John Parr was a well known amateur musician and played in various orchestras in Sheffield. As well as playing the bassoon, he organised regular concerts at the Victoria Hall in the 1930s and 1940s, and actively searched in archives and libraries for musical scores to play. In the 1930s, he played informally with a group called "The Combination", with Louis Colton, Percy Charlesworth, William Roystone and George Linstead.

John collected woodwind instruments, and donated most of his collection of bassoons, clarinets, flutes and ophicleide's to Sheffield's museum collection in 1955.