John Churchill Sibley was born on 12 December 1858 in Crewkerne, Somerset and became a boarder at the local School, where, from the age of 13 he played the school organ. At 18 Sibley became a teacher at Clifton Grammar School in Warwickshire, where he was also the organist. To avoid making a noise, he practiced on a small harmonium. without using the bellows and eventually gained his Doctor of Music degree in 1894.