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Our

Teachers

Available online! 
Jackie Chase

Piano

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Jackie Chase has been teaching piano for 33 years having studied in Edinburgh and London.
Alongside her award winning baby and toddler music classes, she has taught piano to all ages individually and in schools. She also enjoys teaching adult beginners, so any young mums who would like to start exploring the keys should get in touch via our contact page, or pop in and have a chat.

Violin >

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Harry is a violin teacher and performer based in Brighton.

He began teaching violin at university where he received an MA in Music & Sonic media.

Playing regularly with Gypsy Swing ensemble Beggar's Belief as well as acting as deputy violinist for a number of local bands, Harry draws on a variety of folk styles in addition to his classical training.

Harry Abel

Violin

Henry Tomlinson

Guitar & Piano

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Henry Tomlinson became an accomplished pianist and classical guitar player in his teens.

Following a BA Hons degree at Brighton Institute of Modern Music he joined the team at Under the Bridge teaching acoustic and electric guitar and jazz piano.

He has a remarkable skill with composition and improvisation which inspires his students, particularly those progressing in contemporary music.

He also plays keys in the much acclaimed band Town of Cats.

Melanie Davies offers folk fiddle and mandolin lessons.  She learned classical violin from age 8 and has Grade 8 violin. After studying classical music at Aberystwyth University she made the transition to the Irish folk tradition and was taught by Martin Hayes, Kevin Burke and Siobhan Peoples over a number of years. She now holds a Fiddle Teaching Diploma from Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann in Dublin. She teaches by ear as well as sheet music. She has played in a live ceilidh band for the past 23 years and has made 4 books of transcriptions of Irish dance tunes which are available as PDFs. Melanie takes on students from all age ranges and is happy with complete beginners as well as people returning to violin after many years. 

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Violin

Melanie Zeki

Singing, Theory and Piano

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Debbie brings more than 20 years qualification and experience of teaching singing to all ages and styles (from opera to metal.) 

She performs and teaches both here and in London and also runs our Mum’s Choir - so let us know if you would like to get involved!

Debbie Ward

​Nicola studied her  ​BA Honours​  and Advanced Continuing Education at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama​.

​​She achieved​ Endorsements in String Teaching and Applied Community Music​ ​​and won the ​John McInnulty Prize for Orchestral String Playing​. ​​

Alongside conduction the Brighton and Hove Junior Youth Orchestra and a wide range of professional playing engagements she teaches violin and viola.​

Nicola Bates

Violin

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Angharad Lyddon is a Mezzo Soprano originally from North Wales. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music professional highlights include work as a soloist at ENO & Glyndebourne, recitals at Wigmore Hall & The Royal Albert Hall and performances with orchestras such as the LPO and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In 2019 Angharad represented Wales in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition where she was a finalist in the Song Competition.Angharad teaches classical singing and aural using the ABRSM & Trinity Laban boards as well as legit musical theatre through LCM. Angharad is passionate about performance & really enjoys helping her students to develop a better understanding of their voice and body to aide their vocal technique as well as developing performance and language skills in all kinds of repertoire.

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Angharad
Lyddon

Classical Singing, Musical Theatre & Aural >

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Freddie Willatt

Sax and Clarinet

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Freddie is an excellent teacher. Drawing on his wide range of musical influences, and his own highly developed technical skills,  Freddie maintains a warm and humble teaching style. 

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Chris Mountford

Drums

My teaching focus is based around learning and understanding different
styles of music as a way to build a fantastic vocabulary at the drums.
This is mixed with student led lessons looking at songs or specific
things they want to work on, establishing good technique and exploring
key exercises and concepts that have made a really positive impact on
my own playing.
All students receive monthly Spotify playlists covering different styles of
music alongside bespoke listening suggestions/videos to support their
lessons. I want my students to be inspired to listen and dig deeper into
music and most importantly enjoy playing the drums.

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Aidan began learning clarinet at the age of 8 with the Brighton and Hove Music Service (BHMA). He passed his Grade 8 with distinction four years later. At 14 he was principal clarinet in Brighton Youth Orchestra while also playing in other local ensembles. Aidan did his ABRSM Diploma in late 2021, and won the Springboard Concerto Competition the following spring. He is also a prolific composer, having had much of his work performed, being highly commended in the BBC Young Composer competition, and becoming a finalist in the Commonwealth International Composition Award competition. He currently studies clarinet and composition at Junior Guildhall School of Music And Drama.

 

Aidan has a passionate interest in music of all kinds from classical to jazz, popular and contemporary music, and is happy to teach students music in any style that they want. Creating his own music is one of Aidan’s biggest passions and he will aim to encourage any students to have a go creating and improvising music of their own, on top of learning basic music theory, instrumental technique, and musicality.

Aidan Bryson

Clarinet & Composition

Arabella Sprot
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Arabella made her debut playing at Montreux Jazz Festival back in 2007. She then went on to study at Bristol University, immersing herself in the jazz scene in the South and South-west, as well as completing multiple European tours with the award-winning big band, The Hornstars.

In 2012 Arabella was awarded an Entry scholarship to study for a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance at Birmingham Conservatoire. Alongside this, she was nominated for a Postgraduate Performance Award from the Musicians' Benevolent Fund (now Help Musicians UK), which she successfully received the same year. She completed the Masters Degree with Distinction and went on to self-release 'Kafka's Dance' to fantastic reviews by London Jazz, among others.

A second album was released during a 5-year stint living in Berlin from 2014 to 2018. She co-led the band Earshot to release 'Tell No One' on Unit Records, which saw critical acclaim from Jazzwise, Concerto Magazine, Jazzthetik and more.

Arabella has over 10 years' woodwind teaching experience from beginners through to conservatoire level, with a specialism of jazz saxophone. This includes both private, 1-1 tuition and group lessons, with stints in specialist music schools and in workshops at universities. A compassionate and thoughtful teacher that ascertains a student's personal needs and works hard to help refine their skills and musical direction.

Available for:

Private saxophone tuition up to advanced level, including audition prep for university or conservatoire.
Beginners flute and clarinet lessons
Music theory lessons
Prices vary depending on level, but start from £30 p/h.

Specialist jazz tuition covers:

Jazz harmony, Repertoire, Rhythm skills, Ear training, Transcribing, Composing and Band coaching.

Sax, Improv Workshop, Composition and Theory

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Homer Kelly

Singing

Ten+ years of experience on stage and in the studio

Starting performing at 10, I quickly signed up for lessons in piano, guitar and vocals and beginning a journey that would result in picking up Grade 8 in singing, studying Musical Theatre at the Brit School for two years and then a BA(Hons) degree in Professional Musicianship at BIMM Brighton. I have recently studied under British Folk Legends Richard Thompson and Martin Simpson and American artists Shawn Colvin and Sloan Wainwright.

I have appeared at/on:

  • Friday Night is Music Night - BBC Radio 2

  • Drury Lane Theatre - West End

  • 2000 Trees Festival

  • Concert at the Kings, Rock Against Cancer - Festival

  • Blues at the Farm - Festival

  • The Voice - Video Game

  • Tour of Germany and Austria - British Blues All-Stars

  • UK Tour - Idlewood

  • UK Tour - Solo Artist

The Under the Bridge community

Contact us now to discuss tuition, arrange a taster session, or for more information on any of our activities!

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