[2][3] In the 1960s and 1970s he was closely associated with English experimental composers such as Cornelius Cardew and Gavin Bryars, and a participant in the Scratch Orchestra.

[5] John White was the longest-serving faculty member at Drama Centre London, holding the position of head of music for four decades until March 2020.

[6] White's contribution as a musical educator and artistic mentor had a significant influence on the aesthetic outputs of multiple generations of British actors and directors.

[7] White's style was informed by what Dave Smith called an "apparently disparate collection of composers from the world of 'alternative' musical history",[8] including Satie, Alkan, Schumann, Reger, Szymanowski, Busoni and Medtner.

[1] An example is Fashion Music (1993), performed by the Gemini Ensemble with clarinettist Ian Mitchell accompanied by the pre-set sounds of mass-market home electronic keyboards and "little machines".