School of Music

Voice

Adrienne is a vocalist and singer/songwriter based in Vancouver, BC. She has 20+ years of choral and solo experience and has sung with the Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir for the last ten years.

Adrienne completed a Bachelor of Applied Music at Vancouver Community College, where she studied songwriting and classical voice. She specializes in helping shy and beginner adult singers find their voice and build confidence, tapping into her own experiences on that same journey.

Piano • Theory

Alba has been involved in the music scene since she began to sing at a local music school offering music lessons at a very young age. As a pianist, she strives to understand the musical element, nuance, and context of every piece she plays, and as a piano teacher, she encourages her students to grow the same appreciation, understanding, and passion for the music they play. Most of her music education was completed through the Royal Conservatory of Music, where she had the privilege of studying under instructors whose teaching reflected intense and comprehensive Classical methodologies that are typical of traditional European and Russian training.

Alba completed advanced training in professional performance, receiving an Associate Diploma in Piano Pedagogy and an Associate Diploma in Piano Performance (ARCT) from the Royal Conservatory of Music. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of British Columbia majoring in piano, and has won several scholarships and awards during her post-secondary education.

Piano • Trombone • Theory

A Vancouver born musician, Amanda received her Bachelors of Music from the University of British Columbia, specializing on trombone, and has since been teaching brass lessons to students of all levels. In addition to brass, she is also trained in the Royal Conservatory of Music method for piano, and teaches beginner to intermediate piano students. She is fluent in classical, pop, jazz and improvisational styles, and enjoys transcribing, arranging and composing music in her free time. She has performed in various brass chamber ensembles, as well as with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra and Willingdon Church Orchestra.

Guitar • Ukulele • Electric Bass • Drums

Dominik is a musician with 15 years of experience playing in bands, from prog-rock to world music. However, he studied classical music at the Conservatory of J. L. Bella in Banska Bystrica (Slovakia) and started teaching during his studies at the age of 18.

Piano • Group Piano • Clarinet

Evelyn is a pianist and teacher based in Vancouver. She has been a contestant for the prestigious UVic Musical Arts Scholarship and was selected as a performer for a showcase concert in celebration of UVic’s twelfth anniversary of becoming an all-Steinway School. In 2018, Evelyn was a concerto performer with the Okanagan Symphony Youth Orchestra, in which she also held the role of 1st clarinet. Evelyn is also an enthusiastic advocate of contemporary music, frequently collaborating with composers in performing solo and chamber works. During her studies at the University of Victoria, Evelyn majored in musicology and researched the portrayal of gender in performance in early modern Europe and how it is currently represented in music today. She is a recipient of a UVic Excellence Scholarship and a Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award.

Outside of music, Evelyn enjoys fencing at a high level and is a former member of the Canadian Junior Epee Squad, where she competed in four world cup events.

Director of Music • Voice

Erik received his Bachelors of Voice Performance at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada and a Master of Music at the Royal College of Music in London, England.

He has extensive experience in both choral and solo singing in Vancouver and London and has performed all over Europe.

In Canada, Erik primarily sang for West Vancouver United Church as a professional soloist and musica intima; a Juno award-nominated self-directed vocal chamber ensemble.

During his time at the Royal College of Music in London, England, Erik performed in Opera Scenes and had done Masterclasses with notable musicians such as: Ashley Solomon’s Baroque Ensemble Florilegium, Robin Blaze, and Michael Chance among many others.

He also sang the role of Armindo from Handel’s Partenope with Hampstead Garden Opera and was a semi-finalist in one of the most prestigious vocal competitions the Kathleen Ferrier Wigmore Hall competition.

Aside from singing primarily Classical music, Erik also enjoys singing Popular Jazz, Indie, Pop, and Musical Theatre.

Erik believes that everyone has a natural singing voice and places an emphasis on proper breathing and breath control whilst teaching.

He encourages his students to come out of their shells, find their voice and most importantly to have fun while singing.

Violin • Piano

Gizelle ("Zell") is an international music composer, instrumentalist and teacher offering lessons in piano, and violin. At the age of 10, Zell began their journey on violin performance, then expanded their skills onto creating unique melodies on piano since 2010 after graduating from New Westminster Secondary School.

Zell has gained over a decade of musical education which includes an RCM certification, a Bachelor's degree in Applied Music from Vancouver Community College, and a Master's degree in Music Composition from Goldsmiths University.

Their compositional works have been featured on CBC radio, in indie short films, UK-based arts festivals and theatre productions.

Zell always finds resilience and creativity in fostering an inclusive, diverse, and equitable learning environment for their students.

Piano

With a passion for cultivating an inclusive space in music education, Herbert's teaching style involves principles of practical technique while making the learning process fun and engaging. They explore a multitude of musical styles with an interest in the quality of sound, harmonies, and texture.

Herbert started taking piano lessons at the age of 9, completing their ARCT at age 16, and graduating with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance at McGill in 2018. They have had extensive experience in collaborative piano and chamber music at university.

Outside of music, Herbert performs spoken word poetry and gives public speaking on mental health with the goal of cultivating inclusivity to remove the stigma of mental health in music education.

Voice

Jacqueline has over 10 years of experience performing in musicals, operettas, theatre, film, and TV. After studying classical voice at Acadia University, she graduated from Randolph College for the Performing Arts' Triple Threat Program. Jacqueline brings her expertise and knowledge to her lessons, while also maintaining a fun and creative environment. She especially enjoys guiding beginner and intermediate students in discovering their own healthy, authentic voices. Additionally, as a certified yoga instructor, Jacqueline incorporates techniques to help students release tension, deepen their breath, and find grounding in their bodies.

Voice • Songwriting

Julia is a vocalist and contemporary singer-songwriter based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Julia has a Bachelor of Applied Music Degree at Vancouver Community College, where she majored as a Singer/Songwriter.

Julia began voice lessons when she was thirteen years old and has since received training in a variety of styles, including contemporary, musical theatre, and classical. As a young songwriter lacking much understanding of music theory, Julia struggled to translate the music in her head into reality. Now, Julia hopes to mentor young singers and songwriters and encourage them to connect the theoretical and emotional aspects of their musical expression. Julia strives to support her students in developing their healthiest and most authentic voice, as well as fostering a healthy relationship with ear training and harmony.

Group Piano

Mikaela is a piano and dance teacher born and raised in the Vancouver area. She has had a love of music from a young age and continues to train and engage in dance and piano herself. She has been dancing since the age of 4 and started piano lessons shortly after, at the age of 6. Mikaela has studied both classical and pop music, participating in many of the RCM piano examinations, piano competitions and theory tests within New Westminster.

Mikaela has been teaching dance and working with young students for over 6 years in styles like jazz, hip-hop, lyrical and acro.

She has recently finished her BFA at Toronto Metropolitan University in photography and graphic design this past May. She looks forward to continually working in the arts and teaching her students who share the same passion for music, dance and creating as she does.

Piano • Voice

Nicola is a pianist, music director, vocal coach, and arts administrator. Her theatre work encompasses over forty productions including Carmen with Opera Kelowna, Sweeney Todd with Secondary Characters, and The Addams Family and Shrek with Vancouver-area high schools. She freelances as a collaborative pianist and has taught piano and voice for many years.

As an administrator, Nicola works to create opportunities for other artists. She is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Living Room Live, an organization that creates tour routes of classical house concerts across western Canada. She is also the Box Office Manager for the Vancouver Fringe Festival. Previously, she co-founded Secondary Characters Musical Theatre in Chilliwack, where she was Music Director for many years.

Nicola has participated in training programs across Canada and Europe including the Vancouver International Song Institute, and the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria, where she studied with such teachers as Julius Drake, Roger Vignoles, Elly Ameling, and Margo Garrett. Formal studies include a Masters in Collaborative Piano at the University of Manitoba with Dr. Laura Loewen and Dr. Judy Kehler Siebert, a Diploma in Voice Performance, a Certificate in Conducting, and a Bachelor of Science.

Violin • Piano • Voice • Theory

Nicole is a classically trained violinist with a flare for improvising. Ever since she began to play in bands, singing has become a major performance component, inspiring her to write her own tunes and songs. In addition to the violin, Nicole sings and plays the piano and has experience teaching all three disciplines. Using the inspiration she got from her pedagogical training at the University of Victoria, she uses the piano as an essential teaching tool and she often accompanies her beginner students. With a bachelor’s of Music Degree Specializing in Education, Nicole studied with the late Paul Kling as well as the prestigious Lafayette String Quartet who helped her refine her understanding of chamber music. She has not looked back since moving to Vancouver to pursue her music career, honing her skills in numerous situations.

Her credits span from playing violin with the Orca String Quartet for Queen Elizabeth at Government House during the Commonwealth Games to performing as a classical soloist for the Deer Lake Art Gallery celebrating the Luminescence Art Display, performing Motown with Vancouver’s Big Sound Orchestra, fiddling solo on a chuck wagon at Richmond’s Pumpkin Patch in addition to freelancing as a violinist and singer with a variety of Celtic-Folk, Rock and Jazz bands.

Influenced by the classical repertoire of her youth and by her affinity for improvising, Ms. Scoffield shares her love of music with her students teaching violin to all ages, styles and levels and she is delighted to be a faculty member of New Westminster’s Motion & Music where she also teaches piano and voice. This eclectic musician enjoys arranging for her students and is looking forward to a future of composing more original music.

Guitar • Ukulele • Latin Percussion • Drums

Pablo is a certified teacher specializing on guitar, charango, quena and Latin hand percussion instruments such as the South American Cajon.

Pablo’s range of experiences started when he was 8 years of age. Pablo has been involved in various musical projects and was the director of his own band, and is currently directing other musical projects.

He has a passion for playing all types of music. Pablo is well versed in all genres of music on guitar. He has just finished recording his 2nd album of complete original songs.

His latest and completed album of original compositions were he played 97% of all the multitude of instruments on each song, is featured on all streaming Apps!

He is currently working on his 3rd album of original compositions.

Guitar • Ukulele • Electric Bass • Drums

Torben was born in Yellowknife, NWT, and has lived and performed all throughout Canada. Taking up the guitar as a teenager, Torben began singing, playing in bands, and writing songs throughout secondary school. Torben refined his musical knowledge at the University of Guelph, where he earned his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies.

Torben teaches guitar, ukulele, drums and band classes. He likes fishing, gardening, keeping honeybees, and all things food related. When he’s not teaching music, you can find him playing around the Lower Mainland with his bands, Torben Brown and the Metanationals, and The New Shackletons.