ʃiː lˈɛft skˈuːl æt ðɪ ˈeɪdʒ ʌv fˈoːɹtiːn, ænd wˈɜːkt ɪnðə wˈiːvɪŋ mˈɪlz ʌv lˈæŋkəʃɚ dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðə lˈæst jˈɪɹ ʌv sˈɛkənd wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ bᵻfˌoːɹ stˈʌdiɪŋ æt ðə ɡˈɪldhɔːl skˈuːl ʌv mjˈuːzɪk ɪn lˈʌndən.
She left school at the age of 14, and worked in the weaving mills of Lancashire during the last year of  Second World War before studying at the Guildhall School of Music in London.