Dr Brian Cope

Brian studied music at the University of Edinburgh. He is a composer, music educator and consultant with a particular interest in issues of inclusion in music education. He has worked as a Specialist Music Advisor to Creative Scotland and has travelled extensively as a music consultant and trainer for the international humanitarian organisation, War Child Holland where he worked on psychosocial music projects with children affected by the wars in Bosnia, Kosovo, Chechnya, Abkhazia, and Sierra Leone in West Africa.

He worked for six years as the Artistic Director for Drake Music Scotland, an organisation that uses innovative music technology and teaching methods to enable people with physical and learning disabilities to play and compose music independently.

His composition work spans a wide range of activities including film music, theatre and concert works. He recently completed his PhD in Musical Composition at the University of Edinburgh where he also taught harmony and counterpoint.

Some fun facts about Brian:

• The strangest food he's eaten is Ostrich burger
• If he was an animal he'd like to be a bear
• The next instrument he'd like to learn is the violin
• His favourite children's book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Brian teaches drums and percussion

Holly Carter BA (Hons)

Holly studied music at the University of York and then Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. During her career Holly has sung with many choirs including the National Youth Choir of Scotland, Edinburgh University Chamber Choir, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus and the vocal quartet Dolcezza. She performs regularly in both solo and choral performances and weddings in the UK and abroad and has performed roles in Operas such as Susanna in the Marriage of Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Cissy Woodger in Albert Herring.

Holly has worked with children since graduating in 2005. She has held positions such as a Kodàly Instructor in schools in Aberdeenshire and an Early Years Music Leader of baby and young children’s music groups and of music classes in nurseries. In addition, Holly has worked as an Assistant Director and Musicianship Instructor for the National Youth Choir of Scotland in several of their area choirs.

A few fun facts about Holly:

• If she was an animal she'd like to be a monkey.
• Her favourite children’s book is Angelina Ballerina.
• 3 scoops of ice cream: Salted Caramel, Cookie Dough and Turkish Delight!
• Her favourite day out in Edinburgh is walking her dog around Arthur’s Seat whilst making him do tricks with his frisby and then going to the Fudge Kitchen on the way home!!!
• Favourite performance: Singing with NYCoS and Christina Aguillera at the MTV awards or getting to eat lots of real cakes on stage whilst playing Cissy in Albert Herring!!!

Holly teaches creative music classes for babies and toddlers and musicianship classes.

Jodie Williams

After many years of studying at Portobello Music School, Jodie went on to pursue a Bachelor Degree in Popular Music at Edinburgh Napier University where she specialised in drumkit performance. She has lots of experience playing drums and other instruments in a variety of groups and ensembles ranging from string orchestras to her current punk/grunge band.

Jodie has previously taught at the music school in the role of a teaching assistant for the P2 creative music, musicianship and rock & pop band classes. She has also taught as an assistant in an after-school music club teaching children pop and rock music.

Some fun facts about Jodie:

• If she could be any animal, she would be a meerkat.
• Her three scoops of ice cream would be coconut, cookie dough and vanilla.
• Her favourite colour is indigo.
• The next instrument she would like to learn is the trumpet.

Marsailidh Groat BMus, MA

Marsailidh is an award-winning Scottish viola player, teacher and workshop leader, performing throughout the UK and abroad as an orchestral and chamber musician.

Marsailidh studied at the Royal College of Music, London with Andriy Viytovych, graduating with a Master of Performance with Distinction in 2018. During her studies she was awarded a scholarship supported by the Derek Butler Trust and won the Unaccompanied Bach Prize in 2018.

Marsailidh was a member of the Southbank Sinfonia 2019 orchestra. With SBS, she explored orchestral and chamber repertoire, performed at the BBC Proms, and experimented with alternative performance methods. During her time with SBS she co-led a series of music-making workshops in the nursery and family centre of Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre and was invited to continue working there after finishing the fellowship.

Marsailidh feels strongly about the therapeutic capabilities of music making and worked with Breathe Arts Health Research on ‘Melodies for Mums’, a series of singing workshops for new mothers with post-natal depression. She also works with the SCO as part of their creative learning projects in schools and community centres in Edinburgh. She has been freelancing orchestrally since graduating, performing with orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, English National Ballet and Her Ensemble.

Eric Thomas BMus (Hons) MMus

Eric is a lutenist based in Edinburgh. He studied music at Edinburgh University, dividing his time between performance, composition and musicology, and gained a BMus (Hons) degree. He went on to pursue his interest in early music, completing an MMus in Historically Informed Performance Practice, with the aid of a Carnegie-Cameron postgraduate bursary, jointly at The University of Glasgow and the Royal Conservatiore of Scotland, under the supervision of John Butt, receiving lute tuition from Jamie Akers.

Eric continued his studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, studying lute and theorbo with Fred Jacobs, and also attended the Urbino Early Music Festival to study with Paul O’Dette and Dartington International Summer School for lessons with David Miller. Eric is currently a Ph.D candidate at the University of Southampton, under the supervision of Elizabeth Kenny and Laurie Stras,  being awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship to research the role of improvisation in early 16th century Italian lute music.

Eric has played with the Kellie Consort, and has appeared in concert with Dame Emma Kirkby, as well appearing regularly with recorder player Annemarie Klein as part of Musica Mundana. This year Eric was selected to be apart of the Britten-Pears baroque orchestra conducted by Christian Curnyn. Eric is also a committed guitar teacher and enjoys teaching pupils of all ages! 

Some fun facts about Eric:

• The next instrument he would like to learn is the oud. 
• If he was an animal he would be a tortoise.
• His favourite food is curry.
• His favourite country visited so far is the Netherlands. 

Eric teaches guitar

Heather Glasspool BA (Hons) PPRNCM

Heather studied music at Durham University and Vocal Studies at The Royal Northern College of Music. She has sung professionally as a soloist throughout Britain and with the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and Opera North Choruses. Heather ran a busy teaching practise in North London for many years. She moved to Edinburgh in 2006 where she trained in the Kodály method with the National Youth Choir of Scotland and became a member of teaching staff for the Edinburgh Area Choir later that year. She teaches privately and works on vocal projects in schools with Edinburgh council.

Some fun facts about Heather:

• Three scoops of ice cream: chocolate, butterscotch and vanilla.
• If she was an animal she'd like to be a sea otter.
• Favourite children's books: the Hairy Maclary and Friends series by Linley Dodd.
• Favourite day out in Edinburgh: a trip to the Botanical Gardens, looking at the amazing plants in the glass houses and then going into cafe for a treat.
• Strangest food she has eaten is snails.

Heather teaches Primary 1 Creative Music

Katherine Morrison BMus (Hons)

Katherine's interest in music started at a very young age and she can recall some of her earliest memories involving being completely mesmerised as her grandmother performed Ragtime classis on her old upright piano, and being taught to headbang to Deep Purple by her father! She was thrilled to receive the chance to learn violin in primary school but after a few years chose to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and switched her focus to the piano. She progressed through the ABRSM grades, completing grade 8 by the time she was 16 and decided to study music and piano further at Edinburgh Napier University. There she revelled in expanding her repertoire, performing in ensembles of all genres and furthering her interest in the history and context of music.

Her teaching journey began in second year and it quickly accelerated to an army of pupils by fourth year! After graduating with a first class degree and dabbling with freelance and performance-based roles, she decided to focus on teaching full-time as it became apparent nothing was more fulfilling and exciting than inspiring pupils to love something that had meant so much to her her entire life. She is interested in experimenting with different styles and genres and is very open to what her pupils want to focus on, whether that's progressing through primarily classical-based grades, learning simple melodies and chords or studying the keyboard solos of Jon Lord! She loves integrating elements of theory and history in her lessons, leaving pupils with not just a sense of how to play, but also what it is they're playing. Katherine now has over 12 years experience in teaching and has worked with 100s of pupils, many of which have gone on to study music to Advanced Higher level and beyond.

A few fun facts about Katherine:

• Her favourite children's book series is Goosebumps by R.L.Stine
• Her favourite film trilogy is The Lord of the Rings
• Out of the countries she have visited so far, her favourite has been Finland.
• The next instrument she would like to learn is the classical guitar.

Katherine teaches piano