Paula Guerra Collar

Violin Teacher

Paula is a Spanish violinist based in London.

Starting her musical studies at the young age of 4, she completed her higher music education studies in Vila-Seca (Spain), where she was awarded the Honour Prize in classical violin and chamber music.

Her passion for music brought her all the way to London at the age of 19 where she was awarded a scholarship and completed her Undergraduate studies with professor Krzysztof Smietana at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and where she is currently finishing her Masters' degree (June 2024).

The violinist has played in ensembles since young, and in auditoriums such as the Barbican Hall, Cadogan Hall and the Pau Casals Auditorium, among others. Some of her recent collaborations include orchestras such as LSO “on track” and the London Mozart Players, as part of the Guildhall School of Music's outreach programme.

Her passion for teaching started in her hometown at the age of 18 when she had her first students at a local music school. Paula is a former violin teacher at Ealing Junior Music School and currently teaches for Pelican Music.

Katey Rylands

Singing and Piano Teacher

Katey Rylands is an English Mezzo-Soprano currently freelancing as a performer and teacher in London. Katey's recent successes includes winning the Isabel Jay Memorial Prize at her previous conservatoire, the Royal Academy of Music, after impressing the adjudicator with her operatic repertoire. Currently, she is enjoying teaching at SWS school of Music and Putney Music School and loves working with children of all ages, teaching them both singing and piano. Katey's strong musicianship originated when studying music in secondary school and excelled when she attended Wells Cathedral School as a specialist Musician. Whilst studying at RAM, Katey was involved in many exciting projects such as, performing in the RAO chorus for Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges and Massenet's Chérubin. Katey's passion for opera was certainly highlighted when she performed the roles of Cherubino, Nancy, Orfeo, Hermia and Dorabella in Vocal Faculty opera scenes. When Katey wasn't studying she loves to involve herself in different projects and productions; Katey performed the role of Dido in HGO's production of Purcell's Dido & Aeneas and has performed in West Green House Opera's summer production of Donizetti's opera L'elisir d'amore.

Katey started learning piano as a second instrument during her time at primary school and continued lessons throughout secondary school and during her time at Wells Cathedral School as a specialist musician. She has taught piano at multiple schools and for music schools, such as SWS Music school, Putney Music school and now Pelican Music. She also has a Master of Arts degree from the Royal Academy of Music, which has broadened her musicianship and sharpened her music theory knowledge.

Although Katey loves the performing aspect of her career, she loves being a teacher. She believes that music is very important to a child's development and that music can also teach many life skills that will benefit them in their futures.

Robert Pennel

Drum TEACHER

Rob is an experienced teacher, having taught drums for 15 years. He studied music at Trinity College of Music, London and then at Middlesex University; where he studied Jazz with Nikki Ilses, Stuart Hall and Martin France. As a freelance musician Rob has performed at festivals across Europe; such as the London Hyde Park Calling, the Electric Picnic Festival in Dublin, and the Seixial Jazz Festival in Portugal, most notably with Australian folk duo "Angus and Julia Stone''. He has experience recording drums in some London's top studios such as Rak and Angel studios and gigs regularly with a number of Professional bands across the UK. The Union Chapel, Ronnie Scotts, Pizza Express Dean Street, the Vortex and Cafe Oto are to name but a few of the London venues he has performed in.

Rob is passionate about teaching the Drums and as well as teaching for Pelican and has a successful private teaching practice across west London where he teaches at schools, students homes and online from his home studio. Rob's approach to learning the drums focuses heavily on getting students to read rhythms from musical notation straight away from their first lesson. He treats reading rhythms the same as learning your phonics as you would learning any other language. Children quickly remember what the basic rhythms sound like by singing them and carefully over time become fluent in singing the rhythms straight off the page. The great thing about this approach is you don't even need a pair of sticks to get started let alone a drum kit. He is experienced in teaching children who don't have access to drums at home and has gotten some of his students up to grade 1 standard who do not own a set. Rob also plays guitar, bass, and piano and will often accompany students in their lessons to give them a musical context and develop their musicianship skills further.