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.
Ines Alban Zapata Peréz (Piano)
What got you into music?
I think I was just lucky to grow up with music. My grandad was a working rambling travelling musician, my dad always played piano and sang and my mum was a theatre actress, and was constantly singing about the place too. Everyone around me was constantly talking about artists and discovering new music, so for me it always felt like an obvious thing that music is the main thing in life. One of my first clear-cut musical obsessions was Bob Marley when I was about 4 I think
What do you love about music?
One of the main things I love about music is its ability to express things that words can’t even come close to touching. It’s a much more honest, universal and direct way of talking to yourself and others.
What do you do outside of teaching?
I write and play solo songs, write for and perform with my band Jorts (I also make gig posters for us!), work part-time at a cinema, study Physics and Maths BSci (MSci) full-time at the University of Glasgow, and am currently interning at UoG’s Computational Biomechanics research group.
How do you like to teach?
Any way that I feel suits the student.
What’s your favourite teaching moment?
Every moment I see a new milestone being reached by a student. There’s nothing like it!
Favourite Artist / Song?
I’ve never managed to have a top 10 list of favourite artists, albums or songs, let alone one! But at the moment, I’m listening to Ce Pas by Tabou Combo, Roy Hargrove’s album Earfood, Outkast’s Stankonia and Snapped Ankles’ Come Play the Trees a lot. Nirvana, Herbie Hancock, Soft Machine, Nick Drake, Fela Kuti, Rage Against the Machine, Joao Gilberto, Rodriguez, all the jazz greats and the bluesmen (and women!!) of the 30s-50s are a few of the big staples I really love.
Favourite Song to Play?
On the piano, Brad Mehldau’s version of Nick Drake’s Riverman. Chef’s kiss. Also Joe Henderson’s Recorda Me and Kenny Dorham’s Blue Bossa.
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.
Patrick Shand (Piano |Guitar)
Since graduating from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2018, I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy a varied career as a performer, community musician, music teacher and composer. As a teacher, I feel very lucky to be able to spread music’s transformative and life-affirming qualities and I always strive to make a student’s learning journey as fun and fulfilling as I can.
I love exploring music of all genres in my teaching practice – including classical, jazz, folk, pop and electronic – and I’m happy to focus lessons on whatever interests a student the most. I also love branching out into things like songwriting, improvisation and music theory.
Calum Steel (Guitar)
Chloe Mac (Piano | Voice)
What got you into music?
The first thing that got me into music was actually when my mum was singing to me at a young age. We would do a lot of karaoke together as a family and have so much fun. Then my dad would download loads of my favourite songs on my old iPod and I would listen to it everywhere around high school. And now I get to enjoy lots of different genres of music through other people’s recommendations.
What do you love about music?
I love that music helps people. This can be in many ways, like getting through tough times, helping express emotion, or just being a way to connect people. I love that music is such a universal language that everyone can relate to or have in common, because it’s used so often that you don’t even notice it. It’s always playing everywhere you go.
What do you do outside of teaching?
I really like to play piano and I want to keep improving, so I like to find new music to practice. I want to start writing more of my own songs and get creative with that, and understand the recording/editing aspect, because I get inspired by watching other people write their own music and come up with their own style.
How do you like to teach?
I am described as super friendly, bubbly and fun. My teaching style is very encouraging and supportive, which I feel creates a great environment for the pupils to progress and flourish. I am very keen to understand the pupils’ needs and how we can work together to keep progress moving. It is very rewarding to see pupils improving and developing their skills on their instrument.
Favourite teaching moment?
When I see kids have that light bulb moment that they’ve achieved something, it’s very rewarding. I also like it when I learn something from the pupils, as it opens up my mindset on how I could teach and how to better my practice for the pupils.
Favourite artist / song?
I love Bruno Mars and The Weeknd. I like their style of music. I am also into anything that has a nice beat, or anything that’s got a grand production, like Raye (her music includes a lot of orchestral elements).
Favourite song to play?
Mainly any pop songs, or I try to play/sing the songs I’m into.