Our Team
Laurice Van Den Oosten
Managing Director & Founder
Laurice founded WAMS in 2019 with a passion for helping others find their love for the arts and guiding them through every step of the way. Laurice teaches classical and contemporary piano as well as providing all the art classes here at WAMS
Nicole Gannon
Guitar, Ukulele and Banjo tutor
"Hi, my name is Nicole Gannon and I am the Ukulele and Guitar tutor here in Westport Art and Music School. I joined the team in 2019 and have enjoyed watching all my students blossom into accomplished and talented musicians.
Music has always been a huge part of my life from busking on the streets, to gigging in the local pubs in Westport, and to performing at all kinds of concerts and special events.
Aside from my work in WAMS I am also a primary school teacher so I am passionate about helping others discover their potential and develop that to the best of their ability"
Alex Connor-Wood
piano & drums tutor
"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, specializing 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."
Roisin McNulty
Violin, Harp, Piano & Whistle tutor
RoisÃn 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 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 Grúpaà Ceoil and is a qualified Primary School teacher working in Crumlin,
Dublin.
Grainne Coyne
Button Accordion
"Hi everyone,
My name is Gráinne Coyne. I am a button accordion player
from Co. Mayo. I have been an accordion tutor in Westport Arts &
Music School since February 2020. I was delighted when given the
opportunity to join this team as Laurice has created a warm, friendly
& welcoming environment at WAMS & it creates a sense of
enthusiasm as soon as you walk in the door. I love to teach music
because music in general brings such joy to my life & has had a huge
influence on me as a person. I look forward to meeting new students
& admiring the progress they make, as they grow into aspiring young
musicians"
I graduated with a BA Hons Music degree in 2015, from
Waterford Institute of Technology & later that year was asked to
travel to Newfoundland, Canada as part of the Newfoundland Irish
Connections Festival. We travelled around various parts of Canada,
performing at several venues throughout, meeting new people &
learning about the culture. I returned again in 2017 as part of the same
group. I found the experience very beneficial during both tours & I
have gained great knowledge from the musicians I have had the
pleasure of meeting along the way.
Jamie van den Oosten
Guitar / Bass
"Hi, I'm Jamie! I've been playing guitar since I was 8 and now I have my own band. I especially love playing indie and alternative rock but we write a lot of our own music too. I've been teaching here at WAMS for two years now. I love helping others achieve their goal, whether is on acoustic or electric guitar, ukulele or even bass.. seeing a student grow to become a great player is something special."
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".