Interview with Len Murphy

5-24-16 Interview

6-28-16 Musician, educator, triathlon competitor Len Murphy has spent most of his life making and teaching music. Ironically, although both his parents were musicians and although he was given piano lessons early in his life (unfortunately the teacher rejected him),and although he took the clarinet lessons his dad set up for him which actually liked – it wasn’t until he heard a saxophone playing Jazz ( perhaps that of Stan Getz) that he fell in love. From then on he simply inhaled music. He taught himself the sax, later he would teach himself the flute and bassoon, and chose to skip college a go into the Navy which promised an opportunity to play music – Listen to Len tell of his experiences in the Navy. After the Navy he discovered that playing music for a living was more difficult than he’d thought and with a wife and 1 and ½ children to support, he got a straight job. When a friend casually commented that his Army G.I. Bill would pay for his education (somehow this information had eluded him) he went to college got a BA and Masters and began a career in teaching which would take him to the school in NJ where he spent 30 very happy years. Listen to this enthusiastic, energetic and dedicated a man talk about a life in which he found his passion and never looked back.