More About Us
The Westport Art & Music School was founded in 2019 by Musician/Artist Laurice Van Den Oosten, a school leaver who wanted to help others find they're calling in life through the arts. Laurice was not a very academic student and felt a huge absence of support for the creative, more hands on students who had no idea how the industry works or where to start. Leaving school, she had no idea what she wanted to do.
"A year of experimentation and finding myself and meeting people like me made me realise what I was good at and what I wanted to do".
The opening of WAMS is solely aimed at providing courses, mentoring and most importantly, jobs to those in the same predicament. Covering 30+ services ages 4yrs-60yrs+ and that's saying something..
"Teaching is such a rewarding job, and I can easily say I now have the career I always dreamed of".
Timotej Zavacký
Born in 1996 in Spišská Nová Ves, Slovakia, Timotej began his music education at the local music school and continued at the State Conservatory in Košice under Jozef Haluza. During this time, He also had consultations with legendary Czech guitarist and composer ŠtÄ›pán Rak.
He hold a Bachelor’s degree from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, where he studied with Pavel Steidl, one of the world’s leading guitarists. He pursued further studies at the Conservatorio di Musica in Parma, Italy, in the class of Massimo Felici and TU Dublin Conservatory.
He has performed in more than 15 countries across Europe and Latin America both as a soloist and chamber musician. Highlights include:
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A concert at the Antonín DvoÅ™ák International Festival (2019)
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Semifinalist at the Paganini Competition in Parma (2022), performing at Casa della Musica
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Invited for a concert and masterclass tour in Peru (2023), including lectures at the National
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University of Music in Lima, one of South America’s leading music institutions
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Invited for a concert in Stockholm, Sweden(2024)
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He has also participated in courses and worked with world-class guitarists such as David Russell, Judicaël Perroy, Andrea De Vitis, Marcin Dylla and others.
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Timotej will be teaching guitar, ukulele, bass, mandolin, banjo, piano, and drums here at WAMS and is open to teaching students of all ages and levels.
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Sarah Burns
Hi everyone, my name is Sarah. I teach the piano, guitar, ukulele and whistle I first started learning
the guitar when I was eight and continued to play ever since. After starting the guitar, I
learned the piano which has been an amazing experience and the ukelele which I love. I
really enjoy playing music, as it brings such joy and happiness into my life.
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I graduated with a BA in Music and German and am currently working as a Secondary School teacher in Ballinrobe. Throughout my experience in education, I have gained great
knowledge and experience that I look forward in putting into practice. I also look forward in
meeting new students and admiring the progress they make as they aspire to be future musicians.
Sarah is very passionate about helping those with disabilities and learning difficulties, she assists with July Provisions each year and makes a huge effort to be inclusive in her lessons.
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Alex Connor-Wood
Alex is an experienced keyboard/piano player who has performed internationally with many party bands and upcoming artists. He graduated from BIMM Brighton with a 1st class degree in Professional Musicianship, specialising in music teaching practice.
Alex is deeply passionate about music education and inclusivity: he believes that music is for EVERYONE. Whether you’re entirely new to piano/keyboards, need some pointers to elevate your playing, or perhaps you’re struggling with performance anxiety; Alex would be thrilled to help you in a manner that’s tailored specifically to your learning style.
Alex is very passionate about our project ‘Treble Makers’, a band forming group for kids and teenagers.
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Roisín McNulty
Roisín McNulty is from Bunnacurry in Achill and has been playing fiddle since the age of 7. She is proficient in Fiddle, Harp and Classical Piano and tutors at various summer schools. She also teaches whistle and is open to welcoming students of all ages and levels.
She has gone on to tutor students of her own who participate in Comhaltas and Royal Irish Academy exams and Fleadheanna Cheoil. She is an All-Ireland medal winner with Céili Band and Grúpaí Ceoil and is a qualified Primary School teacher working in Mayo.
Roisín is very passionate about SCT exams and has recently qualified the TTCT Preparatory Course for these, she hopes to be able to coach some Ceilí Bands in the future too!
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Jamie van den Oosten
Hi, I'm Jamie! I've been playing guitar since I was 8 and now I have my own band called ‘The Works’ and have had the pleasure of meeting some really cool musicians over the last few years. I especially love playing indie and alternative rock but we write a lot of our own music too.
I am studying Music Technology and Sound Production in TUS and hope to use this degree both with my students and other bands in the near future.
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I've been teaching here at WAMS for a while now, I love helping others achieve their goal, whether it’s on acoustic or electric guitar, ukulele or even bass.. seeing a student grow to become a great player is something special.
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Sarah McBrady
Sarah is a Paris-born Franco-American singer and vocal instructor now based in Knock, is passionate about sharing the beauty and joy of music with others, whether through performance or teaching. Sarah's musical journey began at the age of 6 when she started studying voice and performing in musicals.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1996, she pursued a BA in The Performing Arts. In 2001, she relocated to London, where she embarked on a career performing both solo and with a band. Over the past 12 years, Sarah has developed her approach to teaching singing, focusing on balancing technical proficiency with emotional expression. She believes in nurturing each individual's unique voice while establishing a solid foundation of technique
Sarah is very passionate about her choir group in Knock and would love to host choir or singing group here in Westport some day in the near future!
