Pop and Jazz Staff
- Centre Management Team
- Classical Music Staff
- Pop and Jazz Staff
- Music Technology Staff
- Performing Arts Staff
- Academic Support Staff
- Technical Support Staff
- Instrumental Staff
- Vocal Staff
COURSE LEADER – NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN MUSIC (POPULAR MUSIC)
Dan Merrill
BA (Hons)
Dan Merrill is a composer and performer of electro-acoustic and experimental music, touring America and Europe with various ensembles. He releases solo CDs and albums with his main ensemble, The Dead Rat Orchestra, whose focus is the combining of folk, free improvisation and a DIY approach to technology. Dan is also the founder of the musical collective Mutebox for the promotion and furtherance of experimental musical activities in the Colchester area. His technical expertise has involved found him working as a sound and lighting engineer for various national and international performance arts companies such as Isabelle Rocamora and The Pacitti Company. Dan began teaching at Colchester Institute in 2004 as lecturer in music technology, and now works both in Further and Higher Education.
HEAD OF JAZZ STUDIES
LECTURER IN MUSIC
Malcolm Miles
GDLM, Cert Adv Studies, Cert Ed
Malcolm’s specialism as a jazz educator is supported by a wide range of experience and abilities including performance and composition. Having taught music at all levels, he now focuses on higher education, lecturing at Guildhall School of Music & Drama as well as Colchester Institute. Malcolm has compositions and arrangements published by Camden Music, ABRSM and Stainer & Bell. Current musical projects include Referential Treatment, an innovative collaboration with Andrew Allen that explores improvised electro-acoustic music.
COURSE LEADER – BTEC FIRST DIPLOMAS IN POPULAR MUSIC/MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
Rhett Moir
BA (Hons), PGCE
Rhett is a graduate of Colchester Institute. He is also a producer working with both signed and unsigned acts from various genres. His main interests include MIDI sequencing and remixing. He teaches on a wide range of music and music technology courses at Colchester Institute.
Andy Watson
GDLM, ARCM, PGCE
Andy’s specialist area is performance with over 20 years experience as a session guitarist for recordings, live performance (including West End theatre), TV and work as a jazz soloist. Previous teaching experience has been at all levels from school to degree but he now concentrates on Further and Higher Education at Colchester Institute.
LECTURER IN MUSIC
Matthew Simpkins
MA (Oxon), PGCE, ATCL
Matt’s professional musical experience encompasses classical, folk, jazz, avant-garde and rock. Following four years as Press and Marketing Manager at the Colchester Mercury Theatre, he produces music and scripts for media companies, writes and reviews for magazines ranging from Choir and Organ to International Piano, works as session violinist and Hammond organist, and records and performs with his bands "FuzzFace" and "Rev Simpkins and the Phantom Notes".
Matt is the Course Leader for the National Diploma in Music.
LECTURER IN MUSIC
Jim Davies
BA (Hons)
After achieving his 'big break' whilst studying for a BA (Hons) in Politics at Staffordshire University, Jim completed his coursework whilst headlining at Glastonbury with The Prodigy, during the height of their success in the 1990s. Jim continued his success in the music industry, touring worldwide with his band Pitch Shifter, who headlined at the Reading Festival, Oz Fest, Big Day Out and the Vanswarpped Tour across Europe. He has also supported popular bands Incubus, the Deftones and Korn. Although Jim now spends less time touring worldwide, he remains involved in the music industry, writing music for bands, films and computer games when not teaching on the popular music courses at Colchester Institute.
LECTURER IN MUSIC
Ramon Gasewicz
BA (Hons)
Ramon started out with British band Nublues as guitarist, chief songwriter and producer. The band has sold over 10,000 copies worldwide of the debut album "Dreams Of A Blues Man" (released on Dixiefrog Records in Europe, 21st Century Blues Records in New Orleans, USA and published by Metisse Music) and has toured all over Europe with the likes of Eric Burdon, The Blind Boys of Alabama and and performed with James Brown’s bandleader Pee Wee Ellis. After a short stint with American bluesman Eric Bibb’s band, Ramon went on to produce, perform on and co-write critically acclaimed albums for Boo Boo Davis (Mississippi Blues artist) and Billy Jones (based in Arkansas) both on the Black and Tan Records label. Recent projects have included performing alongside Hilaire Chaby-Hary (Baaba Mal) and Diabel Cissokho (Baaba Mal). Ramon is currently working on his first solo release and touring with his band which include Akos Hasznos on bass and Eric Ford on Drums.
LECTURER IN MUSIC
Terry Hunter
BA (Hons)
Terry is a graduate of Colchester Institute and is a talented singer/songwriter with a flair for extended playing techniques and alternate guitar tunings. He is one of the key staff at the Clacton Music Centre (formerly known as Jaywick Rock).
LECTURER IN MUSIC
Martin Jackson
BA (Hons), FdA, PGCE
Martin is an experienced musician, who has been in various gigging bands and has also performed at the Brixton Academy in London. Martin has accumated much recording studio experience, whether it be recording his band or taking on the producer's role himself. Martin is the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter in the band "Heroes Of A Ghost Town".
Julia Orpen
BA (Hons), PGCE
Julia Orpen specialises in lecturing on all aspects of the music business. She began her professional career in music publishing, moving on to found her own music agency that both promoted concerts and represented artists, including Ifor James, The Parley of Instruments and the Schiller Trio. She now divides her time between teaching and running a musicians’ advisory service.
HEAD OF CONTEMPORARY STRINGS
Tim Pells
BA, ARAM, LRAM, PGCE
Tim is a graduate of the University of British Columbia (BA ’77), The Banff School of Fine Arts (Jazz Performance), and the Royal Academy of Music (Performer’s and Advanced Courses). He was Guitar Organiser for the Inner London Education Authority from 1983 to 1990 and has worked in every level of music education since 1969. Tim is Mentor for Guitar on the National Certificate of Teaching course run by the Associated Board (CT-ABRSM), and Head of Guitar at the London Centre for Young Musicians. He has performed and recorded worldwide with the English Guitar Quartet, and current projects include commissioning new pieces for the Quartet. He performs with Andrew Allen in the Gemini Duo, accompanies soprano Elizabeth Clarke and cellist Sylvia Moore, and performs with Ramon Goose in an acoustic blues duo.
LECTURER IN MUSIC
Gareth Patch
BA (Hons), FdA
Gareth has been a musician and singer for twenty years, performing and recording in various bands and ensembles in venues around the UK and in the USA on a semi-pro level. Since graduating from Colchester Institute, music has become a full-time concern. Current projects include playing bass guitar in the original rock band Blacktop Harrison, as well as being a multi-instrumentalist in acoustic covers band The Plagiaristics. Additionally, Gareth's freelance work includes live and studio sound engineering, composition for media work and various collaborations with local singer-songwriters.
COURSE LEADER – NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
Mark Roberts
BMus (Hons), Cert Ed, Dip ABRSM
Mark is a graduate of Goldsmiths College London. Mark’s experience comes from both record production/engineering and performance side of music being an active musician involved in performance of orchestral, jazz and popular music.
