When I was nine, the teacher told me I couldn't sing, and I believed her, so didn't bother trying.

When I was eleven, at grammar school, the music teacher got us all singing, then walked around the class. In his broad Glaswegian brogue he would point some of us out 'You, laddie!' (it was an all-boys school). Those chosen were press-ganged into the school choir, which was very highly respected in the area. And I was chosen...

I learned to sight-read from sheet music 'by mistake'. I didn't realise everyone else was following the words and listening to the vocal part being hammered out on the piano - no, I was following the tadpoles. A fortunate mistake, because it taught me to read music in the best possible way - as a result, I became a mutli-instrumentalist.

A teacher can make or break a musician, but talent will often shine through despite the teacher.