Teaching and playing the drums has been a passion of mine since first getting behind a kit back in 1972..
Having studied under Don Gibb at Drum City in Sydney, I went on to work extensively throughout NSW performing and “backing” many artists. I have spent the last 12 years with my band Ella’s Holiday, a collaboration with vocalist Louise Bruce again performing at hundreds of venues throughout NSW.
Due to the care of my many teachers (David Jones Gordon Rytmeister Alan Turnbull) I am in a position to pass on knowledge gained to my students.
Drums, rudiments.
All styles via Groove Essentials app/book.
Exploring the drum grooves.
Meeting Steve Gadd.
George Brenan is a leader with 20 years experience as an executive and ‘for purpose’ board member, having spent most of his career improving processes, sustainability and resilience in organisations large and small. He moved to Goulburn in 2021 from Yass Valley and joined the Board of Hume Conservatorium in March 2022. He has been the chief executive of the Conservatorium since September 2022, and hopes to help the Con reach it’s full potential over coming years. A musician since childhood he has a particular interest in vocal, early music and 20th century choral music. He is also a pianist and renaissance winds player.
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Giselle grew up surrounded by folk music and festivals building a love of storytelling and a passion for music. Giselle has worked in the community cultural development sector for 15 years. She has worked creating and implementing cultural events, community programs as well as website development and communications. Giselle has implemented programs at Hume Conservatorium including Deadly Music and the Hume Songwriting Camp. Giselle is a keen Festival supporter and attends festivals all over Australia as both a volunteer and employee. Giselle enjoys working with young people and finding opportunities and grants to develop projects and programs that help develop voice, confidence and ability for young musicians in the region. She studied poetry and art at the University of Wollongong and continues to have a passion for words and song lyrics.Â
Giselle is a vocal supporter of the LGBTQI+ Community and an advocate for people living with disabilities. On the weekend you will find Giselle camping at a music festival or at home listening to Taylor Swift with her cats.Â
I started at the Conservatorium in February of 2022 after 10+ years with Southern Tablelands Arts to help develop community relations and programs. I am passionate about young people and finding opportunities for them to develop skills and create safe spaces and programs for them.Â
During my time at Southern Tablelands Arts i was instrumental in receiving funding for several major project including Paint the Town in 2022, the Great Southern Line Anzac project, and the formation of Maisie’s Choir in Yass.Â
I teach drums from complete beginner to diploma level.Â
I specialise in Rock, Punk, Contemporary Pop, Metal, Jazz and Blues. Â
Watching and helping people enjoy the process of improving and gaining confidence in their musical skills.
Michael Jackson’s drummer reposted my Instagram story once, that was pretty awesome.
Jennifer Jones, music specialist and choral conductor, holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice from the Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, and a Graduate Diploma in Primary Music from the University of Technology, Sydney. Jennifer has been working in the field of music for over thirty years. She started working as a music specialist prior to working in America (where she was trained in the methodology of Kodaly), and continued in this field on her return to Australia. She has lived and worked in Melbourne, Perth, Karratha, Sydney and India where she worked as Principal of Paramjyoti School AP. Jennifer is the Musical Director of the Southern Highlands Children’s Choir.
I am employed as an Education Specialist which sees me develop and implement in-school and early childhood music programs.
Everything from classical to contemporary. Â
I love teaching music because music matters! Evidence is strong and consistent that in addition to the intrinsic value of learning about music, exposure to quality music education provides students with a range of developmental benefits, including positive social, cultural, emotional and educational outcomes.
It has always been important to me that music education is available and achievable for ALL students. One highlight of my career was seeing a child who struggled in the classroom come to the front of the stage during a performance and confidently perform to a very large audience. The joy on the child’s face was priceless.
No specific recommendation except to be open to a wide variety of music.
I teach piano/keyboard
I teach blues, rock, pop
I love sharing my passion for music, giving others confidence, learning new styles and creating a friendly environment for them to learn and grow.Â
A career highlight for me was playing on a blues cruise on the Sydney Harbour. It was a really enjoyable gig because the audience was there for the music making it that much more special.Â
One of my favourite artists is Elton John. I have seen him live and a great one from him is “Your Song.” Many of his pieces are always a good listen.
Electric Bass – Double Bass – Production.
John Burgess is an instrumentalist and composer specialising in bass guitar, electric double bass and music technology. He is a graduate of the ANU School of Music where he studied Jazz bass under the tutelage of Eric Ajaye. Throughout his study, John also developed an interest in Western classical and world fusion styles alongside his Jazz and contemporary electronic influences.
John combines various styles of bass playing into his own compositions, from fretless bass guitar to arco electric double bass, and explores how they can be both melodic and countermelodic in a composition. He is also interested in how to incorporate digital and electronic technology into compositions and live performance.
The highlights of Johns playing career include being chosen as 1 of 4 soloists to perform at the Sydney Opera House with the International YouTube Symphony Orchestra in 2011 conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. John was also an artist in residence at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music where he performed as a soloist on the electric double bass with an orchestra. He has also performed alongside his mentor Eric and with the virtuosic and renowned drummer David Jones.
John pushes students to broaden their musical horizons and develop their musicianship holistically, giving them the skills to perform, compose and produce music.
I teach bass guitar, double bass as well as music theory.Â
I primarily teach Jazz, rock, fusion and other contemporary styles.
I enjoy being able to help students grow their knowledge both in music and other interests that can tie into music.
I was selected as 1 of 4 soloists internationally to perform at the Sydney Opera House with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra in 2011. Not only did we play to a full Opera House, but we also streamed to a live audience of over 30 million viewers on YouTube. I was even projected onto the outside of the Opera House for all of Sydney Harbour to see!
There’s so many to choose from, but one example is Ana Maria by Wayne Shorter. It combines interesting harmony, a beautiful melody and a good example of a countermelodic bass line.
Bertie McMahon is a well-travelled music therapist, currently dividing his time between his new role as resident music therapist at Hume Conservatorium, with music therapist duties at the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music, as well as his private practice in the Southern Highlands. Bertie brings a wealth of experience to his music therapy practice, having had many and varied roles working in music, education, and disability support. With extensive experience as a performer and composer in all kinds of musical genres, Bertie has also been a music teacher, childhood music educator, community artist, special education teacher and adult disability support program worker. A multiinstrumentalist, Bertie plays guitar, double bass, piano, saxophone, percussion and most things with strings! He also has a few tech skills to help with with recording and music production.Â
Having witnessed the way music-making can bring people ‘out of themselves’, can motivate and empower and connect, Bertie saw music therapy as a great way to use his musical skills to be of service to the community. Music therapists aim to develop an individual’s capacity to express themselves and connect, and to use music in their everyday life to support their health and wellbeing. Music therapy can help people to reach their best potential, to enhance communication, emotional regulation, cognitive capacity, sensorimotor skills, creative expression & social engagement.
Bertie has worked with a whole range of client populations: those identifying as autistic, neurodivergent, developmentally delayed; adolescents and adults with
trauma and mental health issues; with aged-care residents and those with dementia; with brain injury rehabilitation. Bertie’s music therapy sessions will see clients making music in whatever way suits their needs and interests – playing drums, singing, learning ukulele, keyboard, guitar, writing songs, composing game themes, dancing, storytelling, making music videos and much more. He is passionate about using creative play and improvisation in developing musical skills and expression
Liam is a multi-instrumentalist who can play various instruments including Drums, Guitar, Bass Guitar, and Vocals. He has lots of performance experience playing at Goulburn based festivals such as the Steampunk festival and Vibes Fest, as well as festivals outside of Goulburn such as Festival 15 in Canberra. He is currently the drummer and backing vocalist of the Goulburn based band, Loose Surface, who play regularly at Goulburn, Canberra, and Sydney venues. Liam is currently completing his Bachelor of Music degree through the UNE program run with the Hume Conservatorium, on Guitar. He specialises in teaching the Blues, Pop, Rock and Metal genres on both drums and Guitar.
Pop, Blues, Rock, Metal
Teaching music is awesome as not only do I get to help students discover new things, I also end up discovering new things about music as I teach.
A particular career highlight I have is seeing a student of mine having a really tough time with a certain drum part in Back in Black, but we’d go over it every week and eventually they got it, the relief and the pride in the achievement that could be seen was immensely satisfying.
Autumn by Caligula’s Horse
I started learning piano when I was nine. My father bought me my piano which I still have today. I enjoyed learning pieces even though I struggled. Eventually I finished all the grades and completed a certificate. A teacher I had a teacher in Sydney who suggested to me that I could start teaching comfortably at home while I had a young family. So I did with her guidance. I also have an applied Science degree and counselling qualifications through Lifeline in which I participated as a volunteer for quite some time before I moved to Goulburn.
To further the knowledge I have for teaching piano and theory I have gained lots of experience through actually just teaching. I have participated in Piano Teacher seminars that were held in Sydney Conservatorium over many years. When I joined the Music Teacher’s Association of NSW, I became an Accredited Piano Teacher due to my experience and studies and many students with top results in their examinations with the AMEB.
Since I moved to Goulburn quite some years ago I found a teacher, Paul Paviour (the first director of the Conservatorium) who has since become my mentor and friend. With his support I have kept in touch with performances and concerts for both myself and my students. I have also worked as an accompanist for a choir or two. These days I also help in a local church and play the organ for their Sunday masses and occasional other events. I also teach students of most ages to learn to read music and play the piano. They are taught about theory to give depth to their learning. I expect to keep teaching piano while there are students interested in learning this wonderfully versatile instrument.
Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Pop, Jazz. Mostly what is wanted or needed.
I like to pass on the knowledge I have and I enjoy seeing a student enjoy their own piano playing achievements.
Having worked for over thirty years in teaching piano I have had many highlights. I feel I keep in touch with students’ learning by doing performances myself. The learning process I do for the performances stays fresh in my mind when I am teaching a student and the process that they go through for exams or performances. I like to think I am a guide for my students rather than anything else. Students who ask questions make me think is a wonderful way of finding out what the student wants to know. A good example of a great moment for me is a student who recently has been taught by me from the start to grade eight recently went to a workshop and was asked to play a complex piece by memory when he was totally unprepared to do so and surprised himself by playing the piece successfully. I am happy to say this student will now be moving on to more music and further interests. I feel very honoured that I have played a role in this student’s life of music.
Music you love. Learn to listen to all types of music. All music is music, some music is just better written better than other music. (A quote from a special piano teacher I know).
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We acknowledge the traditional Custodians of this Land, where the Aboriginal People have performed age-old ceremonies of storytelling, music, dance and celebration. As a traditional meeting place, many first nations peoples came to this region. Underneath our buildings and roads this Land always will be traditional Aboriginal Land. in the same way, all music making genres and practices come from our musical elders, so we acknowledge those on whose skills and wisdom we draw.
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