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Carlos Villanueva
Founder Instruments: acoustic guitar, classical guitar, ukulele Traditional South American instruments: charango, kena, zampoñas Languages: Spanish, English Carlos is a music educator of more than 30 years experience as wells an ARIA Award nominee musician/ composer. He has written the tuition methods for guitar & ukulele exclusively for the GEKO MUSIC ACADEMY. Carlos has lectured in tertiary institutions around Australia and overseas in: Music Pedagogy for Children; Teaching Latin American music in the classroom and presented thousands of educational concerts in primary schools, high schools and tertiary institutions around Australia, Asia and Latin America. He has had a 4-part documentary series made of his life and musical heritage entitled "Viva" shown in TV networks in Australia and overseas. Carlos also features in the ABC for Kids TV children's music show "Lah Lah's Adventures". He has PhD studies in Music Composition from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and is currently undertaking a Master of Teaching postgraduate degree at Charles Sturt University.
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Nic
Instruments: acoustic & electric guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, clarinet Languages: English Nic has over 8 years experience teaching acoustic & electric guitar, clarinet and saxophone. He plays a a wide range of guitar styles, from classical to Latin American, contemporary, pop, rock, country, folk, blues and jazz. Nic wrote many of the lessons in the GEKO Guitar & Ukulele tuition methods.
Nic is also an accomplished clarinet player having studied this instrument at the Sydney Conservatorium High School where he gained valuable ensemble and orchestra experience. In 2013, as a singer/ songwriter/ guitarist he won the national Emergenza Battle of the Bands rock competition with his band "Cuervo" subsequently representing Australia at the International Finals in Germany where they were placed fourth. |
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Jessica
Instruments: Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Baritone Horn, Euphonium Languages: English Jessica is currently finishing a Bachelor of Music Education degree at the prestigious Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She is a talented multi-instrumentalist musician and tutor on a wide range of brass instruments. Jessica is a dedicated member of two community bands (Northern Beaches Youth Band and Warringah Brass) and loves exploring a wide range of repertoire. She has been tutoring brass instruments since 2015 and has a passion for teaching and encouraging young musicians to love music. Jessica has been GEKO's principal brass tutor since 2019.
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Lindford
Instruments: All woodwind: flute, clarinet, alto & tenor saxophones Languages: English Lindford is a seasoned performer with 16 years of experience in a variety of musical settings both at a national and international level. He has performed in musical theatre productions, choirs, orchestras and festivals including leading his own quartet at the Manly Jazz Festival and Thredbo Jazz Festival. He has been tutoring since 2012. He studied music at Mosman High School where he undertook extension studies in music performance.
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Natalia
Instruments: Piano/ Keyboard Languages: Slovak, Czech, English Natalia is a freelance artist, piano teacher and painter from Europe, Slovakia. She is an inspiring and motivating tutor with over 7 years of experience teaching all ages and levels.
She studied piano at the Art School of Malacky and also at Charles University in Prague and as a young pianist she entered piano competitions in Europe. Nowadays she is focusing on raising and helping students achieve their music goals. |
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Marcelo
Instruments: Drums, Percussion, Electronic Music Languages: English Marcelo is a gifted, talented and accomplished drummer & percussionist. He is comfortable in any style, from rock, pop, jazz to African, Latin American, classical and electronic music. His teaching style is one of nurturing his young students' talents through fun lessons that develop solid hand and feet techniques, great music reading abilities, rhythmic and groove versatility so that your child can shine as the drummer in his/ her school band.
Marcelo's music passion is composing electronic dance music incorporating intricate textures, unique sound processing technologies and driving dance beats. |
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Jerrod
Instruments: Singing (Musical theatre, rock, pop & classical) Languages: English Jerrod has been working full time as a actor, singer and song writer since he graduated from The Queensland Conservatorium with a Bachelor of Musical Theatre. He has been lucky enough to perform alongside talents such as Josh Piterman, Lucy Durack and Patti LuPone. He has been teaching and writing his own music for the past 5 years. Having vocal experience in several different genre’s and styles of music, he can teach musical theatre, rock, pop and classical.
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Louis
Instruments: Trumpet, Piano, Composition, Music Theory Languages: English Louis studied the trumpet with Australian trumpet legends Ralph Pyl and Simon Sweeney and is currently undergoing a Bachelor of Music (Composition) at the prestigious Sydney Conservatorium of Music. With 10 years of experience playing and tutoring, Louis aims to impassion students with a love for music that extends beyond technical achievement. He states: "I hope to transfer my love for a wide range of genres to students such as Jazz and Classical music. I offer a fun, engaging and meaningful approach to instrumental tuition as well as to my teaching of Composition, Arranging and Music theory for young budding composers, high school and HSC students looking to workshop their pieces and hone their craft".
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Cian
Instrument: Trombone Languages: English Cian is a musician at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne. He has completed a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he was awarded scholarships to study at the Aspen Music Festival in the USA, the Estivo Chamber Music school in Verona Italy and at the Stockholm Chamber Brass Academy. During his studies he won the brass prize at the Gisborne International Music Competition in New Zealand and was a finalist in the Conservatorium concerto competition. Cian has over 5 years teaching experience and has been in demand as a teacher at many of Sydney's top music programs. He has a passion for music and pedagogy and is always eager to learn.
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Luis
Instruments: Piano, Composition, Music Theory Languages: English, Spanish, German. Luis is an internationally active composer, pianist & conductor with a prestigious musical upbringing in Europe (Music & Arts University - MUK / Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst- Vienna, Austria) & the United States (UCLA - University of California, Los Angeles), earning a Master of Arts & Bachelor of Arts in Musical Composition. As a freelance musician & for over 20 years, Luis has taught students of all ages ranging from small children at the beginning level through young adults & senior citizens wishing to start with music studies. He specialises in preparing advanced young musicians for entrance exams into university education programs.
Luis is recipient of international prizes and recognition for his professional musical work. He has held teaching posts at Universities & Music Conservatories for the past 11 years. Currently, he teaches at the University of Sydney - Conservatorium of Music. |
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Leah
Instruments: Flute, Music Theory Languages: English Leah is a highly trained classical flute player who loves teaching kids. She graduated with a Masters in Music Performance (honours) in 2011 from the Australian National University with a postgraduate scholarship under the guidance of prominent Australian flautists Virginia Taylor and Vernon Hill. Leah was a major prize winner at The B’nai B’rith Jewish Youth Eisteddfod in 2004 and has performed extensively in solo and ensemble concerts in Melbourne and Canberra. She has completed her Advanced accreditation with the Suzuki Association of Australia.
Leah has experience teaching students of all levels and ages, from absolute beginners to advanced players. In 2001 she was a flute tutor at the French Woods Festival of the Arts in New York, USA during the 2001 summer camp season. Leah has a busy and well established Flute Studio on Sydney’s lower north shore. |
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Natasha
Instruments: Violin, Piano, Voice Languages: English Natasha began learning the violin at the age of 5 years old. Her childhood was enriched by many performance experiences as a part of Sydney Youth Orchestra and Gondwana Voices. She was awarded two full music scholarships, firstly to Ravenswood and then to Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School. She took music leadership roles in both of these schools and performed in music scholars concerts, orchestral concerts and musicals. In 2016, she achieved a distinction result in the AmusA Violin Performance examination and in 2018, she won the Gordon Waterhouse memorial scholarship. Natasha completed HSC Music 2 and Music Extension as an accelerated student and was nominated for the HSC music showcase ‘Encore’. Throughout her final years at high school, she became a regular jazz singer at three Sydney venues and in 2020 she was accepted into the Bachelor of Music in Jazz Voice at Brisbane Conservatorium which she has completed one year of. Natasha is a passionate music teacher with over 5 years working experience having taught piano, voice and violin.
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Andrew
Instrument: Drums Languages: English Andrew has over 15 years of experience teaching students of all ages and skill levels. He specialises in styles ranging from Jazz, Funk, Latin, R n B, Reggae and World Music to Rock, Metal and Alternative. While completing a Bachelor of Music at The University Of Western Sydney, Andrew studied via exchange at California State University Los Angeles. Here he performed with the Cal State LA Big Band. Andrew has also won Australia’s Best Up and Coming Drummer Intermediate Competition at the AUDW festival in 2006. Over the years he has maintained a busy performance schedule as a freelance drummer playing for many Australian and international artists. Some of these artists/musicians include The Platinums, Knox, John Foreman, Ricki Lee, Eddie Perfect, Dave Eastgate, house band for ABC TV show Wednesday Night Fever, Jamie Lindsay, Daggerz, Christie Lamb, Mickey Pye, Jayne Denham and many more.
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Naomi
Instrument: Flute, clarinet, saxophone Languages: English Naomi has been teaching Flute, Saxophone and Clarinet in schools in Sydney for over 9 years. She has taught privately, in small groups and conducted six concert band ensembles as musical director at many schools. Naomi has been playing the flute for 20 years and graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Music Performance (Honours). Naomi is currently studying her Masters of Music Performance specialising in Music Psychology online at the Royal Northern College of Music in the U.K. When she is not playing the flute Naomi works on her thesis research in the field of music practice motivation and is passionate about sharing the joys of music and practice with her students. Naomi creates a positive and fun teaching environment and appreciates each student for their own unique journey with music.
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Ben
Instrument: Voice Languages: English My students continue to achieve numerous exam, scholarship & competition successes, including recording contracts, entry into Sydney Conservatorium of Music, professional work with Opera Australia, musical theatre & film credits. I taught at The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London, the world's oldest theatre arts training school. One of my students there had incredible talent and imagine my surprise seeing him star in a major movie. Another singer I taught privately has had international singing success & recorded 6 albums. A lovely lady came every Wednesday night in the rain to fulfill her dream of singing onstage with a band.
Online lessons have helped new & emerging students create success through singing & keep them dry! A current student came for advice on which style of singing to pursue. He sings classically but was the first singer to be awarded an AMus in Music Theatre by the AMEB. After overseeing The Australian Singing Competition, I wrote an eBook Sing To WIN that outlines all the aspects of winning a singing competition. Repertoire choice, preparation & the winning mindset are what separates a singer for success. |
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Bronte
Instrument: Voice Languages: English Bronte has been performing from the age of 12 in Pop, RnB, Soul, Jazz & Music Theatre. She performs regularly around Sydney venues as an artist, entertainer & session vocalist. She's been a guest entertainer for P&O Cruise lines; featured at the Sydney Opera House, Luna Park & the Royal Easter Show. She performs regularly with the Navy Big Band, the Blue Mountains Symphony Orchestra & as a session backing vocalist for X Factor Australia and the AACTV Awards (Channel 7). Bronte holds a Bachelor of Music (Contemporary Performance) & a Graduate Certificate (Music) in the research of Vocal Registers, Contemporary Vocal Technique & Vocal Preservation. She understands the high technical and artistic demands of a contemporary vocalist from first hand experience and enjoys helping singers of all experience levels explore their own unique potential.
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Damien
Instrument: Alto saxophone Languages: English Damien is a Bachelor of Music graduate (Major in Saxophone Performance) from the Australian Institute of Music (Sydney). As a professional musician he has worked with bands and musicians in the live music scene in Sydney.
Damien comes from a long family tradition of Latin jazz and Latin American musicians. His formal studies began at the age of four. Once in high school (Ku-rin-gai Performing Arts High School) he excelled in music, performing in the choir and band. As a professional musician he also works as a composer and arranger. Damien is passionate about guiding his students through their musical journey. |