Last Sunday at the Philharmonic Orchestra of Jamaica’s spring concert, pianist Angela Elliott stood in the back of of the University Chapel as her daughter Emily Dixon, on cello, and Paulette Bellamy on piano, delighted the audience.

Elliott was transfixed as Dixon went through the movements of the piece, her facial expressions giving away nothing. But by the end of the piece it was clear, her pride clearly swelling, she burst into a frantic applause.Mother and daughter are much more composed when the

Jamaica Observer met up with them at The Music House, their St Andrew-based school and studio which they both operate, teaching students piano, violin, cello and drums. Dixon also specialises in teaching music to children with special needs.For them, music is in their blood. Elliott’s mother was Iris Whittaker, the late pianist and music teacher who many will remember from her years playing the piano at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel. So it is three generations of musicians and Zhara, Elliot’s six-week-old graddaughter and Dixon’s niece, is already showing signs she’s ready to continue the tradition.“I really didn’t have a choice,” Elliott stated emphatically.“With my mother being who she was, I started piano lessons at age six and violin at eight. I just had to do it. Surprisingly, it came easily but my mother never made it easy. She taught me for a year. I had lessons for one hour before school and everyday I went to school in tears. It was just her impatience, I was not allowed to make mistakes. Looking back I guess it was only natural, cause I find myself being somewhat impatient with students who I believe have a natural aptitude for great work.”Elliott is however quick to recant, “I am not my mother.”She completed high school in England and them moved on to the Royal College of Music in London. The experience was enriching — allowing her to grow both as a person and a musician. After her three years in the UK, she returned to Jamaica, began teaching music, got married and started a family — five children, Dixon being her last and only daughter.Her experience with her own mother informed her decision not to teach music to any of her five children. Instead, she eagerly sought out music teachers for her daughter, in whom she recognised the same passion for music which she had seen in herself.“I officially started piano at six,” Dixon recalled. “At the time, the family was living in Florida and my first music teacher was Gloria Bolivar, a popular tutor from Colombia. I was never taught by mom , which was a deliberate decision.”With music teachers for a mother and grandmother, Dixon said she never felt any pressure to pursue music.“It was really a passion. I never liked to practise, but I was never frustrated by the legacy,” she stated.That, however, did not prevent Dixon from wanting to move away from her musical heritage, and in her high school years she decided she wanted to venture into psychology. She stuck to it and pursued a bachelor’s degree in that area from The University of the West Indies, but came full circle by the time she decided on post-graduate studies.“In the second year of my degree at UWI I was asked to assist with a music programme for children on the autism spectrum. I enjoyed this thoroughly, so I decided to marry by two loves — music and psychology. I did my masters in music psychology at Roehampton University in London.”Dixon admits that aspects of the course were not what she was exactly looking for but one incident stands out, and years later still makes her eyes twinkle.“I was assisting some music therapists at a pre-school and I was allowed to create little songs. I developed something called The Hiding Game song. There was this one little boy who was autistic and I never heard him speak. One day while playing the song I heard him say ‘where, there, here’ at the appropriate times. I was so pleased, and it is these small victories that give me the drive to continue working with children with special needs,” said Dixon.Like her daughter, Elliott too has had her moments which drive her passion for teaching music.“I have been teaching music here in Jamaica since 1970 and it has been a very rewarding experience. In the past 10 years, I have seen a growth in the number of students coming for lessons. Prior to that there was a whole generation which was never taught music, but now they are seeing the value and ensuring that their children play at least one instrument. In the past I used to worry about the future of my students at the Edna Manley College, but not anymore. It is clear that one can make a living as a musician,” she explained.The mother-daughter bond is strong. Both acknowledge that there were struggles but nothing insurmountable.“I believe in communication,” said Elliott. “We have this thing about resolving issues and that has helped us over the years. Furthermore, I am not my mother,” she restates, to which Dixon gives her a glance and a smile.This relationship has only gotten stronger , as nine years ago Dixon was diagnosed with lupus.“It started when a lock fell out, leaving the area tender and scarred. We did a biopsy and the results came back… lupus. It was a very difficult time, but thankfully I had a lot of family support. Mother just kicked in and started doing all the research. It was clear I had to change my diet and she had all my food prepared for me. Music has also helped as it lifts my spirits when I am doing, and I get a rush from the endorphins released when I play with the orchestra and sing with various groups.”