare products, & certified natural Ocean friendly sunscreens available
• Radiofrequency Surgery • Complete skin cancer checks Book a consultation or treatment in April and go into the draw to win a gift basket valued at $600.00 Opening Hours Monday to Friday 9am - 4.30pm Exception Thursday 10.30am - 6pm (Evening Surgery) 4 | SAVVY
Phone 09 4370852
E Info@whgskinclinic.co.nz www.whangareiskinclinic.co.nz
85 Hatea Drive, Regent Whangarei 0112