ABOUT ME
I started my career in music working for Studios 301 (then still owned by EMI Records) as an assistant engineer in 1987. During my time with the company I had the privilege of working on sessions for soundtracks, jingles and albums for artists including Noiseworks, Slim Dusty and Icehouse. It was an incredible experience and an enviable "fly on the wall" education learning from some of the best producers and engineers in the business. Despite that , after a while I realised engineering wasn't the direction I wanted to go and left the company to pursue my dream of a career as a guitar player.
At the time I'd been playing for 10 years and had studied under a number of teachers including session player Ian Miller and Dennis Nattrass. I'd also been playing with several bands in pubs and clubs around town. While working a day job at an electronic music repairs workshop I started teaching in the evenings while continuing self-paced study and lessons with various teachers across a variety of genres.
I began my full-time teaching career in 1990 after accepting an invitation from St. Augustine’s College in Brookvale to initiate a guitar program at the school. Within 5 months I was teaching over 60 students a week. Soon after I accepted an offer to teach guitar and bass at St. Luke’s Grammar School in Dee Why. I remained at both schools for a couple of years before leaving to focus on private students and my own playing and music pursuits.Â
I began studying and experimenting with MIDI sequencing and music production. I also worked as a session guitar player on several television and radio ad campaigns including Delva Shampoo, Australian Red Cross & Coca Cola. Around the same time I was hired to write and produce the revamped jingle for Jamberoo Recreation Park, which I also played all the instruments on. The campaign was a huge success and remained on Australian television for many years.Â
In 1995 I started teaching guitar and bass at Marist College North Shore. I taught at Marist on and off for 15 years before leaving in 2009. During these years I also taught at other schools on the north shore and played in several bands.
These days I run a private teaching studio based in Belrose on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. I often tutor elective music and HSC students and offer preparation for high school/tertiary music & Rockschool exams. Some days I'm helping students prepare for upcoming gigs including performance coaching and gear advice. In other lessons I may be taking someone through a technical or theory aspect or the instrument or teaching them a song they love. Many of my former and current students perform regularly and some have gone on to record albums, tour nationally and appear on television. Although some students want to prepare for exams or tertiary study with a view to a career in music, a lot of people want to learn to play just for fun. Students range in age from pre-teen to retirees and in skill level from complete beginner to advanced. For me the best part is meeting people from all walks of life and helping them experience the joy of playing guitar and achieving their musical goals.
After all these years I'm still passionate about music and playing guitar. I listen to country, jazz, pop, rock, blues, "acoustic singer/songwriter" and much more - I love it all. When I'm not working some of my favourite things are Sunday BBQs, quality time with family and friends, watching my beloved Sea Eagles play and time spent outdoors.
