Tutors

Leon has over 13 years of experience playing the guitar. A highly skilled and dedicated musician, he holds a Grade 8 qualification in Acoustic Guitar from the RGT – London College of Music.

Prior to moving to Invercargill, Leon taught at both Papakura Music School and the NZ Modern School of Music in Pukekohe, teaching acoustic, electric, and bass guitar, and ukulele. 

Leon is committed to building strong foundational techniques while supporting students in developing confidence, musicality, and technical skill. With his extensive knowledge and genuine passion for music, Leon inspires students to develop a deep appreciation for guitar playing, songwriting, and performance.

Bridget has taught at OSMC for over 10 years. She has previously taught oboe at all levels and is currently focusing on our recorder musicianship and recorder consort (ensemble) classes. 

Bridget first started learning music as a student in 2008 at OSMC. She went on to do recorder consort, oboe, flute, orchestra, concert band, and saxophone classes over her initial time as a student, and began teaching musicianship in 2014. Bridget currently learns cello through OSMC and has been teaching herself ukelele and keyboard in her spare time.

Sally teaches theory and senior singing group classes at OSMC, as well as contemporary music and audio programmes at SIT where she is also the Research Manager. 

Sally has a Bachelor of Music first class honours degree in composition and ethnomusicology and a PhD in Music Education. She loves to write music and has composed and arranged music for many local groups.  

Sally enjoys writing musicals and last year two of her musicals were performed in Invercargill! The highlights of her week are singing with the staff and students at Park Syndicate on Friday afternoon and taking theory and the singing group at OSMC on Saturday morning. 

This is Callum’s first year teaching, and his fourth year helping Trinity in percussion classes. At age 7, his first instrument was the recorder, which then led to a multitude of instruments including clarinet, ukulele, flute, saxophone, and his favourite, percussion. He has been involved with brass banding for 4 years, keeping the beat with drums and percussion. 

A senior student of Verdon College, and having played percussion in James Hargest College’s production of Into the Woods in 2024, Callum is also playing in Verdon College and James Hargest productions of Newsies and Popstars respectively.

Hannah is a senior student at James Hargest and has been attending OSMC for a decade. She started on the recorder, and then learnt the clarinet before finding her passion playing the saxophone. 

Hannah has enjoyed being in the OSMC concert band for a number of years now as well as other bands such as the Southland Youth Jazz Band (SYJB) and now a member of the Invercargill City Jazz Band (ICJB), the James Hargest concert band, jazz band and chamber music groups.

Hannah recently enjoyed teaching the year 1 recorder students alongside Jenna Pottinger and is excited for the new challenge of teaching the beginner saxophones.

Flute Kaiako. 

Hannah was a student at Out of School Music Classes Invercargill herself and played a lot of flute in her younger years. She went on to sit flute exams through Trinity College and to play in various orchestras and bands. Now she enjoys playing just for fun. 

This is Hannah’s third year tutoring with OSMC and we are lucky to have her back on board. 

Clarinet Kaiako.

Michelle plays the piano, flute, and guitar, sings, and most recently, plays the cornet. Her main passion is classical piano and she is currently pursuing her fellowship in solo piano with Trinity College London. 

Michelle has played the keyboard for many of IMT’s major productions; including the highly popular recent seasons of Jersey Boys and Mamma Mia.

Steve began learning the cornet at OSMC when he was at primary school. After some time, he returned as a teacher and has now been tutoring for over 30 years! Steve has played cornet for both the New Zealand Youth Band (NZYB) and the National Band of New Zealand (NBNZ). He was selected for the NBNZ seven times which is an outstanding achievement; this includes being a member of the 2007 band which placed third at the World Champs! 

Steve is the solo cornet and a life member of the Ascot Park Hotel Brass Band. He is a senior member of the band and is dedicated to ensuring the band continues to thrive and succeed to the highest level. Steve is passionate about brass instruments and brass bands but also has a special love for tutoring our OSMC concert band. 

Lara is in her first year of tutoring at OSMC. She has played the piano since the age of eight and has been singing for most of her life. With a strong passion for songwriting, Lara specialises in country and folk music, often accompanying herself on guitar.

A current student at James Hargest College, Lara is also a past OSMC student, having studied the clarinet for three years. She is an active performer around Invercargill, regularly appearing as a vocalist at live venues and on stage at events such as the ILT Christmas Variety Show.

Sophia is a classically trained pianist with a fine arts background. She frequently showcases her solo piano performances at local events like First Friday at the Civic Theatre, Invercargill Club, and the Food Festival. 

With nearly a decade of tutoring experience, Sophia has guided a wide variety of students, including at Verdon College, where she taught art. Known for her ability to connect with students, particularly children, she brings a creative and engaging approach to both her teaching and musical performances.

Judy has been playing ukulele for several years and has been teaching for most of that time. She is a member of a small uke group in Riverton and has been to many ukulele festivals around the country, first as a beginner attending various workshops, to now taking workshops covering a variety of skills.  

In 2022, Judy completed the Level 3 James Hill teacher certification program to enhance her teaching skills. Judy continues to learn and expand her own playing skills so that she can pass these on to her students.

Lachie began learning music with OSMC at the age of 7 and now plays the tenor horn, alto saxophone, percussion, and clarinet. He has recently received distinction in Trinity College of London (TCL) exams in both tenor horn and drumming, as well as distinction in an exam with Associated Boards of the Royal Music School (ABRSM) in alto saxophone. 

Lachie has been selected to play with both the National Youth (under 23) and National Secondary Schools’ Brass Bands, being the youngest member in the Youth Band. His percussion composition was also placed as South Island runner up in the 2024 New Zealand Chamber Music Competition. Lachie is a passionate student and committed tutor.

Ross started learning guitar at sixteen and still continues to learn and develop his knowledge of the instrument to this day. He has been playing the guitar as a professional musician for over 30 years, and 23 years as an Itinerant Teacher of Music. 

Ross has played in multiple bands, both cover and original music, that covered genres such as Rock, Blues, Funk, Fusion, Progressive and Jazz. He has also performed in a lot of big stage productions and shows over the years. He has won guitarist of the year twice; once in 1997 and again in 2013. Ross really enjoys teaching music, but I also likes to repair and rewire guitars as well as build effect pedals.

He started his music education at school before enrolling at S.I.T. It was at S.I.T. that he was introduced to jazz. He then promptly enrolled at what was then called Christchurch Jazz School, and gained a Bachelor of Musical Arts. This is where he learnt the bulk of his knowledge about guitar thanks to the excellent tutoring of Bob Heinz. Ross then got his Graduate Diploma In Teaching from the University of Otago while he was working as an itinerant teacher of music and has been teaching in the secondary school system ever since.

Ross really enjoys seeing his former students grow and where they have gone with their music careers. He looks forward to teaching new students and seeing them grow as musicians.

Emma began her musical journey at OSMC as a young student and progressed all the way through with flute, saxophone, and clarinet until graduating high school. She involved herself in several bands including the OSMC concert band, various chamber music ensembles, the Southland Youth Jazz Band, and the Invercargill City Jazz Band (formerly Invercargill City Big Band). 

Emma is a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) degree at Otago University. She is loves being part of the tutoring team as it enables her to return to where it all started at OSMC and share some of the knowledge passed down to her.

Wayne works as an Itinerant Teacher of Music in the Southland area. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts. 

Wayne is the Musical Director of Invercargill Symphonia and is also a member of Dunedin Symphony Orchestra.

Saxophone Kaiako. 

Jenna Pottinger started as a student in 1993, learning recorder, clarinet, guitar, and saxophone. She began teaching at OSMC when she was sixteen (and she would rather not think about how long ago that was).

After training to be a primary school teacher in Christchurch, she returned to Invercargill and OSMC. Jenna is now the Specialist Drama and Music teacher at Salford School after a decade of working with students with additional needs in a variety of Southland schools.

Estelle began at OSMC at the age of four, sitting in a recorder class with her sisters which sparked her love for music and led to her learning the violin. Throughout her time at OSMC, she performed in string classes and orchestras. By age 12, she joined the Youth Orchestra, followed by the Invercargill Symphonia at age 15, and was a student helper at OSMC from age 16. 

Estelle has now been tutoring at OSMC for over 18 years! She has played in both the South and North Island secondary school orchestras and with the NZSO. Estelle has completed Trinity College and Australian Music Board exams in Violin and Piano. Estelle loves playing for special events like weddings and has played in IMT’s productions of Chicago, Les Misérables, and My Fair Lady. Estelle is passionate about teaching her classes here at Out of School Music.

Daniel is a young local musician who has just completed his schooling at James Hargest

College. He has been playing brass for about 10 years, in that time playing; cornet, trumpet, and tenor horn. 

In recent years, Daniel has been involved with the Southland Jazz Band as a trumpet player and played percussion and brass in local and Southland Chamber Music Competitions. He has played tenor horn in the National Secondary Schools Brass Bands

from 2022-2024. Daniel is a member of our local Ascot Brass Band as a tenor horn player.

Daniel enjoys working with younger players and sharing the skills he has developed with the

help and support of local tutors.

Olivia has been a student at OSMC for nearly ten years, having started on the recorder at six years old. 

She currently plays the clarinet and saxophone and has been involved in many bands including the OSMC concert band, the James Hargest concert band, and various chamber music groups and jazz bands including the Southland Youth Jazz Band and the Invercargill City Jazz Band.

This is Olivia's first year tutoring at OSMC.

Ella has been playing various instruments including the oboe for over 10 years now. She has participated in many groups including the Christchurch Youth Orchestra and Choir. 

Ella has just completed her Bachelor of Audio Production at SIT. With experience teaching as a swim instructor and a passion for music, she is excited to teach this wonderful instrument!

Penelope began at OSMC in 2018 when she started learning the recorder. Since then she has learnt the piano, clarinet, and cello while also being involved in the OSMC Concert Band. Penelope enjoys working toward Southland instrumental competitions and piano exams. 

Penelope attends James Hargest College as a senior student. She has also appreciated the opportunity to work as a student assistant in a Musicianship recorder class recently.

Penelope is excited to be working alongside younger ākonga as part of their music journey.

Clarinet Kaiako. 

Trinity has been teaching percussion at OSMC for over 20 years. She started percussion herself back in high school when she was about 14 years old and never looked back. 

Trinity now teaches drums and percussion at various high schools around Invercargill as well as at OSMC. She has performed and played with the Ascot Park Hotel Brass Band, Invercargill Symphonia, and the Invercargill Acapella Choir, amongst many others, and plays percussion in Invercargill Musical Theatre’s productions. Most recently, this has included the shows Les Misérables, Wicked, and We Will Rock You! 

Julie has been teaching at OSMC for over 10 years. She plays the clarinet for Invercargill Symphonia and in community events such as The Proms. Her experience and expertise are highly valued.