Mike Nichols

Pat Hughes

Pat is a versatile player with loads of live experience under his belt. Having studied at Basstech in London for 3 years, where he was awarded ‘Best Overall Student’, he went on to play with the critically acclaimed bands The Disorientee, Headnoise and Wanton & Blithe. He has since played all over the world, including tours of the UK, Europe, Japan & South East Asia, Australia & New Zealand. Over the years Pat has worked with with various function bands including regular sessions for Guitar Techniques magazine & Drum & Bass producer Ray Keith.

Pat is currently playing with acclaimed singer/songwriter Hugh Cornwell, formerly frontman of The Stranglers and has also toured with Punk-Poet legend John Cooper-Clarke as well as 80’s legend Toyah Willcox. He also regularly performs in function bands and is very active on the pub circuit live music scene.

Pat has been teaching at ACM in Guildford since 2001, where he is equally at home teaching beginner classes or at degree level. He has taught at various Sixth Form Colleges and given private tuition, where his strength is his ability to adapt to diverse musical styles. Pat has given guest lectures at the UK Bass Day, Seoul Jazz Academy in South Korea, and at three of Japan’s foremost contemporary music colleges in Tokyo and Nigata.

Pat’s specialist areas include bass performance and styles, techniques, transcribing, music theory and ear training.

Tony Wathen

Radiokillaz is a pioneering Jungle and Breakbeat music producer, DJ, and educator, with a career that spans over three decades. With roots in pirate radio since 1993, Radiokillaz has made his mark on the music scene, playing on influential stations like Chillin FM, Flex FM, and Flight FM. As a producer, Radiokillaz has remixed top 30 records, including a no. 1 hit by Paul Hardcastle, and gained support from BBC Radio 1 legend Annie Nightingale, who featured his guest Quest DJ mix on her show. His releases on esteemed record labels like Universal Music, Passenger, and Warehouse Wax have further solidified his reputation as a leading force in the genre.

In addition to his music career, Radiokillaz is also a dedicated educator, teaching music production to 16-18-year-old diploma students at ACM in Guildford. He also hosts a bi-weekly radio show on www.infrared.fm, where he continues to showcase the best of Jungle music, keeping the genre alive and kicking. Radiokillaz’s unwavering passion for music and his active involvement in producing DJing, and educating make him a respected figure in the industry. Catch his fresh-sounding Jungle beats and infectious energy at his releases and performances, as he continues to push the boundaries of sound and inspire the next generation of music creators.

Phil Banks

I’m an Executive Creative Director, which means I’m someone who practices various forms of design, guides others, and makes creative and operational decisions to improve brands, products, organisations, creative teams, and hopefully, the lives of customers.

Outside of work, I’ve got a passion for various sports, music, psychology, animals, photography and video, and I guest lecture at HE institutions on things relating to brand and UX design…and still enjoy getting my geek on and doing some hands-on design work.

A more corporate version:
I’m an Executive Creative Director with extensive experience of brand development, internal comms, product development, IA, UX, UI, project management and business process management relating to SME’s, national and multi-national businesses/organisations.

I’ve sat on the Operating Executive of a global company; created identities for some of the biggest brands; helped create market leading products; and worked with artists such as Emeli Sandé and Soul II Soul for creative projects.

Gemma Lawler

Gemma is a multi-specialism tutor working across business, songwriting and performance pathways at ACM.

With a substantial body of work as a professional vocalist and touring musician, and over fifteen years as a specialist voice teacher, she is a singer first and foremost. A frequent face on the Uk and European metal festival and touring circuit with progressive metal band Dakesis, she also fronts the heavy metal tribute band WomenOwaR, who have performed sold out shows and headline festival sets across the country.

Alongside her career as a performer and voice teacher, Gemma is the co-owner and creative director of Birmingham Rockschool, and co-owner of CapsaArx Music, an umbrella company for independent artist services including a professional recording and production suite, rehearsal spaces, artist development and management, live events promotion, music PR and music live-streaming service.

She is the co-founder of Power Metal Quest Fest, and has plenty of experience both out front and backstage at some of the UK’s biggest music festivals where she has covered an array roles from artist liaison, compère, press and conducting live interviews to selling t-shirts!

She is a proud advocate of independent musicianship and entrepreneurship, and teaches an array of subjects at ACM across both the performance, songwriting and business pathways.

Jamie West-Oram

Leeds College of Music 1973 – 1976. Moved to London in 1976. Between then and now many sessions and tours plus some freelance teaching. Formed The Fixx in 1980. The Fixx have recorded 14 studio albums including gold and platinum albums and singles. Alongside worked with many top producers and artists (see above).

Paul Richard Clarke

Paul is an experienced 2D and 3D artist using both digital and traditional media. On computer his favourite applications are Photoshop, Procreate, ArtRage, 3DS Max, Snapseed, Sculpt GL and Paint 3D (yes, really). Using traditional media Paul is well practised in ink, watercolour, pencil and acrylics.

Paul’s has worked on a wide range of games and application demos using everything from Interactive Whiteboard note apps to VR art tools. He’s had artwork exhibited across the world and been used as an exemplar artist for a range of applications including Fresh Paint, ArtRage, Eazel, Photoshop, OneNote and more.

As well as teaching at the ACM Paul runs the cosplay life drawing evenings and FE Game Jam sessions. He’s also written and drawn eight published works and is currently working on the ninth.

As a fan of a wide range of visual and printed media Paul is well placed to offer advice and guidance on theme, form, flow, inspiration and excitement in a wide range of game and entertainment industry standards.

Matt Aston

With over a decade of professional experience, Aguilar endorsee Matt Aston has toured the UK and Ireland year on year with various artists performing headline shows at venues such as Shepherds Bush, KOKO, the O2 academies, The Roundhouse, The Ritz in Manchester, Glasgow ABC and many more, as well as having played festivals such as Glastonbury, TiTP, V festival, Belladrum, Wakestock, Victorious festival, Isle of Wight.
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TV/radio credits including: BBC1, BBC2, BBC radio 2, BBC radio London, ITV1, ITV2, Channel 5, MTV, Ont sofa, Sofar sounds and 4Music.

In addition, Matt has a vast recording/song-writing experience, having recorded on Lucy Spraggan’s (Xfactor, Sony/Columbia Records) Silver album ‘Join the Club’ which peaked at number 7 in the official UK chart, as well as many other recordings, writing sessions and videos since in studios such as Wendyhouse, Metropolis, Park Studios, Oktopus Studios, BBC broadcasting house, Sofarsounds, remote sessions.

Arran McSporran

Arran has been a professional electric bass player and teacher since finishing his studies at ACM in 2007. He has toured nationally and internationally, playing in over 30 countries across 3 continents including many large international festivals. Known for his innovative plucking and legato technique on fretless 6-string bass, Arran has contributed educational articles to popular bass website bassplayersunited.com, has been interviewed for the UK’s Bass Guitar Magazine and bassmusicianmagazine.com and has taken lessons with Jeff Berlin.

A very versatile player, Arran has played in every genre from acoustic songwriters to jazz to metal and also in orchestras for musical theatre. Primarily touring in the metal scene, Arran has supported many of the biggest names in death and black metal with the bands Virvum and De Profundis and has also toured supporting Steve Vai with the Nicolas Meier World group.

Arran has played on over 30 releases, with artists that he has worked with live and on record including Virvum, Vipassi, Utopia, De Profundis, Seven7 (with Nicolas Meier), Demonstealer, Mark Lettieri (Snarky Puppy), Justin Stanton (Snarky Puppy), Scarab and many more. He has recorded on tracks with members of Obscura, Fear factory, Ne Obliviscaris, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Leprous, Cynic, Six Feet Under, Shining (Nor), Nile, Necrophagist, Nevermore, Allegaeon, Inferi…

Arran is endorsed by Rotosound Strings and Carillion Basses and is one of the few bass players using a fretless bass in metal. He has won several ‘bassist of the year’ awards including being voted one of the top bassists of 2014 in a Zero Tolerance Magazine poll.

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I’ve got a few choices of pictures because I’m not sure what vibe’s being looked for (square/landscape/portrait). Maybe it’s even worth having a gallery of 3-5 studio/live pictures on each tutor’s web bio page?

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/juwxsbncqnifmkh/AACMw1jMMmS-zBZt-Yv3fMZIa?dl=0

There’s also a good picture of me taken by the ACM photographer a few years ago on file for the wall pictures in the entrances which you could also use for consistency with the website. I don’t think I was put on the wall in Guildford last time it was done – is this something you’re also updating? I have just had some headshots done if that’s what you’re looking for, but I do like the old ACM photo.

Mattia Mazzoli

Mattia is a driven independent video game developer who has been dedicatedly working on his current project, Russell’s Range, independently. In his professional experience, he has previously collaborated with Whizz productions as a productions assistant, primarily mentoring and supporting aspiring students in filming their portfolio work. Additionally, he has also worked at the Joldwynds acting course hosted by Clare Davidson and Will Thomas Freeman, in the beautiful Surrey Hills.

Mattia’s passion for digital art and programming has fuelled his creative endeavours and enabled him to execute his game development projects single-handedly. With an unwavering commitment to his craft, Mattia is pushing the boundaries of solo indie development and is keen on leveraging his expertise to aid and inspire other young creative minds to pursue their aspirations with unbridled passion.

Gwen Howard

Gwen’s (she/they) music practice spans disciplines including songwriting, composing, production, scoring, and sound design for film and TV. Her work has been licensed to Saint Rogue (Sony/ATV), placed in major international television spots such as “Married at First Sight” and “The Ultimatum,” and featured by organisations such as the Illuminated River Foundation and IKLECTIK .

She holds a B.M. in Popular Music Performance from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and an MComp in Electronic Music from the Guildhall School of Music.

Gwen takes a special interest in the intersection of electronic music, gender equity, and disability studies and sees her artistic practice as an extension of her activism.

Ben Scott

Ben Scott has worked at the international level of music performance for over a decade, recording or performing on drums with some of the UK and USA’s most prominent pop artists – notably Ed Sheeran, Tom Walker, Declan J. Donovan, Alex Winston, and Bülow. Ben is currently the musical director and drummer for pop artist St. Lundi, as well as fronting his own boundary-pushing solo show ‘The Ultimatum Experience’ where he performs at corporate events across the globe. Ben also enjoys writing and producing from his studio in South London as part of his own artist project and with an array of up-and-coming artists.

Maria Radoje

Maria studied cello at the Royal Academy of Music and The National Centre for Orchestral Studies and has worked as a freelance cellist, teacher and composer and performed with a wide variety of professional ensembles.

Maria went on to study Music Therapy at the University of Surrey, Roehampton and The University of the West of England, graduating with distinction. She has since worked in adult and older adult mental health services, with people living with dementia, and with children and adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities, and has led teams of therapists in this context

Maria is also qualified in Guided Imagery and Music, a therapy that uses the imagination and music to work with unconscious processes, and is on the BAPAM register of approved therapists, using these skills to support performing artists struggling with anxiety and depression.