SAMANTHA COEMAKING MUSIC MATTERby Donnie Rust

I love my job, one of the reasons being that you get to see the artists today who are going to be the legends of tomorrow - and you get the chance to make an impression in the hope they’ll remember you when they’re flying in their private jets and turning down staying at the Burj Al Arab Dubai because the sheets aren’t quite up to their standards.

Samantha Coe who has an 8 level in Piano, taught English and music in China, passed a teaching degree at the age of 16 and was teaching classical music at the age of 17 is now a celebrated business woman and highly sought after singer. Nobody is the least bit surprised about this.

She was involved in a pop band in Holland with Eliot Kennedy as the producer. After she didn’t make it in the Dutch pop group (despite her raging blue eyes and flowing blonde hair), he called her up with plans to create a band around her, called the Wild Flowers. It would involve three other girls, and began to be put together at Realworld - Peter Gabriel’s Studio.

“Peter Gabriel wasn’t involved as such, we were just lucky enough to use his place!” - Sam Coe

Two Wildflowers songs written by Sam caught the attention of Eliot Kennedy and Gary Barlow, and they backed up Take That on their “Beautiful World” tour.

Unfortunately, although Wildflowers had the stuff and showcased themselves to all the record companies, online downloads pretty much screwed that idea. It seems the only way to make it big nowadays is to appear on television first before making any decent music. (Thanks Simon Cowell... and your teeth look fake). Afterwards Sam took up a temporary job as a receptionist - which would

In case you haven’t paid attention: Eliot Kennedy, Peter Gabriel and Gary Barlow have been mentioned within the first four paragraphs. Hope you’re enjoying your office job, bet you’re really happy with your iPad email synch up now aren’t you?

have killed her if she hadn’t spent the time writing songs and dreaming of something better.

Fast forward: she sang the music for an Indian film with Sonny Viswanth who is a South Indian film producer and wanted Sam to be his English connection to the UK.

“The musicians who recorded with AR Rahman and who won the Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire worked alongside me and AR Rahman did offer me a job teaching in his school in Chennai!” – Sam Coe

November 2009, Back from India, Sam took £5,000 and went forth with an idea of teaching singers who wanted to get into pop music but with a classical training. Classical singing requires more from the individual than pop singing. It is a science that has to be taught - something that many pop artists don’t know about. Fundamentally, she wanted to combine classical training with a contemporary setting.

Enter The Wharf. Started on November 2009, by February 2010, Sam had ten teachers working for her. It was a brilliant time, there was a huge amount of excitement and enjoyment and the future seemed strong.

Then in November 2010 - in what was seen as a personal attack on Sam from people jealous of her success at such a young age, or perhaps hoodlums just trying to pull a prank, The Wharf was broken into, instruments were stolen and the entire area was flooded.

Suddenly Sam was holding onto a homeless music school. She had students, she had teachers- but that was it.

Luckily, or as a direct result of Sam’s natural charisma, there was a good social vibe and Sam was able to pull in some favors from Wensum Lodge who put her up with premises and she was able to keep three quarters of her students. The ones that were lost were

predominantly down to the inability to travel to Wensum.

In 2012, Sam is looking forward to moving into a new facility (away from the water’s edge), an old church that is being renovated in a move to Make Music Matter. It’s a purpose-built area, where a vibrant and creative atmosphere can be developed and skills and talents can be enhanced.

From personal experience I can say that Sam is able to work miracles. Not only with her personal success and in the face of adversity, but in the lives of every student she has.

“I love the fact I’m able to encourage music to be a part of people’s everyday lives, and something that is accessible to all through our Academy and in-school work. The Wharf not only makes business sense, but also gives back to the community and enriches people’s lives through a musical education. I adore my job, and wake up in the morning buzzing with excitement about what will happen each day, and that makes me one very lucky person!” – Sam Coe.

Sam has won a UK Business Award (the Natwest Everywoman Award), which has enabled her to raise her profile as a young business person and also stress the importance of music and the arts to a wider audience even at a time when governments and local councils are cutting funding to such projects.

Donnie Rust, (AKA The Naked Busker) is one of Britain’s foremost comedy writers in the field of business, travel and adventure with over 1 million readers worldwide. His stand-up comedy is apparently hilarious too. He can be found at: www.facebook.com/donnierust.