Our teachers

Hulda founded Perth Music Academy. She holds a Bachelor of Music from Singapore Bible College and a Master's in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. At SMU she studied piano with Alfred Mouledous and trained in pedagogy under Dr. Samuel Holland and Dr. David Karp, and was awarded both the Meadows Graduate Assistantship and the Meadows Artistic Scholarship.

She taught at SMU and Gray Music School in Dallas, and was active in the Junior Pianist Guild and the Texas and Dallas music teacher associations. Since moving to Australia she has been a member of the West Australian Music Teachers Association, and keeps her teaching current through pedagogy conferences including the National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy and the Australasia Piano Pedagogy Conference.

Many of Hulda's students have gone on to receive the AMEB Award for Excellence, first place in Eisteddfods, and high scores in WACE music examinations, from beginner right through to diploma level. She believes children need to enjoy the journey while they excel at it, so her lessons are full of games and teaching aids. She is wife to Daniel and mum to a young pianist of her own.

Winnie holds a Bachelor of Music majoring in Piano, with honours, from the University of Malaysia Sabah, where cello was her second instrument and she performed with the university orchestra. She also earned the Certificate in Music Performance with Honours in solo piano from Trinity Guildhall, UK, and a Diploma in Children's Art Education from South Essex College, UK.

She has taught piano to beginners and advanced students of all ages, for leisure and for exams, adapting each lesson with technique, aural work, sight-reading and creative activities. Before Perth she directed an art studio in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Winnie also volunteers with children's art sessions and has worked as an early-childhood educator, which makes her a natural fit for our youngest students and for KiddyKeys.

Gwen's love of classical piano started young; as a teenager she completed Grade 8 with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in both practical piano and theory, and joined a European music tour during high school. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), majoring in Classical Performance under Australian concert pianist Anna Sleptsova.

Gwen believes a teacher should keep learning, and she regularly takes part in pedagogy workshops and conferences. She shapes each lesson around the individual student and teaches beginners through to advanced players of all ages.

Kateryna has played violin her whole life, starting in a children's art school in Ukraine and going on to a Bachelor and then a Master of Music in violin performance and pedagogy at Donetsk State Music Academy. She is both an experienced teacher and a performer who has played across Europe, in repertoire from classical to contemporary, pop and jazz, before settling in Perth with her husband. That range feeds straight into her teaching, where she pays close attention to detail and finds creative ways to help each student thrive.

Natasha holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Western Australia, double-majoring in Music Studies and Music Specialist Studies, where she was mentored by Graeme Gilling, Chair of Keyboard Studies, and Dr. Adam Pinto. She began piano at six, later adding guitar and voice, and earned her AMEB Grade 8 piano certification studying under Hulda Budilestari.

She is dedicated to teaching and to making the learning environment enjoyable, which she sees as the key to keeping students engaged. A keen performer herself, she has played often at UWA and especially enjoyed performing at aged-care homes, brightening residents' days.

Sarah is a music major at the University of Western Australia's Conservatorium of Music, working towards a Bachelor of Music specialising in Piano Performance under Gaby Gunders, a well-known WA piano pedagogue and AMEB examiner. She has performed in many concerts and collaborative projects at UWA, and has solid experience with AMEB exams, Eisteddfods, auditions and competitions. Sarah builds a fun, inclusive lesson and is especially good with students in the early stages of their musical development.

Aura completed Grade 8 piano and the ARSM diploma with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in England. She paired her music training with a Diploma in Early Childhood Education from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore, and has run group music workshops for children as young as 2 to 4 as well as one-to-one piano. She now works in speech pathology at Curtin University and is interested in music as a therapeutic tool, which brings a thoughtful, caring approach to her teaching.

Note for production: the live site labels this teacher "Aura" in the heading and "Audra" in the bio. The correct spelling will be confirmed with the client before publishing.

Jupiter is a classically trained pianist who began young in Hong Kong, completing the full ABRSM grading system to Grade 8 with high marks and then earning the ATCL Piano Performance diploma from Trinity College London. She has taught for several years, and her students have gone on to complete AMEB exams with strong results. She is always looking for engaging ways to explain musical ideas so lessons stay memorable as well as systematic.