Judy Minot
Judy Minot plays piano, accordion (piano and diatonic), and fiddle in a range of styles from jazz to Celtic, Québécois and contra. Current groups include:
Kestrel - English country dances.
John Burkhalter (recorders), Judy Minot (piano), Paul Morrissett (violin), Mary Roth (concertina)
Squirrel's Chair - Contra dances in the NJ/NY/Philadelphia area
Nathan Bishop (violin), Nathalie Levine (violin), Judy Minot (piano, accordions)
Judy has played Celtic/Irish music with Patrick Clifford and Fiona Tyndall, and in various other groupings including contra and English dances. She annually leads pickup bands at Folk College , Princeton Country Dancers, and the All Comers' Arkestra at Northeast Squeeze-In.
Judy is the author of Best Practice: Inspiration and Ideas for Traditional Musicians. She writes regularly for Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Recent articles include Playing with Lessons from the Martial Arts, How to Jam, and Making the Most of Your Practice Time.
Judy holds a 4th degree black belt in the martial art of Kokikai Aikido, which she taught at Rutgers University for 12 years. She is also a certified yoga teacher.
Judy believes in removing the stigma associated with the “amateur” musician. Being an accomplished and dedicated musician does not mean you have to make a living by it. She herself had a long and successful career in broadcast television and later in digital marketing. Along the way she edited music videos, entertainment specials and documentaries, many of which can be found on IMDB. Here's a playlist of some of the videos she edited. Artists included Mariah Carey, Bob Dylan, Ozzy Osbourne, Regina Belle, John Mellencamp, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Cyndi Lauper, Donny Osmond, Rush, Shania Twain, Tony Bennett and Dr. John. She went on to produce, direct and write for cable and broadcast television, for clients including Martha Stewart, CBS News and many record labels and well-known organizations.
read the blog.