Tom Morris
Hi, I'm Tom Morris, and I started Moray Music Lessons back in 2015.
​
I've been playing the guitar since I was 14, but as you'll see from one of the pictures below, I was interested in guitars from a very young age. I grew up listening to whatever my parents listened to, which was an eclectic mix. My love for music really kicked in during my teens. I went through phases of listening to different kinds of music and would buy CDs and Cassettes from our local shops here in Elgin. It wasn't until I heard Nirvana that the guitar bug hit me. As I listened to their music, I knew that I wanted to learn to play the guitar, and I was determined to do it. I started out by teaching myself to play songs by ear. It took a while and didn't always sound right but it was close enough and that was good enough for me at the time.
After leaving school, I worked in different jobs, but the music was calling me, so I went to study at Aberdeen College. I really enjoyed my time there and studied an HNC in Music Performance, and an ICMA Teaching Diploma. One of my tutors there was Tony Young, and I still think he was the best teacher I've ever had. The way he taught us, with humour and knowledge, has always stuck with me.
When I left college in 2005, I got my first job teaching guitar at Chalmers Mackay Music School in Inverurie. It was an amazing experience for me, and I feel so lucky to have worked with Ruby Mackay and her family. I learned so much from Ruby and the other tutors there and I'm so grateful for that introduction to the world of instrumental teaching. I met a piano tutor there called Ben Torrie, and he gave me my first taste of playing the guitar in amateur musical productions. Over the years in Aberdeen, I was lucky enough to play in many shows including Rent, Annie Get Your Gun, We Will Rock You, High School The Musical, Tick...Tick...Boom!, Bugsy Malone and many others. I never thought I would enjoy musicals, but I was so wrong and I'm so happy I got those opportunities.
​
In 2009, my wife and I moved to Edinburgh and I began teaching guitar at a great wee shop in Ocean Terminal called 'Imported Instruments'. As an Elgin loon, walking through a shopping centre and finding a guitar shop was just amazing. I was lucky enough to teach there for a few years and again I learned more about teaching and how to get information across to students of all ages. I got the chance to play with a local wedding band called Corra, and I feel like this was the period when my guitar playing and performance took a step up to the next level. The musicians in the band were incredible, and I still class some of them as the best musicians I've ever met. We had to play songs of all styles, and every week we had new songs to learn for the weekend (sometimes we had 3 or 4 weddings a week). Rehearsal time was rare, so we had to learn the songs inside out and nail it first time on the night. It was a lot of pressure but I loved it and I'd like to think I've got a cool head when it comes to playing live these days.
​
In 2013, I moved back home to Elgin as my wife and I had our first daughter and we wanted to be closer to family. It was the best move for us, but I really missed teaching. In 2015, after a lot of thought, I decided to start my own music school. And here we are - Moray Music Lessons.
​
These days, I still live in Elgin with my wife and our two beautiful daughters. I play in a wedding band called MacTa, and I write and record my own songs. You can find out more about my own music here: https://linktr.ee/tommorrissongs
​
If you're looking to learn to play the guitar, ukulele, bass or drums, I am always delighted to help you achieve your goals and get to where you want to be. I've been on the pathway myself (I'm really still on it!) so I understand the ups and downs of the learning process, but I'll always try to make it as fun and enjoyable for you as possible.