About us

Genevieve Pittorino

Genevieve is the Principal of Soundworks Music Studio. She was the recipient of a scholarship at Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music & it was there she completed a Bachelor of Music Performance with Honours. Following her successful undergraduate degree, Genevieve undertook further study after being offered a place at the National Theatre, specialising in Musical Theatre.

It was during this time her vocal pedagogy and contemporary vocal technique developed. She then further specialised, and continues to specialise, in ESTILL International Voice Training. Genevieve has performed and taught extensively in Melbourne, working in in the tertiary, secondary & private school system.

Belinda Reid

Belinda is a professional actor and musician, and specialises in teaching musical theatre and classical voice, audition and performance coaching and acting, as well as songwriting and beginner piano and clarinet. She studied acting at the University of Southern Queensland, and music (majoring in musical theatre performance) at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.

Belinda has appeared in several professional musical theatre productions, most notably for The Production Company playing Josie Mann / Valerie Dee in their production of The Boy From Oz, as well as in TPC’s production of Brigadoon. Belinda has written, directed and performed independent cabaret in Australia and overseas, touring independent and festival seasons of her solo shows and also her comedy cabaret trio The Desperettes. She has performed at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival, Midsumma Festival, Perth Fringe World and Melbourne Fringe Festival to name a few.

Her television credits include Winners and Losers (Channel 7) and It’s a Date (ABC).

Belinda is currently completing her Masters of Music at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, majoring in performance teaching. A passionate performer and teacher, Belinda believes in a threefold approach to music teaching, comprising a solid technical foundation, emotionally connected storytelling, and building self-belief and self-efficacy.

Ben Feillafé

Ben Feillafé is talented and hardworking guitarist and multi-instrumentalist from Melbourne. From his mid-teens, Ben demonstrated a strong work ethic and professionalism beyond his age. Ben has had experience in playing a number of styles while working with various bands, artists, and producers. Ben’s passion for music and music education has led him to complete a Bachelor of Arts (Music) and more recently a Master of Teaching (Secondary) majoring in Music.

Throughout his instrumental teaching career Ben have taught students from primary to tertiary level in school, studio, and private teaching environments. Ben currently teaches classroom music in secondary school and is able to give comprehensive guidance to those planning to or currently studying music at VCE or VET level. As an educator, Ben’s ultimate goal is to enable students to have a sense of power and ownership via music, ensuring a lifelong appreciation and involvement within music. This entails a lesson and assessment focus on creation, improvisation, composition, and of course learning and breaking down songs.

Declan Peel

Declan is a teacher of Guitar and Bass, specialising in jazz & improvisation, rock, pop, and guitar technique. He has a decade of experience teaching students of all levels, beginner to advanced. He is actively involved in the live music scene and is currently studying a Bachelor of Music Performance at Melbourne Polytechnic.

Lachlan Bryce

Lachie is very much an allrounder musician and songwriter. He teaches voice, guitar, piano, and songwriting at Soundworks while also operating the recording studio. His musical background is also rather varied having performed in different disciplines both in Australia and Europe. He has had the honour of writing music with notable Australian musicians Ainslie Wills and Paul Dempsey, and has worked with musicians and producers from across the country and around the world. Some of his works have been used in films in Europe and he is currently expanding that catalogue of licensed works. Lachie is passionate about performing and writing and enjoys giving students more experiences with their instruments beyond the songs they play. Lachie holds a Bachelor of Entertainment from JMC Academy here in Melbourne.

Allie Godbold

Allie Godbold is a voice, piano, violin and viola teacher who has 6 years of private teaching experience. In regard to vocals, she can teach all forms of genres and styles including; classical, musical theatre, pop, contemporary, jazz etc. She has studied her Bachelor and Masters in classical/opera vocals; however, she has been a regular performer in all genres of music. She toured around the United States in 2016, with The University of Queensland Big Band as their vocalist. Some of the highlights were performing at Carnegie Hall and Central Park in New York and Disney Land in California, just to name a few. She also holds her qualifications in voice, piano, viola and violin through the Australian Music Examination Board (AMEB). As she is currently studying a Master of Speech Pathology, she is very knowledgeable about the voice and the health of the voice. Allie thrives on helping students and adults achieve their musical potential.

Kenny James

25, and Hailing from Brisvegas, Kenny is a songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist and recent graduate from JMC Academy’s Songwriting bachelor’s degree. Though his main instrument is Keyboard, Kenny also plays the trumpet and sings, and uses his laptop and MIDI controllers during live performances. A natural all-rounder musician, Kenny’s teaching style reflects this, aiming to build musical confidence and vocabulary in students on and away from their instrument with aural, theory, and performance-based coaching. Suitable for bright and keen beginner-intermediate students 10 and above, including adult students.

Gigi Bacon

Gigi began her training in musical theatre, performing in the Adelaide Fringe Festival for kids entertainment. In recent years she has transitioned into the opera and classical world and is currently studying at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Gigi is very grateful to have the opportunity to teach music at Sound Works Music Studio and adores teaching young kids piano and singing.

Benjamin Samuel

Ben is an experienced vocalist, actor & musician. After completing undergraduate studies in Music (University of Canterbury) & Musical Theatre (National Academy of Dramatic Arts) in New Zealand, he relocated to Melbourne to pursue a career in performing arts & education. He has performed in several major musical productions across Australia & New Zealand including ‘Cats’, ‘Beauty & the Beast’, ‘Hair’, ‘The Color Purple’, ‘Curtains’, ‘Oklahoma’, ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and ‘Rent’. He also performed as a vocalist & dancer in many cabarets & major events including ASB Starry Nights, Coca Cola Christmas in the Park & Midsumma Festival. Ben also seizes any opportunity to sing Jazz with his band at corporate & special events across Melbourne. He currently delivers lectures & workshops at JMC Academy for the Bachelor of Contemporary Music & Master of Creative Industries courses.

Following completion of the Master of Music (Melbourne Conservatorium of Music) qualification, Ben continues to work in theatre as a Musical Director for various production companies across Melbourne, collaborating with creative teams to engage artists & create performance opportunities which promote diversity & equality in the arts – leveraging music to drive social change.

Julius Millar

Julius is a Multi-Instrumentalist and Composer with an eclectic range of skills and interests in music, having performed and written music in many styles and contexts including bands and ensembles performing rock/contemporary/experimental music, experimental improvised music, creating soundtracks for film and theatre and writing orchestral/chamber music.

Julius has over 10 years experience teaching students of all ages and skill levels on various instruments, specialising in Guitar, Theory and Composition in all styles and also taking students for Bass Guitar, Drumkit and Contemporary Piano. His passion as a teacher is to expose students to a wide and eclectic range of music styles, ideas and techniques while tailoring each student’s program in response to their individual needs, taste and skill level, giving them all the necessary skills and knowledge to learn music and achieve their goals.

Rachel Trainor

Rachel is a New Zealand-born, Melbourne based professional drummer, performer and multi-instrumentalist. She holds a Bachelor of Music (Honours – First Class) from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand where she was tutored by ex-Mother Goose drummer Marcel Rodeka and bassist Rob Burns, whose credits include playing for the BBC and collaborations with well-known musicians such as Pete Townsend of The Who.

During her time at university, she was part of several professional bands and toured throughout New Zealand with both corporate and original acts, as well as gaining experience playing in pit bands for musicals such as ‘Buddy Holly’ and ‘Back To The 80s’.

She made the move to Melbourne in 2012 and since then has played at many iconic Melbourne venues including Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant Melbourne, where she provided drums, vocals and guitar (among other instruments) for the show until its closure
Since then Rachel has toured interstate with cabaret shows ‘Anya Anastasia: Rogue Romantic’ and ‘Rebel’, a David Bowie inspired circus cabaret and continues to gig regularly around Melbourne as a session player and with her original psych-rock band Honeybone.

Hayden Fritzlaff

Hayden is a drummer and guitarist from the nation’s capital. Having graduated from ANU in 2016, Hayden’s career has been wide and varied, seeing him perform everywhere from the smallest clubs to Australia’s biggest music festivals. His background includes stints with jazz ensembles, big bands, touring rock bands, experimental music groups, and orchestras. Hayden has more than seven years teaching experience with students of all ages and abilities. He works with students to achieve their musical goals and develop their skills in a range of genres including jazz, rock, pop, funk, R&B, Latin, and orchestral percussion.

Chris Commerford

Chris Commerford is a guitarist/ singer-songwriter from the Mornington Peninsula who harnesses a strong passion for Blues, Soul & Rnb and uses it as a foundation for his stylistic approach to playing the guitar and writing music. As a teacher he has spent the past 5 years teaching private and school-based lessons diving deep into how to plan a student’s music journey from the very beginning all the way to what lies beyond! Some of his major influences remain John Mayer, Marcus King, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Gary Clarke Jr. and whole heap more.

Whether it be your first chord, first song or first symphony, Chris’ diversity in music has opened up the doors for many students to learn whatever they love even if it’s to read music!

Chris writes original music and plays in his self-titled band (The Chris Commerford Band) all around the state and can be found on Spotify by simply searching The Chris Commerford showcasing Chris’ ability on the guitar. The band draws inspiration from jammy greats like the Allman Brothers, blues legends such as B.B King and Rnb enigmas like D’angelo and Stevie Wonder.

Sam Lawrence

Sam has had a life full of music, which has specifically included song-writing and performing in ensembles and solo, along with his constant study of piano and voice across cultures of music, undertaking tuition in Western Classical, Jazz, and Indian Classical. Sam Lawrence is also a current student of piano at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

Prior to enrolling at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Sam sought private tuition in jazz piano, taking lessons from some notable names in the national and international jazz piano field, including Barney McAll, and Steve Sedergreen.

Sam’s interest in the music of J.S.Bach also drove him to take a year of tuition under classical pianist, Danae Killian, a former Melbourne Conservatorium educator and locally renowned performer.

Sam also travelled to India for three months where he undertook intensive study of Hindustani music, specifically in voice. While in India, Sam also taught himself the guitar and wrote several songs, which he recorded and performed when he returned to Melbourne.

Sam has written and performed his own music for many years and has had some success, including a nation wide tour supporting pop singer Kimbra, with whom he also sang a duet that was released on her debut album.

Sam has a combined interest in the continual study of music, while advancing his expertise as a performing musician, and not least facilitating budding musicians in their passion for the music that they love!

Sebastian Farchione

Sebastian studied jazz improvisation, Big Band music, and composition at The James Morrison Academy of Music in Mount Gambier, South Australia where he completed a Bachelor of Music and Honours. He was tutored by some
of the best jazz musicians both nationally and internationally. Whilst performance was a prominent area of study, Sebastian majored in composition and arranging where he learned to write for small ensembles, Big Bands, and for film.

Although Sebastian is primarily trained in jazz, he is also proficient in other genres such as Blues, Rock, Pop, Disco, and Classical. He is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing the clarinet and flute. Whether you are
looking for serious tutorship, musical theory foundation, or just want to play for leisure, Sebastian can cater for all needs.