My Story
Ten years ago, I started a community choir with ten members and a simple belief: that music making should be open to everyone. Today, the Choir Engine has 65 members, a waiting list, and a turnover rate of just 2%. People join - and they don't leave. I think that tells you everything you need to know.
Building that community has been the most rewarding thing I've done in a long career in music. It's what led me to create The Sound Engine - a home for everything I believe about what music can do for people when the conditions are right.
My background is in education. I spent 26 years as a music teacher and Director of Music across state, independent and international schools, and I trained originally as a flautist, playing in and conducting ensembles across the UK and abroad. But it was through watching what happens when people discover music together - the confidence, the connections, the sheer joy of it - that I found my real purpose.
Community music making is at the heart of everything here. The rest follows from that.
My Experience
I've spent the better part of three decades working across every corner of music education - as a teacher, Director of Music, choir director, ABRSM examiner, and performer. That breadth of experience shapes everything I do.
As an ABRSM examiner, I have an exceptionally clear understanding of what examiners are looking for - and how to prepare students to meet that bar with confidence. My pupils have achieved 100% success at merit level and above across all graded exams.
I've mentored students through music scholarship applications to schools including Winchester College, Bryanston, Canford and St Swithun's, and supported eleven students to earn places in the National Children's Choir of Great Britain in 2026 alone.
Previous pupils have gone on to remarkable careers - including Dani Howard, Composer in Residence at the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra; Raph Clarkson, a prominent jazz trombonist; and Chess Taylor, a professional singer.
That's not something I share to impress - it's something I share because it tells you what's possible when someone is given the right support at the right time.
My Approach
I'm told I'm engaging and passionate - and I hope that's true. But what I'm most proud of is being genuinely flexible. I rarely deliver a session in exactly the way I planned it, because I'm always reading the room, responding to what's needed in the moment.
Every person I work with - whether that's a seven-year-old learning their first song or an adult joining a choir for the first time - gets a structured, personalised learning pathway. But more than that, they get ownership of that pathway. I believe strongly that people make the most progress when they feel in control of their own musical journey.
I have wide experience across the ABRSM syllabus, right through to GCSE, A Level and diploma level. But qualifications are only part of the picture. The rest is about helping people enjoy the process - and realise they're capable of more than they imagined.
A Safe Space
Something I've noticed over the years is that nerves around performing and pushing personal boundaries often intensify as we get older, not less. Life gets in the way. We tell ourselves stories about not being musical, or leaving it too late, or not being the kind of person who sings.
I've heard all of those stories. And I've watched them unravel, every time.
Creating a space where people feel genuinely comfortable and confident is at the heart of everything I do. I take time to understand where each person is - not just musically, but emotionally. We work through challenges in small, achievable steps, at a pace that feels right. There's no pressure, no judgement, and no such thing as a stupid question.
What comes out the other side is something I never get tired of witnessing: people realising what they're truly capable of. It's empowering, uplifting, and - I say this without exaggeration - genuinely life-changing for some.
"Your leadership approach alongside your technical expertise makes a huge difference to so many in our community. You provide opportunity, build confidence and gently challenge people to step forward and grow both musically and personally."
Choir member
Community & Belonging
Joining one of my groups isn't just about turning up on a Tuesday evening and going home again. It's an investment in yourself, in your wellbeing, and in something bigger than any one of us.
Community music making sits at the very heart of The Sound Engine. Through charity concerts, intergenerational projects, local performances and collaborative events, the people who sing and learn with me become part of something with real purpose and real warmth.
The Choir Engine - our flagship community choir - has been running for ten years and has a member retention rate that speaks for itself. People don't leave because they don't want to. They feel supported, valued and heard. They feel like they belong.
That's what I want for everyone who works with The Sound Engine. Whatever brings you here, I want you to find your place - and I want you to stay.