Born 6 A.M.October 4, 1932 in Baltimore, MD.
After a preliminary start at nursery school, I entered kindergarten at the Henry Highland Garnet Elementary School (Number 103). I followed in sequence with the Booker T. Washington Junior High School (Number 130), finishing in the FrederickDouglas Senior High School (Number 450). I started playing the piano by ear as a child at the age of 3 ½ years. I began piano lessons at 4 years old with Louis Ellsworth Toomey. Together, with brother Avon, started singing at church and community functions. In 1944, John and Avon sang for Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt at the Sharp Street Methodist Church for an annual NAACP rally. This event was written up with photo newspaper coverage. Both brothers sang with the Baltimore Boy’s Choir Inc. from 1944-1946. This very special choir appeared in concerts throughout the city and participated in local radio broadcasts. William Meredith Birche was the founder and inspiring director of this very special choir that presented a repertoire of classical, pop, and folk songs. The world of dance began to unfold at age 14. Thanks to the Hollywood musicals and local performances in the city the attraction to dance increased and intensified. I saw my first ballet performance in 1946. The company was called Ballet for America. It played one performance at the Lyric Theater. Some of the dancers in the company were Paul Petroff, Yurek Shabalevski, Nana Gollner, and Kathryn Lee. When I entered senior high school my interest in dance intensified. The one mind-blowing incident that catapulted me into the world of ballet was my viewing of the Hollywood MGM movie “The Unfinished Dance”. The ballet “SwanLake” is a principal part of the plot, and hearing that music was a truly thrilling experience. I ventured back to that same movie theater for three successive days just to hear the music.
I pursued my piano studies with theory and harmony at The Baltimore Institute of Musical Arts. My piano teacher, Louis Shub, taught and prepared me for entry into the Julliard School of Music. Concurrently, I began playing for dance classes at a local studio. After a few months of accompanying the classes, I proceeded to take dance classes with the teacher. I even ventured to perform as a dancer in some of her annual performances. After my graduation from high school I entered the Julliard School of Music, where I remained from 1950-1955, graduating with a diploma in piano. During my first year at Julliard I began playing for dance classes in the Bronx. While playing for Sylvia Glickman, the director, and Larry Stevens, one of her teachers, I gained further expertise in playing for the ballet. After a series of contacts, I began playing at The Katherine Dunham School for Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook. Through Karel I had the opportunity to play for Alexandra Danilova for ballet performances during a dance festival at the 92nd Street YMHA.
In successive years I began to play for the ballet at Ballet Arts in Carnegie Hall and The June Taylor School of Dance. Several years later Arthur Mitchell arranged a meeting with Gian Carlo Menotti, who thought I had potential as a composer. Subsequently, Gian Carlo arranged a meeting with Lee Hoiby, who offered to teach me composition. My studies with Lee resulted in my being engaged by Rebekah Harkness as a ballet accompanist for her private lessons. Concurrent with my pursuit of dance, I enjoyed another career as choir director and music teacher at a professional children’s school, The Mace School. Some of the show-business stars of today were former students in my classroom, including Gregory and Maurice Hines, Patty Duke, Tuesday Weld, and Alan Weeks. Prior to my activities at NYU, I was employed by the Harkness School from 1966 until it’s demise in 1985 and the David Howard School of Dance from 1986 to 1995.
Currently, I am associated with the 92nd Street YMHA, Ballet Academy East, and Broadway Dance Studio. I have made several recordings of ballet music, both on L.P. and more recently, CD. The recordings range from 1958 to 1998. The most recent recordings are “The Harkness Years- Music for Ballet Class, David Howard and John Childs” on Bodarc Records and “Ballet Music with David Howard” on Roper Records. One of my biggest inspirations in musical composition is the music of Bernard Herrmann. It is because of Herrmann that I have taken a deep interest in dramatic music of the theater and movies, which I am able to recycle into music for the dance. In addition to playing for ballet I also play for modern dance.
