She hopes to retain her independence by distributing her music online.

"Ultimately, what I'd like to be doing is writing and recording my own original music and selling that through my website and for that to be my livelihood," she said.

"I want to be able to keep my creative freedom."

Leonard grew up in Moonee Valley and attended Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar.

It's hardly surprising she has become a musician considering her family ties.

Both her parents are professional piano players and much of her childhood was spent at her mother's business, the Karen Leonard Music School in Essendon. But the musical background dates back even further - Leonard's maternal grandparents were professional Adagio dancers.

Leonard studied music at the Victorian College of the Arts and also gained an education degree.

For the past decade, she has been juggling professional gigs with teaching at her mother's school. She says teaching was something she felt almost obliged to do.

But she is now putting herself first and will travel abroad to South East Asia to further her ambitions.

Jade Leonard will play at the Victorian College of the Arts School of Music, 234 St Kilda Road, Southbank, on Saturday, April 18 at 4pm.

Details: www.jadeleonard.com