THE YODELAY MUSIC TEAM
Meet the amazing teaching team!
MICHAEL DI CECCO
Director of Yodelay Music
Michael is the new director of Yodelay Music (formerly The Creative Jar). Before moving to Tanglewood for a seachange, he was a drummer in Melbourne for 25 years, playing, recording and touring with all manner of bands and artists along the way.
During this time he has taught privately and at various schools in classroom music and instrumental music positions. He also worked as a general classroom teacher in special needs settings.
With a musical background in funk, soul, reggae and jazz, he has a special love for the early styles of jazz, blues and also New Orleans brass band music.
Michael aims to provide students with a broad musical experience that is fun, inspiring and surprising. He hopes to impart the joy and the unique richness that playing music together brings to a students life.
DALE WALKER
Guitar/Bass/Drums
Dale has played music his entire life. As a member of the band Morning Tide, he relentlessly toured two well received albums Australia wide. This wealth of experience sharpened his performance, playing and songwriting skills considerably and he shares these skills with the students at Yodelay Music.
Dale has taught for many years and focusses on making sessions fun and building meaningful conncections with students. The goal is to use the music that the student enjoys as the vehicle to teach technique, the fundamentals of music theory, song writing and creativity.
BENNY WILLIS
Guitar/Bass/Drums
Benny is your go-to guitar shred professional with over 25 years experience playing rock, blues, punk, hardcore, metal and prog.
He shreds on the drums too and has played with a long list of Gold Coast and Brisbane bands supporting massive acts such as Parkaway Drive, Cog, Mammal, Body Jar and 28 Days, to name a few.
Benny has a solid teaching resume, running his own enterprise, Benny's Rock School for the last five years and being a staff member at Gold Coast Arts Academy.
ELENA MARCIGOT
Saxaphone/Clarinet
Elena has been playing clarinet for over 25 years clarinet and saxophone for 13 years.
Her musical experience is incredibly broad. Classically trained, she then explored a variety of music genres, from world music to folk, from flamenco to reggae, from dance to dub/electronic, and much more.
Elena performs with various artists such as Felicity Lawless, Soul Sounds, Jesse Morris Band, Sky Eater, Priscila Rios, Meninas da Lua, Batala Byron Bay and Naked Ninja.
Elena believes in an unique path of discovery and exchange with each student and is a strong advocate of music being a powerful creative healer.
TOMMY PORTER
Guitar/Bass/Drums
Growing up as a Cabarita local, Tommy has always been involved with the local music community.
Mentored by former owner Skotty Fairclough, Tommy has been teaching with us since 2020. He regularly plays live shows as a guitarist and is studying Education at University.
As a young role model, Tommy hopes to inspire the next generation of musicians!
Christina Webster
Voice/Piano/Guitar
Christina is a passionate multi-instrumentalist.
With a solid foundation in classical piano, she has gone on to expand her skills into vocals, guitar and banjo.
Performing in various bands throughout the past 15 years, she has explored many genres - including folk, blues, country and soul.
Christina tailors her teaching approach to suit each individual’s strengths, interests and goals. However, her guiding principle is to support her student’s to form an uplifting and meaningful connection to music.
Annie Moody
Piano/Guitar
Annie has been immersed in music since the age of 8. During high school, she began lessons at the Creative Jar, where she was supported to begin her own music tutoring business in 2020. Annie is also completing a phychology degree with the hopes of exploring both music and pychology in the future! Her goal has always been to create meaningful connections with students, as well as to encourage and guide them on their own musical journey.
John Finkel
Piano
John is a young Gold Coast session musician who wants to see the next generation fall in love with music as he has. John currently plays keyboards for artists JK-47, Blackline, DVNA, Hannah Sands and TANISHA along with various other covers & wedding bands. This has led to many opportunities to record and gain experience playing some of the biggest festivals in the country such as Bluesfest, Splendour in the Grass, Adelaide Musicfest, Earth Frequency and Jungle Love to name a few.
John has grown up around music, his mother a classical pianist and father, a Jazz guitarist. John learnt to play classically, using the Suzuki piano method as well as completing AMEB examinations. John’s playing is influenced by everything from jazz, neo soul and hip hop to roots, reggae and Gospel playing. John loves being able to bring these influences into his lessons while exploring and expanding his students musical exposure and ability.
