Our Teachers

T: 07951 723 603

Audrey Fitchett

(Assistant Director)
Piano,Theory

Audrey joined Scales Music in 2013 and was appointed Assistant Director of the School in 2018. Audrey spent 4 years dividing her time between teaching and helping Antoinette with the daily running of the School. In 2022 she embarked on a post-graduate degree at the Royal College of Music and teaches alongside her studies.

Audrey was born in Bonn and comes from an international family. She is a native French and English speaker, and grew up living in several countries around the world.

Audrey began learning the piano at the age of 3, and was awarded her Performance Diploma while still at school. Audrey studied Music at the University of Manchester, with equal emphasis on Performance and Dissertation, completing her final year ethnomusicological research in the field of Maronite Music in Diaspora. Audrey has performed widely in numerous recitals, competitions, concertos, festivals and choral concerts in venues including the Bridgewater Hall, St John’s Smith Square and Royal Festival Hall among others.

At university, Audrey also played an active part in the Manchester Students’ Dance Society, heading the Society as President and competing in the Manchester Inter-Varsity Dancesport Team for four years. Audrey also underwent rigorous training as a ballet dancer and qualified as a ballet teacher with the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. Audrey is the Music Director for the Jesuit Young Adult Ministries’ choir at Farm Street Church, conducting the SATB choir and leading music at Masses and at various services and concerts throughout the year.

Audrey is passionate about teaching, and strives to inspire her students in all areas to become well-rounded, expressive and confident musicians. She believes that the skills gained through music, and the benefits on children and adults alike, have a tremendous impact in all aspects of life.

Antoinette Scales

(Director)
Piano,Singing,Theory

Antoinette Scales, born in Bedfordshire, attended Harlington School before going to Emmanuel College, Cambridge University to study Music, and later Management (being one of the first year of students at the Judge Institute of Management), and to take up a Choral Scholarship.

Antoinette sang for a number of recordings, concerts, festivals and competitions during her time at Cambridge, performing at The Proms, The Barbican, Westminster Abbey, Cadogan Hall as well as in Cambridge and representing the University and the UK abroad.

During her time at school and University Antoinette formed a close relationship with the Royal Ballet Music Department at the Royal Opera House. After graduation, Antoinette worked for 7 years in Corporate Marketing, working for Procter & Gamble, L’Oreal, Chanel and other companies before setting up her own business in Arts Publicity and Marketing working primarily for the Royal Opera House, Raymond Gubbay and English National Ballet. During these years she was teaching privately and that was always a great passion.

In 2002 she went about setting up a Private Music School to provide fun, fulfilling, well organised, structured and productive lessons – and Scales Music was born! Antoinette sings professionally with a number of Choirs and plays the piano, viola and more recently, the harp.

Antoinette is an alumni mentor for the Cambridge Judge Institute of Management (JIMS), mentoring students on the MBA program, as part of the Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre (WLC), and has recently been awarded a Fellowship of the Incorporated Society of Musicians for her long service to the Institution. Antoinette is married with 2 young children and enjoys being a mummy when she isn’t working!

Rupert Uzzell

Piano,Singing,Theory

Rupert started learning the piano at the age of seven, and by 15 had been awarded a distinction at Grade 8. He also has a performance diploma on the harpsichord, Grade 8 with merit on the organ, and a degree in music from the University of Nottingham. He spent a gap year studying at the Royal College of Music, and has recently graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a Masters in Composition for Screen. Away from teaching, he mainly works as a film composer and has composed scores for many short films and a couple of features.

He has been teaching piano for the last ten years both privately, in schools and with music services. His ethos as a teacher is to tailor lessons to his pupils, trying to find out what music they most enjoy playing and accommodating this. He has a 100% pass rate for his students in graded exams, with his pupils mostly achieving merit or distinction.

Dorothy Whyte-Venables

Piano,Singing,Strings

Dorothy is a passionate and accomplished music educator and professional operatic soprano. She was educated in Hampshire, learning piano and viola and later taking up vocal studies. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in music at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, having undertaken her BMus (Hons) at Royal Holloway, University of London, Dorothy brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to both her teaching and performance careers.

With expertise in multiple instruments and a rich musical background, Dorothy is dedicated to fostering a love for music in students of all ages. Her nurturing and encouraging approach makes her a beloved practitioner and educator, helping individuals to discover and develop their musical talents in a supportive environment. Dorothy has experience as a college mentor and as a coach at Summer Music School courses and also as a teaching assistant in primary school.

As a professional soprano, Dorothy has been fortunate enough to have performed on the stages of many prestigious venues and has been featured on numerous CDs and radio broadcasts.

Whether in the classroom or on stage, Dorothy is committed to sharing her passion for music, inspiring others, and continuing to grow as an artist and educator.

When not enjoying music Dorothy is a keen equestrian, having competed and won in National Dressage Championships, and also enjoys playing Polo.

Tomas Parada

Percussion

Tomás Parada was born and raised in Mira, Portugal where he started to play drums at the age of 8.

At the age of 16, he began to play professionally with local bands whilst studying with Hugo Danin in Porto, later moving to London to study at the renowned and prestigious British and Irish Modern Music Institute.

Whilst doing his degree in Popular Music Performance, Tomás had the chance of integrating the house band for Pete Smith's BIMM studio sessions, recording at legendary studios such as Eastcote and Kensal Town Studios, and worked with many musicians playing Jazz, R&B and Brazilian music.

Tomás finished his degree, gaining a First-Class Honours and is now works as a drummer and drum teacher in London.

Eugenie Aitchison

(Online Teacher)

Eugenie has been teaching with Scales Music since 2009. She studied Music and Italian at the University of Birmingham, graduating with 1st Class Hons and subsequently trained as a Music Therapist at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

During her time at Birmingham, Eugenie studied flute and piano at the Birmingham Conservatoire and performed regularly as a pianist, flautist and singer. She was awarded her LRSM in flute performance in 2006 and later won the Birmingham UMS Concerto competition in 2007: enabling her to perform Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto in the same year. Eugenie currently sings with The Crouch End Festival Chorus, singing at major London venues and on a number of CD and film recordings, and enjoys performing as a pianist for weddings and other events.

Alongside her teaching, Eugenie works as a music therapist in schools with children with a variety of additional needs. She is Clinical Lead for Arts Therapies at The Eden Academy and also works as a part of the clinical outreach team at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama

Danny Cleave

Piano,Strings

Danny grew up in South Devon attending school locally before moving to London to pursue his musical career at the Royal College of Music, studying Double Bass. He obtained a first in his Bachelor’s degree and is now in the final stages of his Master’s degree as a H R Taylor Charitable Trust Scholar supported by the Gandar Dower Scholarship.

Since his arrival in London he has performed extensively within the RCM and and also outside, performing under conductors such as Martyn Brabbins, Rafael Payare and Maxim Vengerov in many of London’s major venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, Cadogan Hall and Wigmore Hall. He has played with the Orion Orchestra and is principal bass of the Piccadilly Sinfonietta, a chamber ensemble specialising in Baroque repertoire.

Danny’s passion for teaching and facilitating music with others began in secondary school when he ran his school’s folk music ensemble to great success. Since studying in London he has been lucky enough to study under Caroline Emery, a renowned teacher of the Double Bass for students of all ages, who has mentored him in effective bass teaching. Danny has taught at Westminer Abbey Choir school and is the Double Bass tutor for a Youth String Orchestra scheme. He is excited to continue his career in London both teaching and performing and teaches (beginner) Cello and Double Bass.

Katy Huntley

Piano,Singing,Theory

Katy has been described as a "natural teacher" and has a wealth of experience in voice and piano teaching. Raised in Harrogate and attending Harrogate Ladies College, later qualifying from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2016 she holds both a degree in professional voice and a PGCE, which she has recently completed from the University of Buckingham.

Katy has grown a strong foundation as a classroom music teacher having spent 2 years at King's Ely School where she played a large role in running musicals, choirs and ensembles and accompanied students on a choir tour of Cologne. In addition, Katy has also worked extensively as a professional opera singer, most recently performing at the Three Choirs Festival, she has also sung and premiered roles both in the UK and Ireland.

As a piano and singing teacher Katy draws upon the pedagogies of many high level teachers and is skilled at adapting teaching to the needs of younger students. With years of experience behind her Katy is an extremely capable and friendly teacher who can deliver progress to all students.

Anna Muñoz

Piano,Singing

Anna Muñoz completed her MA at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree at the Royal College of Music, both as a scholar. Since finishing her studies, she has been performing and teaching in London, both privately as a singing and piano teacher, and as a teaching assistant in schools.

Anna’s journey as a musician started from a young age. Following her participation at school with several performances at venues such as Durham Cathedral and Edinburgh Fringe, she became a valued member of the Chorus and Chamber Choir when she joined the RCM. This provided her with many opportunities such as singing in the Royal Festival Hall. Anna received many opportunities to perform in venues such as, the Barbican and Milton Court during her time at Guildhall. Anna has performed with the pianist Panos Karan at St. John Smith Square. Over the years, she has attended summer schools at RAM, NYMT, NYT and Oundle Festival of Music and Drama, in which she participated in for two years in a row achieving the Young Singer of the Year Prize in 2015. As a performer, Anna’s operatic debut was as a Fairy in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ for the Grange Festival. At short notice, Anna stepped in for the role of the Changeling Boy as well as her role as a fairy.

Rory Mann

(Guitar/Bass)
Guitar

Rory Mann (BA (Hons), MA, LRAM) is an accomplished guitarist, composer and educator from Yorkshire, now based in London. He has made a name for himself around the UK playing in a number of different settings, bands and projects. His debut EP ‘The Way Out’ was recorded in Leeds and released in December 2022.

Rory has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most original sounding and technically proficient young guitarists in the UK. Rory graduated with first class honours from Leeds College of Music’s jazz programme in 2019. In 2022, Rory was awarded a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London on the Jazz Postgraduate programme and graduated with Distinction in 2024. There he studied under the pupillage of many high profile UK jazz musicians. He holds the Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music; a licence to teach music in the context of a principal-study discipline.

Rory is also highly in demand in the worlds of popular music and musical theatre. Rory has performed extensively as a musician in countless shows including Rent, Jesus Christ Superstar, Oklahoma, Hairspray, We Will Rock You and many more. He has also performed on many touring shows including Katie Markham’s ‘Someone Like You – A Tribute to Adele’ and ‘Liza Pulman Sings Streisand’.

Alexandra Taleghani

(Cover Teacher)
Piano,Singing,Theory

Alexandra Taleghani, a student with Antoinette from the age of 4, joined as our graduate teacher in 2020, and now teaches full time with Scales Music. Born in New York but raised in London, Alex was surrounded by music from an early age. She attended Francis Holland School, SW1 before going to Durham University to read music. During her studies she sang in several choirs and organised many concerts for charities.

Alex enjoys teaching piano, theory, and singing. She also enjoys composing, having had her pieces performed at the Cadogan Hall, amongst other notable concert venues. Alex loves working with children and has taught at schools both in the UK and overseas in Africa and South America. When she is not teaching, Alex spends her time writing short stories in the hopes of eventually producing a musical.

Samuel Mitchell

Piano,Singing

Sam read Music at the University of Manchester during which he developed his primary skills as a pianist. Upon graduating in 2013, he moved to Ely and then Oxford, becoming a Bass Lay Clerk at cathedrals in both cities. Whilst living in Oxford Sam developed a thriving teaching practice both freelance and employed as an academic music tutor at Oxford Tutorial College.

Today, Sam resides in South East London and enjoys a busy career as a singer, pianist and a teacher. Since moving to London Sam has performed frequently with many of the UK’s leading choirs, including The Sixteen, The BBC Singers and Tenebrae. He spent seven and a half years singing with the acclaimed vocal group The Gesualdo Six, recording nine albums and performing to audiences across Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. As well as cultivating his deep love for ensemble singing, he unexpectedly came out of the group instilled with a passion for cricket. Sam’s teaching aims to promote an efficient and flexible technique that serves the narrative of the music, whilst instilling and nurturing a fun and individual learning process for each student.