My Father Wakes up Laughing: The Story of Edward and Janet Simons and Their Musical Legacy

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In this biography of her parents, Jo Simons chronicles how the oldest orchestra conductor in the world, Ed Simons, and his wife, Janet, enriched the musical opportunities in Rockland County, New York from 1950 to the present. This humorous and joyful personal biography reveals how Ed and Janet revolutionized Rockland’s music scene, and also inspired four generations of musical family members.

Jo Simons is a piano and Music Together teacher in Madison, WI and realized in 2009 that she needed to tell the story of her trailblazing musical parents, Janet and Ed Simons for being beautiful people, wonderful parents and also for the groundbreaking musical revolution they instigated in Rockland Country, NY from the early 1950’s to the present. My Father Wakes Up Laughing is Jo’s first book. She is currently writing her memoir entitled Eat Poetry for Breakfast. Jo is also a poet who has had several of her poems published in Wisconsin poetry journals.