Meet The Teachers

Mr. Eastwood has been teaching for over 30 years since graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music. His favorite part of teaching is watching his students’ progress and growth over time. Alongside teaching, he is an active performer with the Stockport Symphony Orchestra and the Cheshire Sinfonia.

Mrs. Barlow, a graduate of the University of Bangor, specializes in vocal instruction. Her top practice tip? Tackle the challenging parts first! Alongside teaching, she regularly performs with the Manchester Chamber Choir. In her free time, she enjoys open-water swimming, gardening, and staying active.

Mr Haslam is one of our Brass teachers and has been teaching for 15 years. His favourite musical memory is winning the 2005 National Brass Band Championship with Leyland Band. Mr Haslam leads our Intermediate Wind Band and he also works with our Infant Music Centre children.

Mrs Ashton has been teaching singing for 10 years and studied music at the University of Huddersfield. She also studied with ENO on their Opera Works course and is currently completing an MA in vocal pedagogy. 

When not teaching she loves to perform in operas and concerts and her favourite composer is Puccini. 

Mrs Clarke has been teaching piano and woodwind for over 20 years. She recommends practicing little and often to make good progress. She regularly performs with Werneth Concert Band and she also accompanies many of our ABRSM examinations. In her spare time, she enjoys long walks in the Lakes with her Cockapoo, Barney.

Mr Collins is one of our woodwind tutors, he teachers flute, saxophone and clarinet. His favourite musical memory was hiring his first ever saxophone! His favourite concert was watching Nigel Kennedy at Bridgewater Hall. A fun fact about Mr Collins is that he can play the Didgeridoo!

Mrs Wood has been teaching strings and keyboard for 20 years. She graduated from York St. John University and currently leads our String Orchestra. Mrs Wood’s favourite part of teaching is seeing her pupils progress and achieving their goals. When practicing, Mrs Wood recommends always starting slowly, it’s easier to correct mistakes whilst going slow!

Mr O’Dowda teachers the guitar, piano and the ukulele. His favourite thing about teaching is watching beginners progress. His most memorable gig was watching REM in 1996. In his spare time Mr O’Dowda enjoys walking his dog. A fun fact about Mr O’Dowda is he’s Irish!

Mr Allerton has been teaching for over 10 years. He mainly teaches guitar, but also plays the piano, violin, bass guitar, mandolin and ukelele! He also sings and runs a school choir. Before that, he was a social worker. His favourite musical memories are playing in a youth prom at the Royal Albert Hall when he was 16, and going back as an adult to sing with the Halle Choir at the Proms. He spends a lot of his spare time cooking or ferrying his children around.

Mr Fitchett teaches piano and percussion. He recommends practising little and often! His favourite musical memory is playing alongside his two young boys for the first time. In his spare time Mr Fitchett enjoys photography and walking in the hills. He also spends time raising lots of money for charity!

Ms Yates has been teaching the guitar for 15 years. Her favourite thing about teaching is that every day is different. Her top practice tip is to keep your guitar out of its case (somewhere safe!), this way you’re more likely to pick it up to practice. Ms Yates favourite song is Love Sensation by Loleatta Holloway.

Mr Hill has been teaching the guitar for 30 years. His top practice tip is to practice every single day, even if it’s only for a minute. His favourite musical memory was organising and headlining Mackstock Music Festival for charity. In Mr Hills spare time he enjoys film making.

Christine is an invaluable member of our office team, always bringing warmth and enthusiasm to everything she does! Her all-time favorite singer is Joan Armatrading, and if she could learn any instrument, it would be the piano. 

Fun fact: Christine has a taste for adventure—she’s ridden a camel across the Omani Desert and even tackled the dunes in a buggy!

Julie is the powerhouse behind the scenes, keeping everything running smoothly! A talented flautist, she recently achieved her Grade 4 and continues to embrace her musical journey. When she’s not making magic happen at work, you’ll find her at the theatre, out for a run, or exploring the great outdoors with her lively cocker spaniel, Bruce!

Ms Wade learned to sing before she could talk, started learning the guitar at the age of 9 and the flute at age 11.  In her teens she focussed on Classical Guitar and was fortunate to study with talented and inspirational musicians.   She went to University in Nottingham but returned to Manchester and now works in schools, and plays at festivals, weddings and other events.  She likes to listen to Vivaldi, Bruno Mars and musicals.

Miss Sunderland teaches whole class music and singing lessons to the children at Bradshaw Hall Primary school. She is also our School Liaison and CPD Coordinator here at Stockport Music Service, helping to support teachers across schools in Stockport to teach music. She regularly performs on the flute with the Poynton Royal British Legion Concert Band and on the saxophone with the Fish Lip Soup big band.

Miss Monaghan teaches percussion and drums. She regularly performs in pit orchestras for musicals across Manchester. Her favourite musical to play in so far was Legally Blonde. When she isn't teaching or performing she enjoys hiking, rock climbing, and painting.

Miss Shaw is one of our brass teachers and an excellent flugelhorn player. 

Ms. Weatherall teaches piano, keyboard, guitar, and ukulele, bringing a love of fun, engaging music to her classes of all ages. She studied at Birmingham Conservatoire and the University of Manchester, and she enjoys exploring new cultures through travel. This term, Ms. Weatherall has set herself the exciting challenge of learning the violin and is working hard toward her Grade 1!

Kerrianne learned keyboard as a child and enjoys a variety of music genres. As a mum of two, she appreciates the occasional live concert, with her favorite experience being the unforgettable Bette Midler.

John graduated from BIMM with a degree in professional musicianship. He plays, drums, guitar, bass and occasionally does some singing! Alongside SMS, John works as a music producer and mix engineer for emerging artists around the North West. A fun fact about John is that his surname is from Malta!