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Her Childhood & FamilyDiane Davis Andrew was born in Galveston, TX , and moved with her parents to Houston as a young child. Her family moved to LaPorte, TX when she was a sophomore in high school. Most of her family still lives in Galveston and the Bay Area of TX. Diane always loved to sing, and she sang both in her church choir and in school choirs as soon as she could read the words. During high school she performed yearly in Musical Theater productions. She and a friend performed folk songs in competitions and at church. She taught herself how to play guitar while in High School. You can read stories about her early life on this web site. On-the-Job ExperienceDiane attended San Jacinto College and then the University of Houston through her sophomore year. She took a hiatus from formal training in Music Education getting “on-the-job training” by spending three years in the United Kingdom leading worship, writing and performing her own songs and recording them with the Community of Celebration. Betty Carr Pulkingham was her mentor, encouraging her composing and performing, along with many other wonderful singers and performers at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Houston, TX and in the Community of Celebration in the UK. Diane can be heard on nine recordings made by the Church of the Redeemer and by the Fisherfolk. Many of her songs were chosen for other albums, and are available in songbooks and hymnals. Diane finished her formal music training at Westminster Choir College of Rider U. with a BMusEd degree, in 1994 at the age of 44. Her Teaching RolesDiane started teaching others while in High School. She began giving guitar lessons to children of some of the Astronauts families that had moved into the Bay Area to work at NASA. After marrying her husband Bob in 1977 they moved to New Zealand for eight years. During that time, wanting to help earn for her family, she taught guitar and choral music at two Catholic High Schools in New Plymouth; taught private guitar students; and formed a city-wide children’s choir named Jellybeans so called for the large jar of jellybeans on the piano that were the after-practice treat for the singers. Diane sang in the New Plymouth Choral Arts Society and in her Anglican church choir during five years living there. In 1995 Diane began teaching music in the Diocese of Arlington, VA where she taught music in K-8th grade and directed musicals with some wonderful parents: Annie Jr. and Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Composing and PerformingDiane has written over 50 songs, many published and recorded. After returning to the Unites States in 1976, she composed and performed on an album called Friends. Later she recorded with Community of Celebration in Colorado on Willing to Row. In 2002 she joined with Wiley Beveridge and recorded Listen . . . Open to the Call. Diane has continued to compose for the churches she worships in. Some of her later compositions include the hymn Faith Begins By Letting Go; Come into the Quiet; Be Still and Know; Praise God From Whom all Blessings Flow; Your Heart will Lead You Home - piano arrangement by Betty C. Pulkingham; Night After Night chant (Psalm16:7b); See Amid the Winter Snow and others. Her Current RolesDiane works at Grace Episcopal Church In Houston as the church administrator. She leads worship and supports former vicar Rev. Gena Davis, in her YogaMass™, by leading Taize style worship during the receiving of the Eucharist. She leads Morning prayer during the week, and hopes to facilitate "Life Stories" writing classes in future. During Lent she has led mid-week healing service worship |