Our Teachers

Cameron Macdonnell.

Cameron is a long term guitar teacher and musician who through years of dedication, study and experience has learnt many secrets to successful teaching.

His friendly and encouraging nature along with his large guitar and music knowledge make him a unique teaching package.

He has written a series of fourteen books that are the cornerstone of the Bandwagon Music Studios guitar method. Each book covers an area of guitar playing and its associated techniques.

The books are full of easy to follow information, specific exercises designed to enhance the skill you are working on, as well as several songs to use with your new found skills.

They are cleverly graded from most used techniques to least used techniques on the guitar. This is opposed to the normal teaching routines of easiest to hardest. Some of the easiest things on guitar are seldom used, so why waste time learning them in the beginning if you are rarely going to use them? Also why wait to learn difficult things if you need them now.

Brian Bedford.

Brian has played guitar, bass guitar and drums for many, many years. He has played in several local bands over the years mixing the styles of rock, rock n roll, blues, jazz and country - VERY versatile!!

All of this playing and performing experience makes him a very resourceful teacher.

Brian is a very patient and caring man who really brings these skills to his teaching. Nice to know that the teacher will be on your side through your musical journey.

He is well versed in the Bandwagon teaching method.

Ruth Christie.

Ruth is teaching three days a week and has a mixture of roles.

One is focusing on students who need extra support or who have learning difficulties. This includes private and group sessions. For some groups it's a music immersion session with Ruth playing and singing with the group playing percussion instruments and singing along.

Her other role is teaching guitar and ukulele for other students.

She is a current paramedic but also has experience in nursing, special needs care and aged care. So Ruth brings a diverse range of skills that equip her to do this job to a very high level.

Ruth is a long term guitarist and singer with experience playing gigs as a soloist or in a band, so she knows the guitar and ukulele very well.

Paul Arnicar.

Paul specializes in teaching guitar for beginners to inter-mediate students.

He has been a long term guitarist who now loves the chance to share his love of guitar with other people. A very kind and caring person which he brings to his teaching.

He currently performs in a duo playing rock classics.

Josh Beentjes.

Josh specializes in hard rock, metal, prog rock, etc.

Included in these styles is modes, Satriani / Segovia / octave scales, sweep picking, tremolo picking, tapping, legato, arpeggio substitution, advanced pentatonic soloing and more.

Josh can also teach the basics of guitar when needed.

Josh is a long-term student of Cameron's and has progressed through every level of the Bandwagon guitar system (4 levels of chords, 5 levels of lead, 2 levels of technique and 2 levels of note reading). He joins a very, very small group of students to have ever done that.

Some may know him from the 2024 eisteddfod where he played in several solo and band sections. He won overall musician for this year’s eisteddfod which is a great recognition of his abilities. Josh also completed year 12 music extension and a cert 3 in music with TAFE. So even though he is young he has a lot of experience on guitar and music.

He has done and is still doing teaching mentor sessions with Cameron and the other teachers to help with his teaching skills. As well he has studied the Bandwagon teaching books this time from a teacher’s viewpoint, the Bandwagon teacher handbook and the goals, key points, examples and songs booklet that follows the Bandwagon book system. He is very well prepared!!

Some songs Josh loves to teach are Always With Me With You - Joe Satriani, Arpeggios from Hell - Yngwie Malmsteen, Cemetery Gates – Pantera, Duality – Slipknot, Eruption – Van Halen, Enter Sandman – Metallica, Floods – Pantera, Holy Diver – Killswitch Engage, Hot for Teacher – Van Halen, Killing in the Name – Rage Against the Machine, Master of Puppets – Metallica, My Own Summer Shove It – Deftones, One – Metallica, Rock You Like a Hurricane – Scorpions, Seek and Destroy – Metallica, Sonne – Rammstein, Soothsayer – Buckethead, Surfing with the Alien - Joe Satriani, Sweet Child o Mine – Guns n Roses, Thunderstruck – AC/DC, Tornado of Souls – Megadeth.

Past Teachers

Vanessa Holloway.

Our latest addition to the team Vanessa is also a long term musician and teacher. Her qualifications are B Arts, B Ed, Grad Cert Music (Instrumental Pedagogy).

Vanessa’s main instrument is the violin but is also very good on guitar. She has many years of experience as a string teacher teaching violin, viola and cello lessons in western Queensland schools both face to face and through the School of Distance Education. She has been a member of several orchestras and ensemble groups as well playing in a covers band where she played violin and did backing vocals.

Guitar lessons with Vanessa will be conducted using the Bandwagon teaching method. Violin lessons will follow a student determined path based on student needs and preferences.

Vanessa aims for her lessons to inspire her students with a lifelong love of music.

Have fun. Be better!