BA (Hons) First Class
Sam Goffen
Guitar and Drums
Professional Musician, Educator and General Gear Head...
About...
Background and Musical Experience
Sam Goffen is musician who revels in variety and can be found playing his guitar in multiple genres or laying down beats using modern computer based instruments like Native Instruments’ Maschine.
He has a first-class honours degree in Creative Music Performance specialising in the guitar from the esteemed Falmouth University, learning from some of the best guitarists out there including Martin Goulding.
As well as guitar, Sam also teaches the drums and loves to share in the success of his numerous students as they progress through their Trinity Rock and Pop Drum grades.
He has spent time in lots of different bands honing his skills, from funk to blues to ska to rock to acoustic Americana and even playing with DJs. Combining these influences with the experience of time spent in various studios in London, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, Sam also produces his own work, writing all the music and lyrics as well as recording and mixing all parts.
Current projects include an acoustic duo called 'Dragged South', which delves into the darker side of life within the atmospheric and broad genre of Americana, and another which is an experimental blend of modern hip-hop style beats with more traditional guitar driven funk and blues elements. His lyrics often deal with the immutables of life, such as love, loss and disillusionment and are driven by imagery and emotion.
His earliest musical memories were bands from the 60’s and 70’s such as Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, The Sex Pistols, Meatloaf, The Beatles, and Jimmy Hendrix, and walking around Glastonbury with mud up to his knees at around the age of 6 following his dad to different stages.
The first bands Sam played in were typical 'garage bands’ playing songs from Guns ‘n’ Roses, Metallica and so on. He then went on to play in ska, funk and blues bands whilst at the same time cultivating an interest in EDM. The progeny of these combinations can be heard in some of Sam’s recent work.
However, the love of just playing an acoustic guitar by itself remains as he always enjoys its tactile simplicity. This led to joining forces with a great local female singer who’d sung for many bands in the area, and performed at festivals such as Glastonbury, and 'Dragged South' was born.
He is currently working on both of these projects with the aim of releasing Eps soon on platforms such as iTunes and Spotify.
Educator
He is also an educator and has spent over 15 years working in different schools in various roles, and was a senior teacher in a school in Oxford before his children were born. At this point, Sam reassessed his priorities and decided that he should combine his love of music and education and Goffen Guitar Schools was born. After great success, this evolved and more instruments and opportunities were made available, so the name changed to Goffen Music Schools.
So, alongside his music projects, Sam also works in many schools in his local area teaching children the guitar and drums. He is also a strong advocate of providing opportunities for those children who may not often get the chance to learn an instrument and actively encourages and helps schools access funding. He aims to also engage schools with current computer based technologies for music production and performance.
General Gear Head
Sam loves new ideas and technologies and you’ll find the modern alongside the traditional in his gear catalogue. He uses digital devices such as the Kemper Amplifier and Line 6 Helix alongside his tube amplifiers, realising that different situations often call for different solutions.
And he loves, loves different pedals and what they can do for one’s sound. This means he is always looking at the next new thing, but still loves the classics and this obsession is our advantage as Sam writes and films gear reviews and demos regularly.
These can be found at http://www.samgoffenguitar.com/gear-reviews
Adriana Saliu
Piano and Keyboards
Adriana Saliu aka Adriana’s Keys is a Swindon based pianist, performer, composer, piano teacher and a mum of two. Adriana has lived in Wiltshire for the past 15 years.
Born in Macedonia, to Polish-Albanian parents, she grew up on the move, exposed to a diversity of cultural and musical influences - from Poland, all the way to the Balkans.
Adriana plays her original piano compositions as well as piano covers, one of which was reposted by the rock legends themselves: both The Doors and John Densmore. And this is what they wrote on their official facebook page while reposting her cover of their classic hit Riders on the Storm: “Adriana really takes the tune and makes it her own - thank you for sharing your talent with us”.
Adriana has been working on various projects with her partner Lee Knott, aka Ladge_it_Lee, of Here Come the Crows, most notably: the experimental musical The Mystery of Madame Diabolique and Monsieur Magnifique., which they are co-producing with Mat Green of MGH Music Videos, as the creative musical song writing duo: Adriana’s Keys and Lee. She has also recently joined Here Come the Crows, adding her keys to the flavour of the band. And all this on top of this year’s Glastonbury experience, where Adriana’s Keys and Lee debuted at the Mandala Stage with their piano vocal original songs.
Being classically trained, Adriana’s influences came from the classical world of Chopin, Bach and Rachmaninoff, but all the while playing Mozart, she also had passion for rock music, here most notably: The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Muse. Later on, Jazz, World and cinematic music have also become a great sources of inspiration and with the latter most notably: Angelo Badalamenti, John Williams and Hans Zimmer.
Julie Argent
LWCMD LCTL
Piano, Keyboard, Woodwind
Julie Argent : LWCMD, LCTL.
I have been teaching for just over 25 years and am just as happy teaching pupils to play a fun, simple song as I am preparing them for their Grade 8 exam.
I also enjoy teaching pupils to play lots of new tunes and styles of music that pupils recommend.
I try to create a calm environment in which each pupil feels confident enough to reach their full potential whatever that may be,
I have entered lots of pupils for ABRSM exams and have provided piano accompaniments for lots of woodwind pupils over the years from Grade 1 to Grade 8.
I offer Clarinet, Saxophone and Piano lessons and have passed the Grade 8 exam in all these instruments.
Luke Stroud
Swindon based, Luke is a passionate musician and teacher who's dedicated his time to perfecting his art.
He plays in a number of bands and deps for others in the local area. He is a skilled drummer who is great at communicating his knowledge.
Luke's favourite drummers are Steve Jordan, John Bonham and Chris Layton. He has a love of the blues and his first bands were blues based playing with his father.
When teaching, Luke focusses on real world applications, which is why he tends to use the Trinity syllabus as it provides real experience playing well-known music right away. He recognises the importance of technique and musicality in order to achieve goals, and teaches these alongside the Trinity books.
