Kapiti Coast
Singing Lessons | Guitar Lessons, Keyboard Lessons, Piano Lessons | Artist development, Aural Lessons, Ensemble Coaching, Song Writing Workshops, NCEA Music Tutoring, Posture for Singers and Instrumentalists
Bio
The Music Room is a dedicated studio in Waikanae offering music + performance lessons.
Brought to you by Jodie Gummer & Jess Deacon.
Jodie Gummer grew up in England, and tells fun stories of a childhood immersed in music — with her dad being a professional muso, and owning a CD store (remember those?!). She picked up the guitar at age seven and has never stopped.
After moving to New Zealand she started performing in public, went to music school and got a degree in Contemporary Music and managed to find the perfect balance of student life and study: playing the pub scene and getting paid three nights a week!
Fast forward a few years, Jodie is now a mum of two beautiful girls and perfectly balances her music with family life. She regularly plays solo and with her band Jodie and The Stowaways.
Jodie’s a diamond when it comes to stage presence, bringing the energy, taking no sh*t, and leaning into rock/pop and country/folk genres.
Jess Deacon comes from a family of musicians and creatives which goes some way to explaining why she’s ended up as a career creative. She studied composition when she left school and fronted a jazz band in Auckland before becoming a mum and then getting a degree in Communications and Linguistics.
Returning to uni to study Jazz Performance in 2018 was, as Jess puts it, ‘the best decision I ever made’ because it opened the door to pursuing a musical pathway.
Since then Jess has fronted a number of bands, been commissioned as a composer, recorded on several projects, released her own EP and has performed at a few pretty awesome events including Wellington Jazz Festival, Bay of Islands Jazz Festival, and Harvest Festival.
Her forté as a vocalist is leaning into jazz, soul and folk genres.
Teaching Info
Before we dive into lessons and getting you on your way, we would love to know where you’re at in your music learning journey, and — more importantly — where you want to be.
In this valuable session we will ask you all about your musical background, what stage you’re at, what your goals are, and how you see yourself progressing. This session is in person so we can get to know you — our favourite part!
Doing this will help us tailor our lessons and time spent with you to help you reach your goals and get the very best out of your musical pursuits.
For our lessons, we always start by asking our students how they have found the last week, whether they’ve warmed up, and what’s challenging them the most. We also make a point of allowing our students to choose music that resonates with them so that the process of learning is as enjoyable as possible.
We find that we spend a lot of time on helping our students to feel comfortable when they play/sing – through breathwork and vocal technique, or posture and comfortability – which often makes a huge difference in the way they enjoy their practise.