Meet Our New Instrumental Teachers!
St Philip's College
Dear Students and Parents,
Thank you all for such a fantastic year of music at St Philip's College. The Soiree last week showed the vast array of talented students at St Philip's, and I thank you all for your support.
Moving into 2025, I would like to take the opportunity to share with you all the fantastic instrumental teachers who will be at St Philip's, some returning and some for the first time. At the end of their biographies is an Enrolment link for a digital form. Please fill this out if your child is interested in learning an instrument in 2025.
Before I share their bios, I would like to share with you a small segment from an article called “How Music Primes the Brain for Learning”:
What makes music learning so powerful is how it engages all those different systems in a single activity. To play the violin, for example, a student needs to coordinate their motor, cognitive, and sensory systems to be able to put their fingers on the correct strings and move the bow at the right time; to read musical notes on a sheet of music and know what sounds they represent; and to hear if the pitches and rhythms are correct and coordinating with other players at the right time. Then there’s how the sound of music makes the student feel, which lights up the brain’s reward system. Engaging all these different systems makes learning how to play music one of the richest and deepest brain activities that humans perform. “Teachers resoundingly tell me that children who play music also do better in school,” Kraus writes. Young musicians also tend to have stronger language and reading skills than non-musicians because their brains have spent more time actively “engaging with sound.”
Kate Savage - Violin and Viola
Kate Savage is a classically trained violinist and local GP who grew up in regional Victoria. She has a wealth of experience performing with numerous orchestras, chamber and theatre groups, and is currently a member of ASWCO (Alice Springs World Chamber Orchestra).
Kate has really enjoyed teaching violin and viola to St Philip's students over the last 3 years.
Guy Shepard - Piano, Composition and Production
Guy is an experienced pianist and producer and has worked in a variety of exciting international settings. As a conservatoire trained classical pianist at masters level, his skills range from performance, composing, songwriting and music production across a wide range of styles, from classical and jazz to funk, soul, RnB and electronic dance music. Guy has worked with students from all over the world and brings his passion, knowledge and expertise to create lesson environments that are stimulating, enriching and unique to each student.
Fiona Peiris - Piano
Fiona Peiris was born in Sri Lanka and began her musical education at the age of four. At six years old, she took her first piano exam and was awarded a special prize for being the youngest candidate to achieve Honors in Pianoforte. She continued her piano exams with both Trinity College London and a local examination board (IWMS), successfully completing exams from grade 1 to 8. Fiona also earned the Associate of Trinity College London in Solo Piano Performance (ATCL) and the Certificate from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (CERT GSMD).
This year, she participated in the Eisteddfod and was awarded the Linda O'Brien Memorial Trophy for Best Solo Performance in the Music Sections. She also secured first place in the Music Teachers Association of Alice Springs Trophy.
Since 2005, she has been teaching music in Sri Lanka and Dubai before relocating to Alice Springs in 2023. Currently, Fiona is studying for her Associate Music Australia (AmusA) exam while managing her own teaching business.
Jaime Pastor - Guitar
Jaime Pastor believes that learning doesn’t mean being in a strict, boring discipline. Learn how to play guitar with his dynamic method based on creativity, logic and intuition. This way you’ll be able to develop your own style and musical instinct.
Jaime has been playing guitar for 18 years and teaching for more than 10 now. He believes in academics and theory but above that, he believes in having fun and breaking all the rules.
"Don’t doubt! Tell me what genres you like and let’s play them!"
Joey Klarenbeek - Drums
Joey Klarenbeek is a born and bred local musician and trained visual artist. Joey has extensive experience playing the drums for two decades. Over this time, he has performed and recorded in numerous bands and acts. From performing at local venues and festivals, to recently performing at WOMAD festival on a national tour with NT Music Award-winning artist, Katanga JR.
The physical coordination required to play drums, coupled with the mental effort needed to maintain rhythm and tempo promotes a level of brain activity that few other educational activities can match.
Edward Evans - Woodwind
Edward is a classically trained clarinetist with over 20 years' experience, graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with a Bachelor of Performance in clarinet in 2014. He has also taught instrumental lessons for nearly 15 years and has run band programs containing over 350 students. He looks forward to seeing all that the students can achieve in 2025.
Enrolment Link: