After a few years with his tutor. Neil enrolled to study music at Liverpool Community College. The course introduced Neil to many different and new styles of music, one of which being jazz, which later went on to become a great influence.

“With many of the teachers being Jazzier's, it was hard not to get involved, but I’m so glad I did as it’s been a big part of my playing and teaching methods to date”.

Neil then went on to study a B.A. Honours in Music at the University of Salford, continuing his studies of both Classical and Jazz Harmony. It was around this time that he became intrigued by another form of music; the art of Songwriting. Listening to many styles, Neil describes the best songwriters to be those who can write catchy whilst also creating something different from the norm. These include artists such as Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Tim Minchin, Raghu Dixit, whom are also among his favourites. 

Neil’s decision to study at Salford is owed to the one-to-one tuition that was offered there. This pushed Neil's guitar playing, especially with help from a teacher from the modern world of Fusion Guitar. The teacher’s last name is unknown, but was fondly known as Paul. Paul stressed the foundation of ‘advanced CAGED system learning’ with extra emphasis on learning intervals above all. Neil says he knows it was advanced CAGED because it’s hard to find material in the way he was teaching it even today! You you have to know, to know.

Whilst at University, Neil played and wrote for a Progressive Rock band. The band was also in dire need of a vocalist to complete the line-up. So Neil reluctantly put his hand up even though he had never sang in public before. He had always strived to improve his singing having had various lessons here and there, but studied mostly from books and videos. The most notable resources he add’s were the ‘Raise Your Voice’ books by Jaime Vendera and online videos from Justin Stoney of New York Vocal Coaching, and then onto various books on vocal anatomy.

Neil still uses some of these resources to teach from today and states that knowing your anatomy is everything! With the aim of developing a better understanding of the anatomy of the voice, Neil has also attended many Voices Workshops and continues, with all that he does, to keep up with the literature.   

“I see it time and time again with students, if you know what’s going on inside, you can better bring the desired sound you are looking for out. This stuff really works! Everybody is born with their own unique voice and in teaching, it’s my job to bring it out”.

Neil's lecturer (Joe Thomas), was surprised to learn that Neil had decided to take to the mic, yet after hearing him sing expressed some kind and encouraging words that have always remained a poignant moment for him: “Where the hell did that voice come from?! I was worried about this band, and then you come out with that! I’ve never heard a more perfect voice for this style of music - what a belter!”.

Neil fondly remembers this as the moment that gave him the boost to pursue his singing. He believes that moments such as these can effect a person so strongly, even as far as altering their path and career. The interaction solely taught him a life lesson to always be kind, positive and encouraging wherever possible, a value which he expresses in day to day life as well as in his teaching.

For the duration of Neil’s time studying at College and University, he always taught music to friends and other fellow students. And after leaving University with hopes of becoming a musician, he thought teaching may be a more sensible option; a means to an end till something hopefully came up. He already knew he was good at teaching so it made sense. Undertaking all the necessary exam precautions in Guitar, Singing, Bass and Theory Neil also discovered methods that went onto to help his students become the musicians they wanted to be in a way that gained him a successful career as a teacher until this present day.

Starting from the very bottom with only one student, word soon got around about the quality of Neil’s teaching expertise. Subsequently his student list quickly grew all the way to forty students per week. He started his teaching business in the summer of 2013 and it continues to grow to this day and exceed all of his expectations. The astounding success led Neil to audition for the best Music School in the NorthWest. He impressed over all other candidates, and was offered the job. He also teachers as a peripatetic instrumental teacher going into Schools, and with note too internationally, as people seem to sort him out and for good reason from all his students testimonials.

He’s taught musicians that have gone onto play in big bands and artists of different collab’s overall. Got students through all different educational levels from secondary to PHD, grade 8 with all different instruments and exam broads, with some even earning the highest levels possible in these fields. Made other successful music teachers. And also helped write and produce some of his students music.

In 2015 Neil witnessed the birth of a new style of guitar playing known as Percussion Guitar. Players such as Mike Dawes, Andy Mckee and Jon Gomm are at the forefront, and after attending one of Jon’s Master Classes, this new style of playing had a profound effect on Neil again resulting in him learning a little and introducing it subtly into his own playing as well as teaching people about it.

Forever eager to learn new styles and continuously striving to improve his playing, Neil acquired a new love, this time for Flamenco Guitar. So much so, in 2018 he travelled to the home of this style of music, to Seville Spain and took an intense course with professional flamenco guitar player, Señor Michele Iaccarino.

“I do believe the best musicians/teachers are the ones still learning themselves. So I’m always looking to learn new things. My teacher in Spain was an absolute animal, and I could feel his passion for flamenco through his enthusiasm. I learnt so much in a short period of time, it gave my playing a new lease of life”.

Neil endeavours to travel as far as India over the next few years, with the next stop planned on being New York to study under Justin Stoney of New York Vocal Coaching, who he holds as one of the best Vocal Coaches in the world. He says you’ll never learn better then getting it form the horses mouth.

Early 2017 saw Neil hit the stage a lot more frequently earning a living not only from teaching, but also playing live covers. Later that year, Neil gained the backing of two separate agencies playing around the North, mostly. Then when COVID hit and the venues closed he went back to just teaching with the arrival of his first born son making the weekends and the late nights an impossibility, but say he doesn’t miss it as it’s all about original.

Over the years Neil has played in several bands. With various bands he has extensively toured the U.K. Neil has also done some session work, wrote music for advertisements, plays, and short films, which he’s done both instrumentally and orchestrally.

‘Classical music has always seemed to follow me around. I continue to read books on all things classical. And as I get older I am gravitating more towards it via it’s writing, studying and listening. My biggest influences here are: Beethoven, Debussy, Antonín Dvořák, Igor Stravinsky, Mozart, Bach, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Hector Berlioz, Gustav Holst, Franz Liszt, Niccolò Paganini, Philip Glass, Arvo Part, John Adams, Howard Shore, Ben Johnston, and Chalres Ives.

From songs, to scores, he is constantly writing and refining his art. To date, Neil is exploring a new passion for eastern music, with its microtonal sounds, complex rhythms, and its earthy Eastern harmonies. He studies it for the love of it but will further broaden his musical horizons.

Mentioned previously about wanting to become a musician and teaching just for the meantime. Neil say’s there have been a few opportunities that have presented themselves along the way. Some you could say that might of been great, but he says deep down he always knew what he wanted to do in music and life as a whole. And it comes down to two things:

“From the age of about 18 I’ve always had the idea of writing an album of my own music. This is what I wanted to do when I said I wanted to be a musician, it was to write songs, but do it all from the playing of the instruments the producing and mixing it! I became a self employed teacher so selfishly I could be near an instrument if I wanted to write. Though every time I tried I just didn’t feel ready, or good enough. And it’s because as you’ve seen, I am hungry to learn so much because I just love the emotion of music and all that it can give. So I’ve been striving everyday since to be the musician, songwriter, composer, producer, guitarist, singer, bass player whatever, that I see in my head. It’s been insane really. And I’m not turning around and saying I am the best at any of these disciplines, not at all!! But I’ve also got to stop stressing and get work out as us creatives can be a nightmare, and I have a family who have to deal with me haha. But the main point for me now, which may be good to know for any other creatives, which is to get to the point where you find happiness and peace within yourself, however this may be. To which I finally have because I’ve got to this first life goal it feels like. And so much of this work has only led me to become more of a proficient teacher. And kept me teaching because I didn’t want to present something that I wasn’t happy with. Then again I don’t think many creatives are ever completely happy with their works or know if it’s even finished half the time, sometimes”.

And number two Neil says is orchestral music.

“And at the age of about 16 after hearing an orchestral classical compilation CD, which I bought for my Mum as a Christmas present, and then opened myself on Christmas day haha. I was blown away and more than I have ever been before from the impact of listening to music. I just made a mental note to myself that wouldn’t it be cool to write like this but I knew I was nowhere near and never will be, maybe. Even as I got later into my formative years I still found it far from my grasp. How can composers hear music in their heads and write it down I’d say. I was always thinking I need to study this at some point with time seemingly going on more present matters. Though as time went on I was noticing the music that I heard in my head, without practicing, that I could now write it down! It was absolutely mind blowing, like I wasn’t completely naive I did study classical guitar, read a lot on advance notation, and did a fair bit of score analysis as time went on, and adding teaching on top reinforced all. Then with my writings on music with its philosophy and psychology leading me to my ethos that the natural; in terms of making sound through emotions. As well as also trying to do something different and be unique. Is where I want my voice to be as an artist mostly. And where can you do that better than all the natural instruments of the orchestral to whom colours are complete with the entire frequency range making it a complete pallet to paint with. I find I can also tell a story better through music than with actual words. So it just makes sense to be a complete orchestral composer, that still does write songs etc. Then to add onto my point of unique, coming in from my background with all the stuff enquired and still to be enquired, will hopefully aid in all this. Coming in from my angle makes it more exciting for me.

2025 finally saw the release of Neil’s eagerly waited debut album. Entitled, ’Out of the Fjords and into New Found Lands’. The 13 track epic showcases all the things that he does. But he say’s he also restrained himself from going to crazy, at least for a debut, to bring more of a larger listening base in.

Some press releases on the album are as follows: