Music Education
Mark Gibson is the songwriter and composer who wrote a series of method books for the Australian music market. Back in 1997, Mark established the Encore Music school that combined lesson programs with the latest in technology to engage the students. Based on the lessons he created for his students...
Keith Huxtable worked for Rose Music (now Yamaha) in Melbourne for 13 years beginning in the early-1970s. Starting in the service department and moving into product management, he witnessed the rapid development of electronic keyboards, MIDI, and synthesizers during that era. A special memory was a...
Mark Barratt operates a music store that has been in his family for years. His great grandfather opened a clothing store that later sold pianos and was then expanded by his grandfather to include other instruments when he relocated to Launceston, Tasmania in 1937. Mark's father brought in records...
Michael Coleman and his wife formed a music store near Melbourne in 1989. Today, Cranbourne Music, remains a family business with their three children's involvement. An early milestone of the store's success was gaining the Casio line of products and with a strong foundation, Cranbourne branched...
Barry Croll played a vital role in the expansion of music education throughout Australia. Playing music since he was five and having performed for troops in Asia, as well as clubs all around the United Kingdom, Barry knew firsthand the importance of good musical training. As a result, he took on a...
Peter Sullivan grew up in a musical home with both his mother and father playing piano. Peter played piano, ukulele, as well as double bass as a youngster and became passionate about playing and teaching music. He developed into a well-respected studio musician and landed the job of Music Director...
Max Cooke was an Australian classically trained pianist and professor who wrote a series of method books to assist his students. He began teaching piano students at the University of Melbourne in 1952. Along the way, he developed a teaching style based on his teachers and ideas he gathered about...
Jim Merod is the founder of BluePort Sound recording studio and BluePort Jazz, his record label. Since the early 1990s, Jim has recorded a long list of legendary jazz, blues, and latin musicians including Herbie Hancock, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Kenny Barron, Clark Terry, and Wayne Shorter,...
Rick Santos enjoyed music from a very young age, played guitar, and after college he went into the banking world where a chance encounter with a local music retailer led him to buy a music store in Seekonk, Massachusetts. Eventually, Rick created a concept for a different kind of music store and...
Laura Whitmore’s passion for music began at a young age, learning to play guitar and writing songs as a teenager. She attended Hofstra University where she earned a B.S. in Music Merchandising and an MBA in Marketing. Laura worked for CBS Records and Korg, where she rose through the ranks of...