Martin Garrod

I am an experienced musician, teacher and conductor, and am a low brass specialist. I have been playing brass instruments for over 30 years, and have been teaching all brass instruments since 2000. I have performed with some of the finest brass bands in the world, under some of the best conductors in the genre. I moved to Melbourne from the UK in September 2016, and have since taken on teaching at Beaconhills College in Berwick. My career in the UK was as a full-time brass teacher and conductor for a county music service, a council department that provides teaching, ensemble direction and classroom support for hundreds of schools and thousands of children every week. As part of that team, I taught brass students in a number of highly-regarded schools and conducted two youth wind bands for the county. My teaching philosophy is to educate the complete musician, not just the instrumentalist. This means that, as well as developing a child's technical ability on their chosen instrument, I also develop their reading skills, aural skills, musical awareness and, where possible, their ensemble skills. My students make good progress, and many of my students have successfully taken grade examinations. This includes a large number who have reached the upper grade levels (grades 6-8) and some have gone on further to diploma levels. Many students have continued their playing at university, and some have gone on to study at prestigious music colleges in the UK. I teach at all levels, from beginner to diploma, and a a low brass specialist at the higher levels on trombone, bass trombone, euphonium and tuba.