Born in Kansas City, Dave started playing guitar at an early age. He studied with different local Jazz guitarists as a teen, later receiving his music degrees by attending University of Central Missouri and McNally and Smith College of Music in Minneapolis. Dave has studied privately with Jazz greats Ray Brown and Anthony Cox. He has over 30 years teaching and playing experience as well as touring around America, Caribbean and Europe. Music is Dave’s passion and he is all about sharing his knowledge and skills with others to help them achieve their musical goals. With over ten years experience working in the SEN sector, Dave also specialises in music lessons for students with sensory impairments.
our team
Dave Luvin
Director and Lead Teacher
Dawn Luvin
Director and Business Manager
With fifteen years of entrepreneurship both in the United States and the UK, Dawn is behind the scenes working tirelessly to ensure the school, teachers and students are all running smoothly. Additionally, her experience working with children and within the SEN sector allows her to contribute in producing bespoke lessons and workshops designed to ensure music is accessible to all ages and abilities. Dawn has a passion for outreach and building relationships. She works incredibly hard to ensure the students and families walk into a fun and enjoyable, musical, learning hub.
Robyn Saunders
Piano, Drums, Clarinet and Saxophone Teacher
Robyn is a performer and music teacher located in Manchester who specialises in Piano and woodwind instruments. Robyn was trained in Classical Clarinet, Classical Piano and Jazz Saxophone at Leeds College of Music where she achieved a first class honours degree. She is currently studying a Masters in Music Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music. As a performer, Robyn has been fortunate enough to tour the world. She has performed piano for the Broadway casts of Lion King and Wicked in New York and accompanied classical choirs in Singapore. As an Educator, Robyn has previously worked as a Piano and Woodwind teacher at Marlborough College Malaysia. Helping musicians of any age and ability reach their full potential was a highlight of Robyn’s year in Malaysia and she is delighted to be continuing this at The Music Shed.
Tsz Yan Tracy
Vocal Teacher
Tracy is a musician originally from Hong Kong, now based in Manchester. She began playing the piano at the age of five and achieved an ACTL Piano Recital with distinction by age 16. Tracy has a rich background in vocal training, having sung in various choirs throughout her youth. She successfully passed the ABRSM Grade 8 singing exam with distinction and later earned a merit in RSL Grade 5 Pop Vocal.
She graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree in Music, where her graduation thesis focused on Singing Pedagogy. With seven years of experience as a school music teacher in Hong Kong, she has developed a passion for helping students from diverse backgrounds learn in a fun and systematic way. She embraces a wide repertoire, teaching everything from classical music to musical theatre and pop. She is dedicated to inspiring her students and fostering a love for music.
Phil Bennett
Drum Teacher
Phil has been playing the drums for 30 years. He graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Popular Music in 2003. Since then he has been working as a freelance drummer in Manchester and covering a broad range of genres, playing gigs, festivals and shows across the country. He is better known as the drummer in the popular Stone Roses tribute band, The Clone Roses. He started his teaching practice in 2010 and has taught numerous pupils in schools and privately ever since. He is a well liked, and respected teacher at the school by colleagues, students and parents and his ability to adjust his teaching practise according to his students needs makes him one of our busiest teachers.
Dragos Colceriu
Guitar, Bass and Ukulele Teacher
Dragos has been playing and studying music for over 13 years now. He is a classically trained musician having started on Classical Guitar back in his homeland, Romania. He swapped to Electric Guitar ahead of moving to the UK to study contemporary music. Since passing his (BA) Professional Musicianship degree with first class honors, Dragos has been an active gigging musician and music educator in the Manchester area and beyond. He loves passing on his passion and enthusiasm for music and guitar through tutoring. He is able to teach a large range of styles, from Rock, Pop, Blues, Funk and Soul Electric guitar to fingerstyle Acoustic/Classical Guitar.
Jake Stentiford
Guitar, Bass and Ukulele Teacher
Jake is a highly experienced musician and gigs regularly in the Manchester area, as well as around the UK. He has over 17 years experience of playing guitar and graduated with a degree in Popular Music and Recording from Salford University in 2009. He is able to teach a range of styles including Rock, Pop, Funk, RnB and Blues on Electric Guitar to more folk and country based, finger picking on Acoustic Guitar.
Jess Pun
Piano, Flute & Woodwind Teacher
Jess has recently graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music on the ‘Joint Course’, where she studied the Flute. She is passionate about teaching and has over 5 years of experience teaching piano, flute and woodwind, and has also taught curriculum music at primary schools around Manchester.
In July 2024, she graduated with First Class Honours in Music from the University of Manchester as part of the Joint Course. She is a dedicated performer and has won many awards, the most recent being Third Prize in the British Society Flute Competition. At RNCM, she was grateful to receive the Peter Lloyd Prize for her first end-of-year recital, and recently won the Principal Flute audition for the Symphony Orchestra.
She studied flute and piano at the Junior Royal Academy of Music, also winning the Intermediate Woodwind Prize in 2019. As a teacher, she looks forward to encouraging her students’ love for music, alongside their individual potential and confidence.