I have more than 14 years of experience teaching guitar to students of all ages, levels and styles. I also teach music theory, composition and arranging. I prepare students for ABRSM and Trinity exams, and many of my students have won awards at their schools and in competitions. I worked as an itinerant guitar teacher at various schools in Wellington and Christchurch, including the New Zealand School of Music in 2019. Much of my teaching has been online since 2020, and I currently teach students throughout New Zealand and overseas.

Whatever your goals are, I can help you achieve them. Your age, current level, and preferred style of music are just details. If you are passionate about music and determined to make progress, I am the teacher for you.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about fees, availability, locations for face to face lessons in Christchurch, nationwide and international Zoom lessons, or anything else. You can email me at: michaelstoopmusic@gmail.com

Testimonials

I began lessons with Michael around late 2014 when I was 11 years old. My musical base at the time was rough to say the least, having only learned a few basic guitar melodies through YouTube tutorials and a group music session I did at school. My mother had hoped for a while I would learn classical guitar as my main focus and so she found Michael through some positive references. I still remember at the end of the first lesson asking Michael to play something for my father and I, and how blown away I was hearing what classical guitar was capable of; safe to say there was a part of me that yearned to play so beautifully one day.

We decided that I would attempt the ABRSM examinations, starting with grade 2. This involved me having to learn the technical foundations of classical guitar - playing pieces, sight-reading, scales, aural training, and reading musical notation. Despite this being my first exposure to all these diverse fields, Michael made the entire process essentially seamless. Every lesson was organised in advance and no category was ever neglected. I was given well thought out, meaningful practice advice, and never felt underprepared for an exam. It is to Michael’s credit I was able to achieve multiple distinctions throughout my journey doing these grades.

After a few years of lessons I really started to fall in love with the instrument. Classical guitar may be unique in the fact that once you reach a certain stage, with enough practice, you can often learn to play music well above your normal skill level. Unfortunately, being able to play these pieces well is another matter entirely. Nevertheless, after realising this, I began learning these difficult pieces to the best of my ability. Michael was extremely encouraging in this process, guiding me on which pieces I should learn next, what techniques I needed to refine, and even the history of the pieces themselves. I remember we spent a while on Villa Lobos’ 1st prelude, probably the first serious piece I learned. This piece will always be special to me as I won my high-school talent show playing it. I remember being so happy being able to inform Michael that all our hard work had resulted in something so tangible.

After completing grade 7 in my exams it was suggested I enter the New Zealand classical guitar competition for my age group. It being my first proper competition, Michael walked me through everything from selecting repertoire to how to calm myself before performing. I’ll always be grateful for how much he helped me and his other students during this time, especially considering how busy he must’ve been preparing his own pieces for the competition. I was lucky enough to get 3rd and will never forget the experience.

Finally, in the same year of the competition, I decided to audition for the New Zealand School of Music. Again, Michael helped me extensively in my preparation, leading my application to be accepted with an additional scholarship too. Even though I would go on to choose a different direction with my life, my small success here is again a testament to Michael’s diligent and thoughtful teaching over the years.

In conclusion, I really couldn’t recommend Michael highly enough for guitar lessons. He unlocked a passion for me I never even knew I had and was always so patient and encouraging. I now have a skill I can always come back to and will forever be grateful for all the work he put in for me.

Ruben - New Zealand

To whom it may concern

My son James was 7 years old when he started learning classical guitar with Michael in 2017. Michael’s positive approach started a trusting learning journey for young James. With Michael’s help, James was able to see success fairly early on, being able to play a piece solo, or in a duo with Michael at a mid-year concert after only 2 terms of lessons.

At 8 years old James needed to learn complex strumming patterns and chords to play guitar for his primary school kapa haka. Michael unpacked the strumming patterns, and taught these, plus chords, to James in just 4 sessions. This was the turning point for James, as he began to understand that if he asked Michael, he could achieve his guitar goals.

With Michael’s attention to detail, expertise and patient delivery, James’ confidence has grown and he has been able to achieve all of his guitar goals to date: he has had many performance opportunities, performed in numerous school bands, busked, sat practical and theory exams, entered classical guitar competitions, but most of all, he has learned playing music he loves. Michael is a technical expert and when James said he wanted to play “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, Michael broke it down note by note and provided clear feedback so that James completely mastered every part of Slash’s solo. James also asked Michael to teach him jazz guitar and, with Michael’s breadth of knowledge, he worked through pieces with James to prepare him for a jazz guitar audition.

With 8 years of teaching James – Michael’s strength is also in the relationship he builds with his students and how he connects with them. James is now 15 and continues to have weekly online lessons with Michael: these are no different to in-person lessons, with a great sound connection. James looks forward to his lessons and frequently asks Michael his technical and/or obscure guitar questions: for example, how to achieve a particular sound. James has both practical guitar and theory lessons and, with Michael’s tuition, he has achieved Distinctions in both Trinity College of London exams in Classical Guitar, and ABRSM exams in Music Theory.

Michael is a great teacher and mentor for James, and we know that James will always keep in touch with Michael, not only because Michael is an excellent musician, but because James trusts and values Michael’s teaching, his feedback and his opinions.

Angela - Wellington, New Zealand

Reed has been a student of Michael's since he was 7 years old and now, at almost 18 he still enjoys his weekly lesson. Michael is a patient, supportive teacher who tailors he lessons to Reed's interests and development needs. Reed had face-to-face lessons with Michael which went online during covid. The success of the online lessons meant we were very happy, and lucky, to have Michael continuing to teach Reed when we moved to the UK which has worked very well despite the time difference. Reed enjoys learning complex, and fast paced classical pieces which Michael has taught him including - Libra Sonatine, Tango en Skaï, La Catedral, and Grand Overture. We can highly recommend Michael as an excellent guitar teacher.

Brigit - UK

Michael has been teaching Rhys for seven years now, at first in person and then online when he shifted cities. His emphasis on good technique has been very good for Rhys, and
Michael has been very patient with Rhys’ somewhat erratic practice habits. Rhys has developed into a competent classical guitarist with a keen interest in composition. Michael
has supported this well, and Rhys has absorbed quite a bit of theory along the way.

Eleanor - Wellington, New Zealand

I reached out to Michael for feedback on one of my songs featuring a classical guitar solo, the first classical guitar solo I had ever composed. I felt hesitant about the piece, but Michael’s knowledge of music theory and composition provided exactly the guidance I needed. His feedback was thoughtful, insightful, and immensely helpful in strengthening the work. What makes Michael’s teaching particularly valuable is that very few classical guitarists also specialise in composition. Michael brings a thorough understanding of music theory, arranging, and composition specifically for the classical guitar, making his lessons especially enriching for anyone wishing to compose or arrange for this beautiful instrument.

Inga - Hamilton, New Zealand