We are exceptionally proud of our talented group of teachers. They are all passionate about music and thoroughly enjoy teaching and fostering musical development. Click through the teachers below to learn about their background and contact us to find out more.
PIANO
Kaykay Lai
BMus (Honours), Melbourne Conservatorium of Music
BMus (Performance & Composition), Australian National University
Kaykay holds a Bachelor of Music (Degree with Honours) with First Class Honours at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne, and a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Piano Performance at Australian National University School of Music as a recipient of the Dennis Griffin Piano Undergraduate Scholarship.
Kaykay has won awards at numerous regional and national competitions and has performed in many public concerts. In 2023, he was selected as a participant of Flinders Quartet Emerge Composer Program. In 2022, He was the winner of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Sutherland Piano Trio Prize and the winner of Australian Artology’s To Country Program. He was also the winner of Australian Artology’s Fanfare Competition and the finalist of Whitworth Roach Classical Music Performance Competition in 2021. In the same year, he gave a piano recital at the Embassy of Hungary, Canberra. He also won the First Prize in the 2014 Chopin International Youth Piano Competition.
Kaykay's compositions have been premiered and played by Flinders Quartet, The University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, The University of Melbourne Wind Symphony, Sutherland Trio, Queensland Youth Orchestra, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Adelaide Youth Orchestra, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Percussion Ensemble, and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music Saxophone Ensemble.
Valeriya Volyokova
DipMus (Piano Performance), Baku Music Academy "M. Rostropovich"
Val is a professional piano from Baku, Azerbaijan. She started playing piano at the age of 7 and graduated from the Baku Musical Academy after M.Rostropovich in Piano Performance. Valeria has moved to Dubai as a young adult in 2011 and started performing in different venues - hotels, restaurants and malls. Her repertoire includes Classical, Pop and some jazz works. Valeriya started teaching in 2018 taking on both beginners and intermediate students of different ages. Curriculim included ABRSM, RCM for advanced students and Faber , Alfred books for beginners. Since moving to Australia in 2023, Valeria has been working in public and private schools across the city of Melbourne.
GUITAR
Shane Campbell
BMus (Performance), Australian National University
Shane Campbell hails from Canberra, Australia, and studied guitar under renowned pedagogues Tim Kain and Minh le Hoang. He received his Honours degree (first class) at the Australian National University School of Music, focussing on the Spanish Civil War and its intersections with classical guitar repertoire. An active performer, Shane has captivated audiences as a soloist and as part of various ensembles.
Shane has received numerous prizes for both solo and ensemble playing including first and audience prize in the 2021 Whitworth Roach Classical Music Competition, first prize in multiple editions of the ANU Friends of the School of Music Ensemble Prize, and third prize at the 2018 New Zealand International Guitar Competition.
Having taught guitar over the last five years, Shane has developed an adaptive and fun teaching style and has experience teaching, classical, fingerstyle, pop, rock, jazz, and blues.
Toby Mach
B.Mus. (Performance), Monash University
Toby learned piano in kindergarten, progressed to many instruments including the drum kit, guitar and bass guitar in primary school and performed in ensembles, bands and the school musical. After attaining high levels in AMEB piano, by secondary school, Toby focussed on guitar and bass guitar alongside arranging and producing his own music for public release.
Toby’s goal, after completing Bachelor of Music at Monash University, was composition - scoring music for games and film. His published works have featured in commercial games, advertisements and indie films. Toby also works in artistic directing and performing in concerts showcasing music from games as part of Sinister Creative.
To hone his instrumental skills, Toby plays in a local band covering Japanese music. Additionally he has created a YouTube channel to post multi-instrument covers and piano tutorials sharing the music he loves and the knowledge of how to play it - world-wide. The wish to share music naturally led Toby to begin teaching. He taught piano, guitar, theory and ear training to mature-aged peers on a volunteer basis throughout university.
Toby began teaching instrumental lessons at primary schools after graduation, using his multi-instrumental skills to teach guitar, bass guitar, drums, piano and ukulele. He leads student ensembles, rock bands and taiko (Japanese drums). Toby also teaches instrumental skills, as well as composition and production, privately.
Toby is passionate about providing tailor-made lessons to students of all ages and skill levels and understands the need to instil motivation and passion for music in each student to get them engaged in learning and practising. He enjoys doing this by teaching relevant and interesting repertoire that students love, while incorporating the core concepts of music theory and instrumental technique. Toby also prepares students to achieve excellence in exams. He harbours a special interest in nurturing the specific interests and goals of mature-aged students.
DRUMS • BASS
Sandro Giambruno
BMus (Performance), Conservatorio di musica Vincenzo Bellini
Sandro Giambruno, aged 32, has been playing drums for 18 years. He commenced his drumming journey at the age of 14, immersing himself in the world of punk rock. With a father who is a painter and an avid jazz enthusiast, and a mother who adores music and played the piano, Sandro grew up surrounded by art. He began his musical career by playing with numerous original bands. At 19, he received an invitation to embark on a tour with a punk hardcore band, traversing various countries across Europe such as Germany, the Netherlands, France, Greece, and Austria for a duration of three years.
Following this extensive touring experience, Sandro enrolled in the conservatory in Palermo. There, he dedicated six years of study under the guidance of Maestro Giuseppe Urso. Urso imparted to him techniques, harmony, and the ability to read music. Sandro's live performance skills flourished, leading him to participate in various jazz festivals in Sicily. He also contributed to the recording of four albums with different bands, showcasing his versatility in musical styles, with a particular inclination towards hip hop jazz and funk, while also enjoying delving into heavier genres like metal and post-rock.
Throughout his journey, Sandro cultivated teaching experience, instructing students for one year in a music school and privately. His approach emphasizes the enjoyment of drumming while simultaneously focusing on technique and fostering creativity. Sandro encourages drummers to express themselves freely without confining them to a specific genre. Additionally, Sandro's musical talents extend beyond the drums; he is proficient in playing guitar and bass and has produced a lo-fi album.
Currently residing in Melbourne, Sandro is actively engaged in the local music scene, collaborating with diverse jazz musicians. His endeavors contribute to the development of a robust musical foundation, indicative of his flourishing career. He has played with musicians like Bradley Stone and Anna Stanton.
Principal
NICHOLAS YOUNG
PhD (Music), FMusA (AMEB), MA, B.MUS (Honours I & University Medal), LMusA, AMusA, ATCL
Nicholas serves a variety of students, schools and organisations across Melbourne as teacher and professional pianist. He completed his Bachelor of Music (Performance) with Daniel Herscovitch at Sydney Conservatorium in 2013 with First Class Honours and University Medal, and graduated from Master Solo Piano with Distinction at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg in 2015, studying with Claudius Tanski. Alongside formal training, Nicholas has taken masterclasses with Dmitri Bashkirov, Christian Zacharias, Robert Levin, Dominique Merlet, Jacques Rouvier, Lars Vogt and Lang Lang, among others.
A strong advocate for pianistic training without stylistic barriers, Nicholas combines pedagogical principles from classical and jazz traditions to mould learning paths uniquely fitted to the interests and tastes of each student, whether pursuing exam success or independent musical discovery, and believes in the power of music to facilitate physical, emotional and intellectual development at any stage of life.
Nicholas has been a teacher for Moving Into Music since 2017, and is honoured to continue the legacy of Moving Into Music as its Principal in 2023.
Founder
LAURIS HING
MEdHons(Melb), BEdHons(Melb), TTDC, TPTC
Lauris has many years teaching experience in Australia and overseas. She has taught in primary school and at pre-school level, in special education and in parent guidance clinics.
She has addressed national conferences and delivered lectures in the fields of early childhood, special education and music education. She has trained many teachers through in-service and professional development seminars and courses for all the major organizations including: the Lady Gowrie Child Centre-Melbourne, the Suzuki Talent Education Association of Australia, the Orff-Schulwerk Association of Australia and the Kodaly Education Institute of Australia, the Australian Music Examinations Board, Melbourne Youth Music as well as the School of Early Childhood Studies in the University of Melbourne.
Lauris’ Masters Thesis was awarded first class honours and focussed on the development of music curriculum. This, combined with her wide range teaching experience has ensured the quality and success of the Moving Into Music program and earned its recognition and acclaim in the professional music education community.
Over the past 20 years, Lauris has built Moving Into Music into a premier music program, which offers musical parenting courses, children’s group classes (pre-school to primary school years) and instrumental tuition in piano and keyboard, acoustic, electric and bass guitar, theory and musicianship. Moving Into Music employs highly qualified and experienced staff and operates in the inner and eastern suburbs of Melbourne where it enjoys a fine reputation.
Lauris and her staff also teach the Moving Into Music program in kindergartens and private schools.
After establishing and successfully operating music studios for instrumental tuition in Kew in 2003, Lauris was approached in 2008 to lead the formation of the Allans Music School. Moving Into Music provided music lessons in partnership with AllansBillyHyde at the stores in Bourke St and at Kew. As a result of the closure of ABH in 2012, Lauris has now moved the Instrumental tuition to a new and convenient CBD location at St Johns in Southgate, right next to the Concert Hall and in Kew – to Walpole St just up from the junction.
WE THANK OUR FORMER STAFF:
Genaaron Diamente BMusPerf
Lewis Osmant BMus
Carlo Carnevali
Nathan Slater
Sebastian Vargas MA BA
Amy Fan BMusHons
Linh Doan MMus BMus
Caleb Yu
Melissa Dodds
Bridget A’Beckett
Caesar Rodriguez
Jennifer Stevens-Ballenger
Simon Watt
Delaney Stewart
Cindy Yang
Bei Mi Chen