Music

To assist families that wish for their children to have additional music tuition, we host music tutors to run their private lessons at our school during school hours as an extracurricular activity. These additional music sessions are paid for separately by the parents. Lessons are for 30 minute sessions, once a week, during school hours. We are currently very lucky to have four teachers providing tuition in a range of instruments: piano, keyboard, recorder, classical and modern acoustic guitar, drums, electric guitar, electric bass guitar, fife, flute, tin whistle, clarinet, saxophone and violin.

Carolyn Thompson (ATCL LTCL AIRMT B.Ed) teaches piano, keyboard, recorder, classical and modern acoustic guitar. With over 25 years of teaching experience, she has worked in a number of primary and intermediate schools on the North Shore and runs a private studio from home for senior and adult students. Although a classically trained teacher, Carolyn encourages her students to play a variety of music. Students develop good technical and sight-reading skills, aural awareness and theoretical knowledge. During the year all students have the opportunity to perform, both within the school setting and more formal evening concerts. For more information, contact Carolyn on 473 2267 or via email.

Nick Morgan is available for drums, electric guitar and electric bass guitar lessons. ‘Mr Drum’ teaches rhythms, tempos, styles including pop, rock, blues, reggae, jazz, world music and beyond. As soon as a basic level is reached, emphasis is placed on understanding the relationship between other musical instruments, especially when played in a group/band situation. This then leads to live performances in shows, as well as writing and recording original material, aong with building the knowledge of the history of popular music. Please contact Nick on 473 1985 or via email.

Mary O’Brien (LTCL, AIRMTNZ) teaches fife, flute, tin whistle (Irish Music), clarinet and saxophone. With over 30 years of teaching experience, she has worked in a number of primary, intermediate and secondary schools in Auckland and runs a private studio from home for senior and adult students. Examinations are offered and lessons are either individual or in small groups according to each students need. Come learn to play the ‘fife’ in the ‘Fun Fife’ Music Class with others. The fife is a plastic instrument very similar to a recorder only side blown like a flute, and costs about $30 to buy. This is suited to children between the ages of 6 –9 years as an inexpensive and awesome way to start learning music and can lead on to learning the flute later. During the year all students have the opportunity to perform, both within the school setting and more formal evening concerts. For more information, please contact Mary on (09) 426 3824, 027 676 8741 or via email.

Our school also works closely with tutors from Long Bay College, who run their lessons at our school during the school day. Violin, flute (with Mary O’Brien) and trumpet tuition is available.