Our Staff

Owner

Steve Flaherty

M2K Music School is owned and run by Mr Steve Flaherty ACAM(TD) who has been involved within the music industry for most of his life and has been teaching since 1st August 1994. He opened M2K teaching studios way back in 1998 and then in June 2003 MUSIC 2OOO launched giving him a retail outlet. One of the reasons for the success of M2K is our professional and friendly approach to teaching, which in turn achieves our school and its pupils excellent examination results.

Manager, Keyboard & Piano Teacher

Sophie Nicholls

Sophie is an award-winning musician, performer, music educator and Co-Director of M2K Music School. With over 15 years of teaching experience, she has helped hundreds of students of all ages and abilities discover a lifelong love of music. Whether teaching complete beginners or advanced musicians, Sophie is passionate about building confidence, nurturing creativity and helping every student achieve their full potential.

A naturally gifted and versatile musician, Sophie has the ability to both play by ear and read music fluently. This enables her to tailor every lesson to suit each student’s individual learning style, musical interests and aspirations. Lessons are engaging, enjoyable and personalised, covering classical and contemporary music, keyboard skills, improvisation, music theory, accompaniment, songwriting, exam preparation and learning favourite songs.

Alongside teaching, Sophie enjoys a successful performing career throughout the UK. She performs as a professional wedding and special events pianist under the name Little Miss Keys, creating elegant live piano music for ceremonies, wedding breakfasts and private events. She is also the keyboard player and lead vocalist in the husband-and-wife duo Ivory & Steel, performing at weddings, corporate events, festivals and private functions.

In recognition of her dedication to music and performance, Sophie was proudly awarded Musician of the Year in the Prestige Awards 2024/2025.

Sophie has extensive experience working with local schools as an accompanist for concerts, productions and music examinations, while also supporting students studying GCSE Music with performance, improvisation and composition. Throughout her career she has collaborated with artists from The Voice, as well as a variety of producers, professional musicians and live bands.

As Rockschool Exam Coordinator at M2K Music School, Sophie oversees the school’s examination programme and has successfully guided hundreds of students through nationally recognised music qualifications, with many achieving Merit and Distinction grades.

Known for her friendly, patient and encouraging teaching style, Sophie creates a welcoming and supportive learning environment where students can develop confidence, musicality and a genuine enjoyment of making music. Her aim is not only to teach students how to play, but to inspire a lifelong passion for music.

Highlights

🏆 Prestige Awards Musician of the Year 2024/2025

🎹 Over 15 Years’ Teaching Experience

🎼 Rockschool Exam Coordinator

💍 Professional Wedding & Events Pianist – Little Miss Keys

🎤 Keyboard Player & Lead Vocalist – Ivory & Steel

🎵 Piano & Electronic Keyboard Specialist

📝 Exam Preparation Available

🎶 Beginners to Advanced

😊 Friendly, Patient & Supportive Teaching Style

⭐ Personalised One-to-One Lessons

Qualifications

🎓 LCM Piano Teaching Diploma – DipLCM(TD)

🎓 LCM Electronic Keyboard Performance Diploma – DipLCM

🎹 LCM Piano Grade 8

🎹 LCM Electronic Keyboard Grade 8

📖 ABRSM Music Theory Grade 5

🎼 GCSE Music

Keyboard, Piano & Singing Teacher

Ron Jones

Ron is a enthusiastic and skilled musician, tutor and lecturer, dedicated to the facilitation of personal development through training delivery within both education and the community. Possessing an extensive career history to evidencing outstanding people skills and a capacity to engage with children, youth and adult learners. Qualifications

Keyboard & Piano Teacher

Marcus Harper

With over 30 years experience as a tutor of Organ and keyboard. Marcus has helped students to achieve grades from 1-8. He has taught for Dudley performing arts, Yamaha music schools and Technics Music Academy. Also in local schools, helping students with GCSE performance, improvisation and composition. Marcus is experienced in piano and theory using the more modern Rockschool syllabus as well as the traditional classical He has played for amateur theatre groups, performed in shows and various bands.

Drum Teacher

Louis Williams

Louis teaches drums to children and adults of all ages, from beginners through to grade 7 Rockschool syllabus and the drumsense program for beginners. He has over 30 experience and still plays live with two Soul Bands and Gospel bands, he has toured across Europe and taught privately for 10 years and teaches in some local schools.

Piano & Violin Teacher

Karen Jewes

Karen obtained Distinctions in Grade 8 on both Violin and Piano by the age of 17. She was taught Violin by Lena Wood , former Professor of Violin at Birmingham School of Music and Principal Viola in the Aeolian Quartet and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Piano by Olwynne Hutt and Heather Slade-Lipkin, the latter being Professor of Piano at both the Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music in Glasgow. Karen graduated from the University of Lancaster in 1981 with a BA Hons in Music specialising in Performance in both Violin and Piano. In addition to her degree, she has a PGCE, also from Lancaster. Karen was appointed as an Upper Strings teacher for Dudley Music Services. Now Dudley Performing Arts ( DPA ) in September 1983 and worked there until April 2016. During her 33 years with Dudley, Karen taught Violin, Viola and Piano from beginner level to post grade 8 and many of her Violin and Piano students have continued their musical studies at Colleges of Music and Universities, a number of them gaining Music Scholarships. Karen is also an accomplished and experienced accompanist and was the official accompanist at DPA for the external examinations of both her own pupils and those of her colleagues. She also accompanied at Masterclasses and concerts. Whilst with DPA Karen conducted a number of ensembles , arranged and composed music for the DPA orchestras, and devised and wrote the aural tests for the DPA Internal examinations. She also coached , accompanied, and regularly performed with a large number of students for their GCSE and A level performances. Karen continues to teach the Violin, Viola and Piano and enters many students for both ABRSM and Trinity College External Exams each year. Her pupils achieve consistently high marks in their exams , the majority gaining merits or distinctions.

Saxophone, Clarinet & Piano Teacher

Robbie Tabrett

Robbie has over 25 years of teaching and preforming experience. He has taught a variety of music related subjects for secondary schools, music services and FE colleges. Robbie has performed at a professional level in many diverse musical settings including The National Saxophone Ensemble, the UK’s premier tribute to Roxy Music (Roxy Magic) and top UK Beach Boy’s tribute band ‘Surf’s Up’. Robbie’s approach to teaching is focused on the needs of the student. His many years of teaching experience have allowed him to develop methods that allow students to progress quickly towards their chosen goals. Without this kind of expert guidance bad habits can develop that are difficult to change and a lot of time and energy can be wasted, with little progress being achieved. Learning an instrument should be a fun and fulfilling experience where you can develop at your own pace, whatever your age. Qualifications

• Graduate Diploma in Jazz, Contemporary and Popular Music from Leeds College of Music (GCLCM)
• BA Hons (Jazz) from Middlesex University
• PGCE in Secondary Music from Bath Spa University

Keyboard, Piano & Guitar Teacher

John Sewell

John Sewell is a young and inspiring music teacher covering piano, keyboard, electric guitar, acoustic guitar and bass guitar, having the ability to play by reading music and by ear through his gift of perfect pitch. With training from Yamaha and experience teaching in Yamaha Music Schools, he has experience teaching all ages and abilities, from beginners to advanced players with both Rockschool and Trinity syllabuses, as well as supporting GCSE and A level students with listening, composition and performance. John also performs as a solo guitarist/singer, as well as part of a 2 Man Band called JMAC, in which he is often seen playing bass guitar, keyboard and singing all at the same time!

Ukulele, Guitar & Bass Teacher

Ricky Evans

Ricky is a seasoned professional musician with over 25 years of experience. Throughout his career, he has taught students of all skill levels—privately, for Yamaha, and at various music schools. As a versatile performer, he has played across the country and internationally in corporate events, tribute acts, and original bands, spanning a wide range of musical styles. In addition to his live performances, Ricky has contributed to numerous recordings as a session musician and has appeared in multiple theatre productions.

Keyboard, Piano & Guitar Teacher

Richard Harvey

Richard began teaching music at M2K way back in 2007, after eighteen months private tuition with local classical composer Geoffrey Binns, earning Richard his first music qualification, (a Grade 5 Theory Distinction with the ABRSM). Since then, Richard has taught music professionally across the region, using all major exam boards, including Trinity, Rockschool, ABRSM and London College of Music. He is currently employed by South Staffs Council, providing music education in schools, including piano, keyboard, organ, guitar, accordion, ukulele and music theory. While many students like to work through academic graded exams, Richard is equally comfortable with none-academic, ‘play for fun’ lessons, encompassing all styles of blues, jazz, folk and pop. He is happy to tailor each lesson to the individual requirements of the students. As well as teaching, Richard plays professionally and is currently employed as Event Pianist at the Black Country Living Museum. For almost twenty years, Richard was resident pianist at Patshull Park Country Club in Shropshire, notching up over 2,000 hours playing time behind the hotel’s vintage Steinway Grand piano. Other clients have included the Grand Theatre Wolverhampton, the BBC, and many hotels across the Midlands, where Richard has performed for special events since 2002. In October 2007, Richard was asked to become resident pianist at the new £21 million residential home Sunrise (now Foxlands Grange) in Tettenhall, where he still performs weekly, and arranges regular recitals where his piano students play for their family and residents on the baby grand piano. Richard says “I’m thrilled to be back teaching at M2K, it’s a wonderful community-based music school with a fabulous reputation, and it’s a privilege to be part of a team of such talented, enthusiastic teachers. I’m very much looking forward to helping my students learn, have fun and achieve great things in the wonderful world of music”.

Multi-Instrumentalist Teacher

Kris Davies-Kohler

Kris Davies-Kohler is a highly experienced multi-instrumentalist and music educator, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Huddersfield and a Master’s degree in Music from the University of Wolverhampton (2019). His specialist training focused on single-reed and multi-woodwind performance, jazz improvisation, ensemble direction, conducting, and composition. Kris teaches clarinet, saxophone, piano, keyboard, drums, guitar, ukulele, and music theory up to Grade 8 and beyond, as well as songwriting and GCSE/A-Level composition. He has extensive experience preparing students for ABRSM, Trinity, and Rockschool examinations and adapts his teaching approach to suit each individual learner. As a demonstration-based teacher, he owns all the instruments he teaches, ensuring practical and engaging lessons. Alongside teaching, Kris performs regularly as a pit-band and concert-band musician, specialising in woodwind performance from piccolo to baritone saxophone, and works as an orchestrator and arranger for the Royal Sutton Coldfield Birmingham Scout Gang Show. With over seven years of full-time teaching experience, Kris is passionate about helping students of all ages discover the life-changing benefits of music.

Guitar Teacher

Chris Nicholls

Chris is an experienced guitarist, performer and music tutor with a passion for helping students of all ages build confidence, develop their musical skills and enjoy making music. Whether you’re picking up a guitar for the very first time or looking to refine your technique, Chris provides relaxed, engaging and personalised lessons tailored to your individual goals.

Holding Rockschool Grade 8 qualifications in both Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar, Chris has many years of playing and performing experience. He teaches acoustic, electric and classical guitar, covering a wide range of styles including pop, rock, indie, blues, contemporary and classical music.

As an active professional performer with Ivory & Steel, Chris brings real-world musical experience into every lesson, helping students develop practical playing skills, musicality and confidence. Lessons can be tailored towards learning favourite songs, improving technique, understanding music theory, developing improvisation, preparing for live performances or working towards recognised music examinations.

Chris believes every student learns differently and adapts each lesson to suit their age, ability and musical interests. His friendly, patient and encouraging teaching style creates a relaxed and supportive environment where students can progress at their own pace while enjoying every step of their musical journey.