Tom Walters (Guitar | Bass | Production)
Tom is a versatile musician and producer with a love for all styles of music. The music doesn’t have to be complicated but the groove is #1. Since playing Glasgow’s 02 Academy at 16, he’s gone on to perform alongside established artists Portable aka Bodycodes in Paris and
When it comes to teaching, making sure the student is learning material they enjoy is important to Tom. Technical aspects of music and theory can always be applied where necessary to ensure they have a well-rounded lesson. As a keen composer, he loves helping students to express themselves by writing their own songs. Lessons are light-hearted yet focused on helping students achieve their musical dreams.
Finn Le Marinel (Guitar | Bass | Ukulele)
Finn has over 10 years of experience teaching one to one lessons as well as groups. He has worked extensively teaching music in schools through the Youth Music Initiative. His passion for improving mental health and well-being motivated him to lead a popular guitar group for a number of years with the Mental Health Charity Theatre Nemo.
Finn is an established songwriter in his own right and has recorded and released a number of records whilst touring and performing shows around the UK. In terms of teaching style, Finn aims to develop his students into rounded musicians. This may include working through grades (generally following the Trinity and Rockschool Syllabuses) as well as developing technique, music theory, composition and listening skills.
Kotryna Starkute (Piano | Voice | Ukulele)
Growing up in Lithuania, Kotryna was introduced to music from an early age with a small and traditional music-based group. After nurturing her love of music and the arts, she went on to receive her undergraduate degree in music education and choir conducting at the Lithuanian Academy of Music. She then went on to study Master’s studies in Conducting at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.
Throughout her musical life, Kotryna has always engaged in group activities – choir, summer camps, workshops, volunteering, ethnographic/traditional singing/dancing groups, and educational/choral webinars and festivals. As a passionate seeker of knowledge, she has always valued sharing and observing artistic interests with her colleagues from across the world.
Kotryna is interested in languages, their interplay within the field of education and communication, folk arts, drawing, nature, and yoga. It would be easier to describe her as a generally curious interdisciplinary personality.
One of Kotryna’s core teaching values is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all arrangement for a lesson. The integration of various disciplines, expression and improvisation, curiosity, flexibility and ability to raise questions, finding fun in exploration, relaxation, frustration, acceptance, and challenges are key factors in creating an engaging environment.
As long as there are new students, there will be new ways to approach and teach them and help them to be introduced to the world of music.
To Kotryna, teaching is about developing each student by mutual learning between student and teacher. Every lesson can be a new adventure. And it is through that musical and artistic discovery that helps us grow the most on the learning journey.
Robbie Tranter (Guitar | Bass | Ukulele)
Robbie is a cross-genre musician who specialises in guitar, bass and ukulele. He has over a decade experience in performance and music production and tutors all ages.
Originally studying Music Performance in the Scottish Highlands, he played in several bands and toured all over the UK. He moved to Glasgow to complete a degree in (BSC) Music Technology where he now works as a full time Producer, Engineer and Tutor. His session guitar has been played on multiple radio stations including BBC Scotland, BBC Introducing, SiriusXM.
Dean Loudon (Guitar | Bass)
I have been playing guitar/bass/drums for 20 years with 15+ years of gigging experience. I graduated with BA Commercial Music in 2009. I like to concentrate on having fun whilst learning a musical instrument.
Creating a relaxing and fun learning space is important to Robbie. He focuses on teaching your favourite songs to make sure you have the most engaging way of learning music theory and practical skills. His “learn by ear” and exploring the fretboard approach allows students to build their music theory knowledge from the get go. The aim of each session is to equip students with the skills and confidence enabling them to become the best musicians they can be.
My focus has always been getting the most out of playing music and what that means for the student whether that is playing as a hobby or working towards grading exams. I have a love of all music but my preference is with rock/punk/metal.
Kim Grant (Guitar)
Kim is a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, with a wide appreciation of various genres of music. She completed a BA (Hons) Music and Sound at the Academy of Music and Sound in Glasgow and first started to learn guitar when she was at school, after the urge to write songs of her own took hold.
She is a guitarist in the band Poster Paints alongside members of Frightened Rabbit and The Vaseline’s, and recently played in SXSW in Austin Texas. She also has her own project called Raveloe, seeing her perform regularly around Scotland and in Europe.
With her lessons Kim hopes to offer her students an enthusiasm for learning by engaging students with the songs they enjoy. Each lesson will be tailored to the individual and students will have the opportunity to explore song writing and vocals during class. As well as incorporating theory and technique. Another essential building block is the feeling of creativity and accomplishment that comes from experimenting and learning new songs.
Stef McGlinchey (Guitar)
Stef got into teaching guitar over 30 years ago, when a Concert pianist saw him play live and asked him to join her new music school in North Ayrshire. Being self-taught, he was unsure at first, but soon warmed to the challenge. In 2004, he started teaching guitar classes at Langside (now Glasgow Clyde) College, and he joined the First Chord team in early 2023.
Stef believes in giving his pupils a strong foundation, with an emphasis on good technique from the beginning. He enjoys building a rapport with them, using his experience to find the best way forward tailored to their individual needs. For those working through grades, he uses Rockschool or Trinity courses, but always makes sure there is room for having fun, through improvisations or figuring out a favourite tune.
Away from teaching, Stef runs his own record label Integral Records, and has released 30 albums of his own music, either as pomegranate (with Vanessa Rigg) or under his own name. These can be found on Spotify and Bandcamp. He has performed live at many prestigious venues, including SECC and King Tuts (as well as quite a few dodgy ones!).
Alongside dabbling in his home studio he enjoys walking, cycling, yoga and hanging out with his 9 year old son.
Fennella McCallum (Piano | Voice)
Fennella is a contemporary singer and pianist in her 10th year of teaching. She graduated in 2014 with a degree in Popular Music from Goldsmiths, and her wealth of experience includes, early years music, teaching at primary and secondary schools, and working in musical theatre. She developed her love of music and performing as a teenager, and is particularly passionate about the power of music to shape young people’s futures and improve mental health.
She is an enthusiastic songwriter and performer, who has had multiple solo releases, and it currently working with a pop-punk band in Glasgow. She loves all styles of music, but has a soft spot for all things punk rock, and songwriters with powerful lyrics and big voices.
Eléna Maria Esposito (Piano)
Eléna Maria Esposito is an Irish pianist with a first-class honours degree in music
performance from the TU Dublin Conservatoire. She has experience in accompaniment, pre-
instrumental teaching, and theory, but her life-long passion is with performance. Elena’s
teaching philosophy is reflected in her lessons as she encourages students to explore their
unique sound and develop independence at the instrument. Her approach to teaching encourages creativity and fun through exploring different genres and ways to practice,
ensuring that learning music is always an exciting and inspiring journey.
Dawn Coulshed (Piano |Singing)
Dawn Coulshed is a freelance musician and mentor, known for her unique blend of indie, folk, and jazz music. Born and raised in the Scottish Highlands, she studied a range of instruments including violin and folk guitar before moving to Edinburgh to complete a degree in classical piano at Napier University. Here she began to perform regularly as a singer-songwriter and explore jazz and improvisation. In 2022 she completed a MA in jazz voice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where she was able to collaborate with artists from a range of backgrounds and disciplines including a freely improvised performance as part of the Piano and Dance festival.
Dawn has over a decade of experience in music education including one-to-one instrumental and vocal tutoring, school projects and workshop leading with Paragon Music and Standing Tall Arts. Aware of the diverse abilities and needs of young people, Dawn adapts her teaching style to each student, allowing space for exploration and self-expression. Lessons will focus on building a solid musical foundation which can include theory, technique, composition and improvisation depending on the needs of the student.