Music, theatre, culture - The Marjorie Whylie story

Majorie Whylie is a Jamaican pianist, percussionist and educator who was musical director of the National Dance Theatre Company for 45 years. Whylie was a musical prodigy, who began playing the piano at two and a half years old.

At just five year’s old, Whylie was already part of a percussion band and started formal music lessons a year later with acclaimed Jamaican music teacher Ena Helps.

She had begun performing in public a year before her formal training began and continued doing so through high school. Even that, Whylie started early, matriculating to St Andrew High School for Girls at nine years old after earning the highest marks in the island's primary schools' scholarship exam.

She completed the Cambridge School Certificate and Higher Schools' Certificate examinations and was awarded a teaching scholarship to the University of the West Indies (UWI). 

She taught Spanish at Kingston College and began teaching music.

In 1962 she was part of the "Roots and Rhythms" dance production set up to celebrate Jamaican independence and worked with Eddie Thomas and Rex Nettleford, who went on to find the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC). 

Whylie’s home life was not much different from her professional life. It was filled with music. As a child she associated with Jamaica's best-performing musicians and music teachers as they lived close to her.

Her early influences were the music she heard around her, including the recordings of Lord Kitchener and Lord Beginner. She regularly performed at tea parties and church events, playing songs which included ‘Begin the Beguine’, as well as popular jazz instrumentals, boogie-woogie hits, stride piano favourites and songs like ‘Hold Them Joe’ and ‘Don’t Touch Mi Tomato’, as well as religious and classical music. 

Whylie was also a regular performer on Lannaman’s Children's Hour, a popular radio programme for talented young performers on Radio Jamaica Limited. She was also leader of the acclaimed BDTC Singers following the passing of vocalist and original leader Joyce Laylor. 

During those years, Whylie also worked on stage and in the orchestra pit of the National Pantomime of the Little Theatre Movement (LTM) and on the children’s television show ‘Ring Ding’ where she again worked with the Hon Louise Bennett-Coverley as accompanist and musician.

In 1975, the Jamaican Folk Singers was formed and Whylie was asked to teach some members of the group drum rhythms. She readily agreed and was invited to be a guest performer on drums as the Folk Singers toured the island and at their debut performance at the Little Theatre. 

Olive Lewin, who founded the group, was at the time Head of Culture at the Social Development Commission and Whylie had transcribed some tapes for Dr Lewin as a volunteer. 

Whylie was awarded the Order of Distinction - Officer Class by the Jamaican government, and in 2015 she was named recipient of the Commander Class (CD) for her outstanding contribution to the arts.

In 1997, Whylie was inducted into the Jamaica Jazz Hall of Fame and in 2004, received the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Theatre and Music.