My Passion with Cat Firman: Discovering the key to a blossoming musical career

Since mastering Axel F on my Bontempi keyboard at the age of six, I knew I wanted to play the piano.

I decided that I wanted to be a songwriter when I grew up and used to write and play avidly at every available opportunity. However, once I got to university I got distracted by other things that got in the way (like boys).

Owing to what feels like a freak wormhole in the space/time continuum, it was suddenly 10 years later, I had a career and a job that I love at Turn Key and realised that my musical obsession was little more than a dusty memory.

A couple of friends were starting up a band and looking for a keyboard player, but I had never played in a band and the idea filled me with a mixture of dread and excitement. We made a pact that I would come down and try out, under the strict proviso that if it was dreadful, we would never, ever, speak of it again.

The gamble paid off and by the end of our first session we had written a song and our band, March of Dimes, was under way. What followed was undoubtedly the best summer of my life – an intensely creative time where friendships and music blossomed while we wrote and recorded our debut mini-album If We Only Had One Day.

The biggest challenge for me was gigging. I have delivered enough pitches at Turn Key to be quietly confident when addressing groups of important people, but none of this even remotely prepared me for the terror I felt getting up on stage for the first time.

Thankfully, with each gig, my confidence gradually grew and now, a few years down the line, I love it beyond reason.

We get together at least once a week, play gigs and record as often as we can. We've even managed to get some sales of our first album, All intents and purposes, through iTunes and some lovely reviews.

Writing and recording is the thing that makes me happiest in all of the world and 2010 has already been a busy time for March of Dimes, having just finished recording our new EP, From those who were there, which is due out in April. I knew that joining a band would be a great experience, but I had no idea the friendship and love

that would come along with

the music.

I adore my job but without something else I can be just as passionate about, it would completely consume me. Luckily, nothing beats writing, playing and singing my heart out with my dearest friends.