Ian Kendrick first made music at the age of eight in a Salvation Army junior band, and  before leaving school he had also gained experience of wind band, symphony orchestra and traditional jazz. In 1957, he joined the Parachute Regiment during which time he studied at the Royal Military School of Music, Knellar Hall and the Royal College of Music.
In 1963, he joined the Royal Air Force as a musician and served in England, Singapore and Germany before being commissioned as a Director of Music. After appointments with the RAF Southern and RAF Western Bands, he served two loan service tours as Director of Music with the Sultan of Omans Air Force (SOAF). Between these tours he was appointed Director of the RAF School of Music, and this included a year as the RAF Representative on the Defence School of Music project.
In 1990, he retired from the RAF and returned to Oman where he continued as Director of Music in the re-named Royal Air Force of Oman. He eventually retired in 2004 after nearly forty-eight years uniformed service in military music, twenty of which were spent in the Sultanate of Oman.
During his commissioned career he became known for his published books, radio programmes and lecture. He is a specialist in Arabic music and its applications in the wind band context. During his time in Oman, he formed the RAFO School of Music and wrote a training system for Arab students that was taught in both English and Arabic. He is still writing and lecturing on his specialist subjects.
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