Teachers & Staff

Office Team

Kim Bradley
kim.bradley@musicmakeracademy.co.uk

Kersten Luts
kersten.luts@musicmakeracademy.co.uk

Sam Reed
sam.reed@musicmakeracademy.co.uk

Guitar

Kersten (K) Luts
MI G.I.T graduate 1997 (hon.)
K has been a professional session guitarist and teacher in the London area since 1996 and performed with countless artists including Bernard Purdie, Tom Lang, Annie Lennox and Mark Morrisson to name but a few. His versatility as a guitarist allows him to teach a great variety of contemporary playing styles including Rock, Jazz, Funk, Latin, Folk, etc. K also teaches Harmony & Theory, Songwriting, Recording and runs the hugely successful Bandstand band workshop at the Academy.
Nobody really knows why he's just called 'K'...

David Allen
Dave has studied and performed in all genres of music over the last 20 years, so you may well see him walking through the Academy armed with an assortment of electric, accoustic and classical guitars. Teaching guitar for the last four years, Dave has played in a number of rock and indie bands and is currently recording an album with Straw Men, a local accoustic project. Dave started learning classical guitar at the age of six and soon got the music bug. Through school he studied the cornet to Grade VIII playing at the Royal Abert Hall, Royal Festival Hall and St Albans Cathedral and sang in Opera's at the English National Opera House.

Ivan Mostyn-Sott
FTCL LTCL(Recital) ATCL FLCM LLCM ALCL LGS
With over 30 years of teaching and performance experience, Ivan specialises in classical guitar. He started playing the guitar at the age of 14 and later studied guitar performance under Oliver Hunt, professor of guitar at the London College of Music. Ivan was subsequently admitted to the Fellowship of the College and gained his Fellowship to the Trinity College of Music. He continued his studies in Spain under Emilio Pujol, a student of the legendary Francisco Tarrega. Ivan has been an adjudicator member of the British & International Federation of Festivals since 1983.

Craig Russell
more info coming soon

Pete Stokes
more info coming soon

Richard Heyes
Richard studied the piano at the Royal Academy of Music with Alexander Kelly and participated in Tatiana Nicolaieva's master classes at the Mozarteum Summer School in Salzburg whilst reading Music at Cambridge, where he was Organ Scholar of Gonville and Gaius College. He is Head of Piano at Bedford School and Regional Organiser for the European Piano Teacher's Association. Much in demand as an accompanist, he also gives recitals as piano soloist, duettist and chamber musician and plays the organ for church services. He directs the Sherwood Choral Society in Bletchley and the Newport Pagnell Singers. He also accompanies the Bedfordshire Police Choir.

Ben Andrew
After leaving school Ben started his degree course at Trinity College of Music, London under the study of the late British concert pianist John Bingham. He recently completed a year of study at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest where he studied under Jenõ Jandó and Kornél Zempléni, once himself a student of the great Hungarian composer Ernö Dohnányi. Ben has won prizes in several competitions including the Buckingham and Oxford Music Festivals. He was the winner of the Milton Keynes Festival of the Arts 2001 and was awarded the TCM trust Silver Medal for outstanding performance and contribution to the Keyboard Faculty.

Charlotte Taylor
Charlotte has been classically trained since the age of 7 and spent the last six years teaching at local music schools, singing and playing keys and sax in a Funk/Soul band in the Stevenage area. She specialises in classical, Rock, Jazz and Blues, teaches students from 4 to 84 and has extensive experience working with special needs students.

Sam Reed
MI V.I.T graduate 1997
Sam trained at London's famous Sylvia Young Theatre School for 10 years from the age of 7 in singing, dance and drama. She went on to appear on TV for the BBC and lend her voice to several Sony advertising campaigns. Whilst continuing her vocal studies at the Vocal Institute of Technology, she performed nationally with Funk/Acid Jazz band MHMP and various acoustic line-ups. She specialises in contemporary singing styles such as Rock, Pop, Jazz, Blues and R&B.

Sarah Gray
Vocal Tech London graduate 2007
Sarah is fresh from graduating at the Vocal Tech School in London. It is there that she achieved her dipoma award for vocal performance, having been coached by some of the best in the business including Kim Chandler, David Combes, Karen Grace and William Lester. She has a real passion for music and teaches everything from Jazz to R&B and Rock.

Pete Hedley
Pete started hitting things with drum sticks at the tender age of 4. Since then he has been taught by Sam Kelly, Steve Laffy and Darren Ashford of London's renowned Drum Institute. Pete has been performing professionally since he was 12 and now holds a National Diploma in Artist Development. He has played with artists as varied as Lilly Allen, Sean Webster, delta blues artist Giles Hedley and recently toured Europe with the TJ Johnson Band.

Chris Dennis
Chris began his musical career as a classically trained Piano and Viola player with orchestras playing all over the world. As a drummer of nearly 20 years he has studied with Jim Chapin, Dom Famularo and Billy Ward. He has played with NYJO, Ted Heath Big Band, Saxon and had appearances on TV and Radio. Much of his time now is spent playing Jazz combos and Big Bands along with sessions, tribute acts and musicals. As a tutor he has taught at university degree level and also worked in the drum industry with companies such as Pearl, Yamaha and Mapex.

Mike Guy
more info coming soon

Dave Evans
Dave is a versatile bass player with natural groove and the ability to adapt to any style of music. He has previously supplied the low end for Leftfield pop artist Lilly Allen and works as the MD for gifted vocalist Mark-Anthony Abel. Dave is also currently working for the Guitar X School in West London, involved in various forms of bass guitar tuition. In the past he has provided lead vocals and bass for unique alt/rock band [front.headlight.failure]. Dave is a diverse musician, he is a songwriter at heart and is constantly collaborating with various musicians on his own compositions.

The Bandstand is taught by Kersten (K) Luts, Pete Hedley and Dave Evans.

Neill Burbidge
more info coming soon

Millie the Dog
Millie is a 3 year old Border Collie who currently resides with Sam & K. She occasionally accompanies Sam in her vocal classes - whenever her busy dog schedule permits it. Her favourite music ranges from Contemporary Howling to Bark Rock.