About
Welcome to Meyta Music Classes [MMC]!
We are proud to introduce our team.
"Meyta Music Classes" opened its door in June, 2020. That was an exiting moment!
Since then our students have performed for many music events.
During these years our students successfully completed
their ABRSM & Trinity exams (Practical Grades & Performance Grades).
Quite often our students' parents join the classes and start
to study playing music instruments & singing themselves as well!
We hold a big range of inspirational annual events:
recitals, thematic concerts, masterclasses & music productions.
Our Team
Natalia graduated from the Far East State Academy of Arts (Masters) in Russia in 2000. After graduation she has been teaching at her Alma Mater & performed in her hometown (Vladivostok) till she left to Seoul (South Korea) for work in 2002.
The next 16 years in South Korea brought new experiences in her professional life & gave her the opportunity to work with amazing musicians from around the world & improved her career.
The next chapter in her life was exiting! She moved to Auckland with her family & started a new life in this beautiful country!
Being so dedicated to teaching music & performing, Natalia began the music school "Meyta Music Classes" in 2020 & founded the Tango Quartet "Milonga De Cuatro" in 2019.
Currently Natalia is doing the Postgraduate course at the University of Auckland (Piano Performing) under professor Sarah Watkins.
After graduating from Taipei National University of the Arts (Master of Music) Yun-Hsuan taught at several schools (piano & flute) including Kuala Lumpur Specialised Music School, Kaohsiung Fong Xi Junior High School, Meiho University and many more. She held a position as an adjudicator for Taiwan National Music Competition in Ping Tung District (2011), Taiwan South Region specialised Music class audition (2011), Taiwan Cultural Cup Music Competition (2009).
Yun-Hsuan has great experience as a competition winner herself: Taiwan National Flute competition (1995 & 1998), Xing Tien Gong National Music Competition (2000 & 2005), M3A National Music Championship in Taipei District (2004 & 2005), Taipei Orchestra and Symphonic Band concerto competition (2006).
Svetlana began her music career in Russia where she started her Music education at Kiryukov Music College (Saransk, Russia).
After a long break in music education & activities, Svetlana made a solid decision to continue her education on piano and harpsichord. She graduated with Bachelor of Piano Performance in 2023 at Auckland University School of Music under Stephen De Pledge, a New Zealand pianist & Senior Lecturer SoM. This year Svetlana continues her education journey further with Bachelor of Music (Hons) course at Auckland University.
Gulnara is a dedicated & accomplished piano teacher with over two decades of experience in music education. Gulnara taught piano at the International School Suva (Fiji) for over 16 years and participated in charity performances. Since 2022 she taught at Lewis Eady Music School (Auckland) & live in New Zealand.
Gulnara began her music education journey at the Kazakhstan National Music Academy, earning a Master Degree in Piano Performing. Recognised for excellence, she received 6 awards such as Best Accompanist at competitions like the Kazakhstan International "Tatimbet" & National "Kurmangazi” during 1999-2005. After the graduation Gulnara taught piano at Almaty National Conservatory.
In 2021, Gulnara furthered her academic pursuits with a Graduate Diploma in Music from the University of Auckland, demonstrating her commitment to continuous learning.
With a holistic approach to music education, she is committed to inspiring and guiding pianists to reach their highest potential.
Ting is an energetic and enthusiastic teacher who started his music journey at the age of six at the first formal music school in Hong Kong (ICQM), where he majored in piano. Since then, music has become the most important part of his life. During school, Ting mastered the knowledge of music theory and history and completed Grade 8 ABRSM right after graduating from primary school. After that, Ting decided to come to New Zealand for further studies. To continue working on his piano skills, he started his Piano Performing course at Waikato University. He recently transferred to The University of Auckland's School of Music and is on his way to completing his Bachelor's Degree in Piano Performing under Katherine Austin.
Ting enjoys teaching and has experience teaching students of different ages. He has successfully led his students through Grade 5 ABRSM piano exams.
Martin Driessen is a guitar teacher and performer with over 30 years experience teaching in schools and performing throughout New Zealand. As a teacher, he has taught at a number of secondary schools, and has been teaching at Kristin School for the last 14 years. Martin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and an L.T.C.L. diploma in guitar teaching, and specializes in teaching students of all abilities, from complete beginners to advanced players. Students can choose to play the guitar as an enjoyable hobby, or can study the guitar as part of the NCEA or IB syllabus. His main area of expertise is the acoustic guitar, and he teaches all the related styles: popular song accompaniment, strumming, picking, classical, blues, jazz and modern music.
He also teaches the electric guitar, with the related styles: chord shapes, using a pick, scales and rock solos. As a performer, Martin has many years of experience as a singer/guitarist, playing in many venues throughout Auckland and New Zealand. He has appeared a number of times on television and has recorded two albums of easy listening music.
Simon Driessen is a young and very enthusiastic first- time guitar teacher.
He studied music at Kristin School in Albany and has reached a high level of ability on both acoustic and electric guitar.
Simon currently plays both lead and rhythm guitar in one of Auckland’s newest and most popular covers’ bands, as well as pursuing his interest in original music.
Simon holds a Bachelor of Creative Technologies from Auckland University of Technology.
Steve Sherriff has been involved in the music industry as a woodwind teacher and professional musician for over 30 years. He began his career in the Royal NZ navy band in Auckland signing on as a 16 year old clarinetist. He quickly gravitated to the saxophone and was soon leading the saxophone section of the Jazz big band. The navy band was a fantastic training ground for a young musician, learning and playing varied repertoire on a daily basis. After 10 years in the navy band, Steve left to become a freelance musician and teacher. As a respected teacher, Steve tutors privately and teaches at various schools around Auckland . Steve works as a freelance musician and has amassed a varied and compelling resume over the years which includes theatre work on shows such as Wizard of Oz, Rocky Horror Show, Singin' in the rain to name a few. Steve fronts his own collaborative band SS5tet, focusing on writing quality original creative material. He became interested in composing after joining Kiwi jazz/funk band Bluetrain in the mid 1990's and contributed tunes to award winning album "No free lunch".
Tatiana Zolina chose her career after graduating from Rudny State Music College (Kazakhstan) and earning BMus degree at Kostanay State University (Kazakhstan) as a professional pianist in 2000.
Since then, she has been teaching piano through individual lessons and organizing music events for preschoolers and young music performers in Chelyabinsk, Russia. With over 20 years of experience in music education, Tatiana is enthusiastic about sharing her passion for piano playing with her students.
Darija, a pianist since the age of nine, has actively participated in various competitions and performances. After studying music in Europe for two years, she returned to New Zealand for high school. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Law at the University of Auckland, Darija specializes in Classical Piano Performance under the guidance of Stephen De Pledge. Notably, she completed Trinity College London Grade 8 at the age of 12, won the 'Polyhymnia' competition in 2021, and was a semi - finalist in the 2023 Lewis Eady National Junior Piano Competition. Her achievements include prestigious awards such as the Mary Fitzwilliam Cup and Harbourne and Arthur Instrumental Cup, alongside multiple excellence awards in various subjects, highlighting her well-rounded skills and dedication to excellence. Professionally, Darija has experience in piano tutoring and serving as an accompanist for several choirs and school orchestras. Her enthusiasm and openness make her eager to share her passion with students.
Miles Timmis holds an Honours degree in Music from the University of Auckland (with First Class Honours in Classical Voice Performance)
under Dr. Te Oti Rakena
and achieved NCEA Level 3 with an Excellence Endorsement.
His musical journey began with the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir, leading to participation in the New Zealand Youth Choir.
Alongside his academic pursuits, Miles has gained extensive work experience in the field of music education and conducting.
Currently he is serving as the Choir Director and Singing Teacher
at several high schools on the North Shore.
He has achieved notable milestones, including being an Emerging Conductor with Auckland Youth Choir and a contracted soloist for Fauré Requiem with NZ Choral Federation, and selected for Voices NZ Chamber Choir’s premier ensemble V24. Miles has also been recognised as a Margot Lloyd Scholar for Harbour Voices, both as a singer and conductor, and has performed in various prestigious events, including NZ Opera Chorus performances and winning multiple classes in the Senior Vocal Section of North Shore Performing Arts Competitions.
Our Students
