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Hi Steem,

My name is Lesley Bento.  I am a musician born and raised in Cape Town, I moved to London 11 years ago where I currently live. I have been introduced to Steem by @pandamama who I met in London and @deimus who I met in Cyprus.

 My main instrument is keyboard/ piano and I am a natural harmoniser. I started classical piano lessons at a very early age which gave me a good foundation for music.  I then got the opportunity to play with my dad at church which was my first experience playing in a band.  It was during this time that I decided to do some self study to learn various styles of music. 

![EA502AEC-FFC2-4B8B-820A-EB4538068CCD.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNu8HH9EEpv7U2osYLMxaLYbggymoCi5peoQDBR1GfGN7/EA502AEC-FFC2-4B8B-820A-EB4538068CCD.jpeg)

My musical influence is my father Mario Bento, a multi instrumentalist and singer songwriter, who has founded numerous bands and performed in many shows and concerts. 

![CE3875FA-84D7-4DEA-91C8-9C0EEF02FDFB.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdry6yjw3uj95BzyruNZixG3VXqhBZPhJsV7Qhy6JoHfm/CE3875FA-84D7-4DEA-91C8-9C0EEF02FDFB.jpeg)

One of the most memorable experiences of my music journey was performing with my dad’s rock band, The Jamrockers, (see above) comprised of the tutors at Jamrock Music Academy  - https://jamrock.co.za.  My dad and I founded the music school in 1998 which has become one of the most popular schools in Cape Town, South Africa. 

![8C89DCF5-81F6-4CEF-8F35-406D88551B37.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQaVf5rHaPjjbSMAtMzUQ95Ah6XRBCbY1eJ2cq3wieg8R/8C89DCF5-81F6-4CEF-8F35-406D88551B37.jpeg)

Whilst teaching music, I also performed with the cover band White Rabbit and talented artists such as Mark Haze and Nadia Lubbe. 

My sister Candice Bento, a very talented drummer and tutor at Jamrock also plays guitar and bass. 

![25E655F7-2567-412B-8AF4-5C5E18A8795A.jpeg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmQ1w5dYLQUJop21Pg9gW6DTaCvuz5sPojSV5KzKokpUXi/25E655F7-2567-412B-8AF4-5C5E18A8795A.jpeg)

Moving to london was a huge adjustment for me leaving my family behind. My passion for music has helped me get through all the difficult times, it will always be something that will stay in my heart and I will continue to grow passion for it. I am excited for the next stage of my musical journey. Thanks for reading :) les

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