Gareth Ansell is an experienced musical educator who has been working you young people for 22 years and is currently Head of Music at Hartland international school in Dubai. Gareth started piano and violin lessons at the age of 6 and soon began performing in local orchestras as well as singing in a male voice. After university, Gareth began working as a music teacher in Kent, Uk . After leaving the UK, Gareth moved to Bangkok, Thailand. Here, he began to work with the school’s scholarship programme and created a ‘scholar’s ensemble’ which went on to perform at many prestigious venues around Bangkok, performing for various vips, dignitaries and members of the Thai royal family. After relocating to Dubai, Gareth began working at an outstanding international school, becoming a senior judge in the GEMS Young musician of the year competition, as well as running workshops at various events throughout the GEMS network. Since moving to Hartland, he has introduced a successful choral programme, as well as organising and helping to judge the COBIS music competition 2022. He has also worked with Rob Johnston, formerly of the BBC Singers and musical director of the Dubai Opera Festival Chorus to bring a series of ‘Choral Masterclasses’ to hundreds of students across Dubai schools. A strong proponent of performing arts throughout his career (and married to a Drama teacher), he is a strong believer in the power of performance and the confidence it can bring students.