Our department is built on a strong and rich music pedigree of professional performers, composers and educators. We are incredibly proud of our past and our alumni but never rest on our laurels, providing innovative and modern facilities and practices to provide our students with the best education today for the musicians of tomorrow.
To find out more about our music teachers and what they have achieved throughout their careers, read their ‘Bios’ below:
Polly has recently joined us as Director of Music following 11 years at her previous school in West London, 5 of which were also as head of department. She jumped right in to working in secondary education following the completion of her degree in music at City University where she studied a broad range of areas in music including performance and composition. Coming from a family of musicians and educators, she always knew she wanted to become a music teacher so did all she could to gain the breadth of experience she would need to do this.
Polly is primarily a flute player but has also played the steel pans for many years and enjoys experimenting on the piano, drums, guitar, and bass. Although she loves performing, her main passion lies in the classroom and seeing the development and passion of students as they continue their musical journeys, and she is very excited to continue this at Enfield Grammar.
Malcolm is a guitarist, composer and arranger with a degree in Performing Arts from Middlesex University.
He is also our Music Technology Teacher, Guitar teacher and Music Administrator as well as overseeing some of the bands.
Malcolm has over thirty years of diverse performing and composition experience having been classically trained from a young age at Newcastle Cathedral before moving to London for university.
He has been a member of a range of bands (soul, swing, rock) and had tracks commercially published. In his career, Malcolm has won Guinness Battle of the Bands, recorded in New York, made several TV appearances and toured extensively through the U.K. and Europe.
Throughout this time, Malcolm has also taught and mentored hundreds of young people at Enfield Grammar School and also at the North London Performing Arts Centre.
He is currently guitarist with London-based band Bazooka Joe, is routinely publishing new arrangements and compositions, is the main writer and performer with electric outfit Tartouf and is composing the soundtrack to a video game.
Simon Tate-Lovery teaches all brass instruments at Enfield Grammar School.
Following the award of BBC Big Band Trombone Player of the Year, Simon chose to pursue a career in music. He has worked and toured with many jazz, big band, soul and ska ensembles over the years both in Britain and throughout Europe.
His compositions and arrangements range from a comprehensive guide to trombone sight reading to over a hundred dedicated “brass heavy” originals and re-workings of rock and jazz classics.
Simon is both a freelance player, teacher and rehearsal specialist with a penchant for finding the fun in music.
See Simon leading our Tour Band at the Christmas Concert in 2019
Paula Thompson is a session singer, vocal arranger and choral director and has been working in the music industry for over 23yrs.
As a session musician, Paula has sung with various artists and bands including Bastille, Dodge, Beverly Knight and Mica Paris. She plays the piano and percussion as well as singing in a variety of genres.
Paula enjoys working with the local community and runs choirs for both children and adults, as well as singing workshops and corporate team building events in and around London. Her musical influences include jazz, soul and contemporary Gospel music. Paula is passionate about music education and an advocate of the benefits singing has on a person’s life.
Dave Storey is a graduate of Middlesex University and of the Royal Academy of Music where he completed his masters degree in Jazz Drum-kit. He has been teaching at Enfield Grammar since 2016.
Since completing his masters degree, Mr Storey has established himself on the London jazz scene playing regularly at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, Kansas Smitty’s & The Vortex Jazz Club.
Some of the bands and ensembles that Dave plays for include the Tom Barford Group, Tom Smith Septet, Tom Millar Quartet, Moostak Trio, Olli Martin Quintet & Alistair Martin Quintet.
Dave is also a composer and band leader for his own trio featuring award-winning saxophonist James Allsopp and bass player Conor Chaplin.
The trio have released two very successful albums ; Bosco in 2019 and Jouska in 2020 and hope to tour again very soon.
Joel Waters is a drummer, guitarist and educator originally from Bedfordshire, now living in South East London.
Joel moved from Bedfordshire to London in 2016 to study Jazz at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, studying under the likes of Dave Wickens, James Maddren and Gene Calderazzo – graduating with a first class degree.
Now a full-time musician, Joel is currently touring and recording with Olivia Dean and Mathilda Homer. Joel has been teaching drums and guitar at Enfield Grammar since 2017.
Michelle Taylor-Cohen is a violinist, arranger and composer with 20 years’ experience of instrumental teaching. She teaches violin and viola to a diverse range of age groups and abilities and is a passionate advocate for youth music. In addition to individual teaching, she has coached many chamber groups and youth orchestras, including South London Youth Orchestra and Enfield Young Symphony Orchestra.
As an arranger, she is best known for working with Estilo String Quartet, who have released two CDs of her work, Marriage in an Orange Grove and Alternative Tracks. Several of her arrangements have reached the Top 10 in the iTunes classical chart, most memorably Fairytale of New York, which was number 1 in December 2016.
As a freelance musician, in addition to working as an orchestral and session musician, she has developed music education projects in order to enable young musicians to play along with professional players. Her specially-adapted arrangements of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition have been used by BBC Concert Orchestra, Telemark Orchestra and the Cohen Ensemble. Michelle has recently been commissioned to arrange viola duets for the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Ed Sheldrake graduated from Middlesex University with a 1st class degree in jazz in 2002. He has been teaching piano since 2003 and teaching at EGS for the past 4 years as well as at Highams Park School.
As well as his teaching work following university, Ed formed his own quartet (The Ed Sheldrake Quartet) which recorded an album and performed at gigs around London. From 2005-2010 Ed played with the Will Collier Septet recording two albums and going on UK tours.
Since 2010, Ed has been playing keyboards with the comedy/music ensemble The Horne Section run by comedian Alex Horne. With The Horne Section, Ed has recorded two albums and has toured extensively in both UK and Europe including a number of performances at the Edinburgh Festival. He has appeared with the band in numerous TV shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats does Countdown, The Last Leg and Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer as well as a two-hour TV special recorded at the London Palladium in 2018. Ed will be performing with The Horne Section at various live gigs during 2021 in addition to further TV appearances – and teaching at Enfield Grammar of course!
Ben graduated with an MA in Jazz Piano at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2015. Whilst at the RWCMD Ben studied under respected jazz artists such as Huw Warren, Paula Gardiner, Iain Ballamy, Dave Cliff and Steve Waterman. He also attended masterclasses under such Jazz luminaries as Gilad Hekselman, Jacqui Dankworth, Empirical, Tim Garland, Stan Sulzmann, Polar Bear, Kit Downes and John Turville.
Ben’s musicianship was developed and nurtured at a young age whilst a chorister at Exeter Cathedral (2001-2005). Ben played in the Devon Youth Jazz Orchestra (2005-2010). During his time with DYJO Ben was able to attend workshops with artists such as Mark Lockheart, Mark Nightingale, Dave O’Higgins, Bruce Adams, Clark Tracey, John Etheridge and Greg Abate. Ben was also invited to attend regional masterclasses with the National Youth Jazz Collective (NYJC), whose Piano tutors included Mark Donlon and Liam Noble.
Ben was awarded bursaries to attend the Jazz course with Keith Tippett at Dartington International Summer School from 2005 – 2008. In 2010 Ben attended the Tim Richards Jazz Piano summer school in London, and studied with Nikki Yeoh and Terry Seabrook.
Bio coming soon…..
Previous performance highlights have included multiple performances at Ronnie Scott’s, The Royal Albert Hall, (BBC Proms, Guy Barker Big Band, Ronnie Scott’s 60th Anniversary concert), and multiple international tours.
He is currently teaching; Saxophone, Clarinet and Flute.
Find out more about Tom: www.tombarford.com