Instrumental Lessons

Instrumental Teaching Staff

We are very lucky that our students receive lessons from musicians with extensive performance and teaching experience.

All lessons are individual or paired 30-minute lessons.

Drum kit: Jean Philippe Fuentes

Jean Philippe has been playing drum kit for 28 years, studied music for 3 years in Manchester then went to a Drum School in London.

He has played in many bands in a lot of different genres of music, played a lot of gigs, and toured in England and in France. He has recorded numerous EP’s and was signed to The Hacienda Records.

Jean Philippe has been teaching drums for 21 years in primary and secondary schools, passing on his passion for drums which gives him a great sense of achievement, seeing pupils progress through grades, from grade 1 to grade 8 and beyond.

He also prepares pupils for their drum part of their school show, GCSE and A Level music.

Piano: Mandy Wigby

Mandy Wigby is a Manchester-based electronic musician, composer, and dedicated piano teacher with a rich background in performance, music education, and youth mentorship. With her recent duo, Architects of Rosslyn, Mandy has performed at celebrated venues including the British Library, Band on the Wall, Festival No. 6, and Blue Dot Festival, where she combines electronic and acoustic elements to create compositions inspired by nature and technology.

She has toured extensively across Europe and the U.S. as a keyboard player, collaborating with renowned artists like Justin Robertson’s Lionrock, who’s single ‘Rude Boy Rock’ reached No. 19 in the charts and Phil France (Cinematic Orchestra). As a founding member of Sisters of Transistors with luminary Graham Massey (808 State), Mandy contributed to the acclaimed album At The Ferranti Institute. Her music has been featured on BBC TV, radio, and film soundtracks, and she regularly collaborates with artist/filmmaker Di Mainstone on innovative multimedia projects at prestigious venues such as Tower Bridge, RIBA, and the Southbank Centre in London.

Her advocacy for inclusivity extends beyond the UK, taking on mentoring and musician roles with partners like the British Council. In a recent project with “Beat by Girlz” Istanbul, she helped support creative connections through the “My City My Sound” initiative.

For over a decade, Mandy worked at Gorse Hill Studios and with other Manchester community organisations as a youth worker, sound engineer, and creative practitioner, supporting and mentoring young musicians and producers. A fully trained Arts Award advisor, she has managed music projects and live events for young people and, as a piano teacher, offers ABRSM and Rockschool exam opportunities with a high success rate. Combining classical training with contemporary styles, Mandy is passionate about music and empowers young musicians to discover their unique voices through creativity, piano and music technology.

Vocals: Tatyana Bjornstad

Miss Bjornstad began her journey in music with vocal lessons at age 7, setting her sights early on a career in the field. She attended a music-focused college in Norway as a vocalist, where she developed not only her vocal skills but also gained experience in concert production, performance, and musical collaboration. In 2021, she relocated to Manchester to study at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute, earning a degree in Popular Music Performance with a focus on vocals. Trained in Pop, Rock, Jazz, and R&B, Miss Bjornstad now performs regularly across Manchester, has released original music, and is actively working on her next solo project.

Guitar: Ryan Buxton

Mr Buxton is a guitarist, songwriter, and teacher who is originally from Cambridgeshire and now lives in Manchester. 

He studied for a music diploma in 2006 at Cambridge Regional College which taught him about music from across the world, how to deal with the music business, and live sound engineering. 

Since then Mr Buxton has been performing in wedding bands, choirs, ska bands, funk and soul bands, jazz bands and also writing and performing his own songs. 

In 2024 he graduated from Salford University in Composing.

Mr Buxton is a passionate teacher who loves to share his knowledge of music and guitars. His favourite guitarists are Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead and Jonny Marr from The Smiths.