ABOUT US

Encore! School of Music's Vision and Values

Encore!’s vision is to be a dynamic place where everyone can come to learn and enjoy music.   

We appreciate the beauty of music and the joy it brings.  We would like to see everyone in the community, regardless of their age, having access to quality music lessons.  We want to help our students improve their musical skills so that they can gain enjoyment out of music for themselves and use it to bring joy to others. 

The following are the values that Encore! will seek to uphold:

• We will uphold excellence, integrity and generosity in the way we serve our students, contribute to the community and partner with our team,
• We will continually seek fresh ways to improve our services,
• We will aim to help our students achieve their musical goals and have a great experience in the process.  We will do this by providing a programme that is achievable and yet challenging, enjoyable and varied,
• We are committed to helping our community grow and prosper, and 
• We will aim to provide our team with a positive job experience.

Encore! School of Music's Management

Encore! is founded in 2009 by Fern Phoon and Leah Fuimaono, two great friends who love working together.   Fern and Leah complement each other in the skills they bring to the organisation. Fern brings her business expertise, having honed her skills in organisations such as the Treasury and PricewaterhouseCoopers.  Leah is a talented musician with great teaching skills cultivated throughout years of primary school teaching.    

Leah Fuimaono - Co Founder and Director, Encore! School of Music

Leah was raised in a very musical family and music became a passion in her life from a very early age.  Leah began learning the piano at age four and went on to complete a number of classical music and music theory exams with success.
 
In 2000, Leah completed a Bachelor of Teaching and Learning at the Christchurch College of Education.  She then began working as a primary school teacher for around six years.  During this time, she had the privilege of planning music units for the syndicate and teaching these across five classes.  She was also responsible for organising the music and orchestras for school productions.
 
In 2007, Leah moved to Sydney to become a student of music again herself.  She completed a Diploma of Performance Music at the School of Creative Arts in Oxford Falls and broadened her knowledge and skills in a variety of musical genre.  She was also awarded the coveted 'Principal's Award' for her outstanding performance at the school.

Since the beginning of 2009, Leah has been teaching private music students from Churton Park and the surrounding suburbs.  Leah has been inundated with students and has a waiting list.  She has discovered there is currently a huge need in this community for quality music lessons on all instruments.  This gave her the idea for starting up Encore! School of Music to help fill that need.

Fern Phoon - Co Founder and Director, Encore! School of Music

Fern graduated from the University of Auckland in 2003 with a Master of Commerce and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours), majoring in finance and economics.

She has previously worked for the Treasury as an economist for around five years. She then became a consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers for a couple of years.  These roles gave Fern the opportunity to work with major organisations in Wellington and to contribute to a number of economic policies.  Fern has been involved in providing advisory services on corporate strategy, shared services, and economic analysis and modelling.  These experiences have given Fern a good understanding of how organisations work and the best practice for ensuring they succeed.

Fern loves connecting with people and has always had a passion for setting up businesses that would help make the community a better place.  She finally decided to take the plunge and pursue her dreams of setting something up.  She believes in the vision and values of Encore! and is committed to making it a success for the community.

Fern is also a budding pianist.  She has always loved the piano but has not had the opportunity to learn.  She decided to start taking music lessons in 2009 and found it difficult to find piano teachers who would be comfortable with adult students.  This made her determined to ensure Encore! would be a place where those who love music have access to a school that would help them learn and grow musically regardless of their age.
  
Fern is an active volunteer and has been involved in various activities around the community.  She regularly helps out in her local church and has previously organised events for organisations such as the IHC and Women's Refuge.  Fern has recently put her business knowledge to good use by helping to run a free business workshop in the Philippines to provide practical business training to those interested in setting up their own businesses. 

Felicity Baker - Operations Coordinator, Encore! School of Music

Felicity joined Encore! in the middle of 2011. She has been surrounded by music all her life, playing piano and flute before dedicating herself to the cello. She graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the New Zealand School of Music, Victoria University. She did music studies and performance, psychology, and religious studies. At university, Felicity enjoyed coordinating events with the Christian Union, and being a campus coach mentoring new students.

As a trained cellist, she enjoys playing in chamber groups and orchestras. Felicity and her siblings, who all play instruments, also perform at churches and special functions. The Baker Trio has won multiple awards at New Zealand and South Pacific A.C.E. Conventions. The Baker Trio was honoured to play to about 2,500 people at the 2009 International Student Convention in the U.S.A. More recently, Felicity has returned to help coordinate events and judge at these conventions.

Felicity is an experienced musician and teacher who loves to encourage musicianship and creative endeavours such as visual productions, digital design, photography, and vision mixing for live video. She is bright and bubbly, and renowned for bringing a smile and vitality wherever she goes.

How can we help you?

At Encore!, we are passionate about helping people learn and grow musically regardless of their age and musical background.  We want to see our students enjoy their music learning experience and have the satisfaction of achieving their musical dreams, whatever they may be.  Encore! teachers are carefully selected for their musical expertise, friendliness and high standards of professionalism.
 
Contact us to get any further information or enrol now.  We would love to hear from you.  If we do not currently offer the instruments you are interested in, please still get in touch as we may be able to help point you in the right direction.

Phone 0497 MUSIC (04 976 8742) today