About Noel Wentworth

I’ve been involved in music for more than 40 years, and teaching music has been a major part of my life for more than 25 years. As a professional guitarist, singer, entertainer and music educator, I’ve had the opportunity to perform across Canada and internationally, teach thousands of students, build music education programs, and help students discover the confidence that comes from playing music they truly love.

Today, I teach guitar, bass and ukulele in Kelowna at Upbeat Music Academy, our home-based music studio in Glenmore. I work with students from Kelowna neighbourhoods including Glenmore, Wilden, Dilworth, Rutland and the Lower Mission, as well as students from Lake Country and beyond. I also teach students online, including students as far away as Jamaica.

But my story with music started long before I became a teacher.

I first became interested in music when I was about 11 years old. I had listened to music before, but I began listening differently. Instead of hearing a song as one complete piece, I started listening to the individual instruments and parts—the guitar, bass, drums, vocals and everything happening underneath the song.

That way of listening helped me develop a strong natural ear for music.

I had briefly learned piano when I was around six years old, but it didn’t stick at the time. Around age 12, everything changed when I heard “Round and Round” by RATT. I remember thinking that I had to play electric guitar.

My early influences included AC/DC and Iron Maiden, but before long I wanted to do something much bigger than learning a few favourite rock songs. I wanted to be able to hear something on the radio and figure out how to play it.

In the days of cassette tapes, I would rewind a song over and over, finding a few notes at a time on my guitar. I’d learn a small section, rewind the tape, learn the next section, and gradually put the entire song together.

That process of learning music by ear became one of the most important skills I developed as a musician—and it continues to influence how I teach today.

I began playing with other musicians around age 16. My first band was called Runaway, a Monty Python Holy Grailreference. We played a mixture of songs we enjoyed, and I sang and played guitar on songs such as AC/DC’s “T.N.T.” I also remember performing an original instrumental I had written.

We even won our Grade 12 talent show.

After high school, my path toward music wasn’t straightforward. My parents initially didn’t want me to pursue music, so I trained as a hairstylist. After earning my licence and studying at Vidal Sassoon in Santa Monica, I worked in one of Kelowna’s best salons.

Ironically, music kept finding its way into my conversations. I discovered that one of the things I had in common with almost every client was music.

At 21, I decided to go to music school.

I initially entered as a guitarist, but I was singing so much in the college bands that I eventually switched my primary focus to voice. I continued to play guitar and sing throughout my education and earned my Diploma in Music Performance from Selkirk College in 1996.

My education also expanded my musicianship beyond guitar and voice. I learned keys, bass, drum notation, vocal harmony, band direction and how to communicate musical ideas effectively with other musicians.

After graduating, I found myself at a crossroads. I wanted to tour and perform, but I also needed to make a living. I began teaching part-time while joining a working band that performed throughout Kelowna and the Interior of British Columbia.

Over more than a decade, I worked professionally as a guitarist, singer and entertainer, performing in bars, nightclubs, wineries and public events, including performances for audiences of thousands at venues such as Prospera Place.

I’ve performed an enormous variety of music over the years—from rock, pop and metal to Celtic music, reggae and even polka. I’ve always believed that being a good musician means being able to adapt to the music in front of you.

In 1998, I formed The Wentworth Brothers with my brother. We performed three to six nights a week using highly realistic backing tracks that I programmed myself, including drums and keyboards.

In 2000, I had the opportunity to travel to Delhi, India, where I performed a three-month contract at the Hyatt Hotel playing disco and dance music.

I later performed in Nagoya, Japan, for 10 days during Expo 2005.

Over the years, I’ve also had the privilege of performing alongside or getting to know musicians including members of Prism, Lindsay Mitchell, Alan Frew of Glass Tiger, Darby Mills of the Headpins, renowned session vocalist Nancy Nash, Andrew Johns of Boulevard, and others.

I grew up listening to many of these Canadian artists, so having the opportunity to eventually perform with or get to know some of them has been one of the great blessings of my musical life.

Although I loved performing, teaching became something that genuinely filled me up.

I spent more than 10 years balancing teaching with performing in bars, clubs and other venues. I still love getting on stage, but I discovered that helping another person learn music could be just as rewarding as performing it myself.

In 2004, I founded the Wentworth Music Education Centre, where I taught guitar and bass and eventually helped grow the school to more than 2,000 weekly students.

I served as Director and Vice President of Education until 2022, when we moved our operation into our home studios and eventually established Upbeat Music Academy Kelowna with my wife, Lora.

One of the things I noticed while running a large music school was that we taught almost every instrument needed to form a band.

That gave me an idea.

I started the Wentworth Band Factory to give students the opportunity to do what originally inspired me to play music: play in a band.

The program brought together vocalists, guitarists, bassists, keyboard players, drummers and saxophonists. Students rehearsed regularly and performed real gigs around Kelowna. At its most successful, some student bands were playing nearly 40 weekend shows a year.

I also organized opportunities for students to perform outside Canada, including trips to Singapore, New York and Australia. Students performed at venues including Rockwood Music Hall in New York and on a two-week Australian tour with performances in Melbourne and Sydney.

On one of those trips, students even met Mark Evans, the original bassist for AC/DC, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Sydney.

I also organized a trip for Band Factory students to Nelson where they participated in the program and received first-year, first-semester credit at Selkirk College.

For me, these experiences were about much more than performing. They gave students the opportunity to experience what it is actually like to be part of a working band.

Another major part of my career has been my work with Rockschool and RSL Awards.

I wanted to find a way for students to receive high school credit for studying and performing the contemporary music they actually listen to and care about.

Classical music has long been recognized as an important form of music education, but students also want to study pop, rock, metal, blues, reggae, hip-hop and other contemporary styles.

I spent more than a year searching for a program that could provide that opportunity. When I couldn’t find the right solution, I began writing my own guitar syllabus with the idea of eventually turning it into a book.

Then something unexpected happened.

I received a call from someone who asked if I had ever heard of Rockschool and told me I would be a perfect fit for the program.

That eventually led to an introduction to Rockschool’s leadership. Later, while my wife Lora was in Singapore with two of our student bands, she was randomly introduced to the director of Rockschool. She told him about our music school and my efforts to bring contemporary music qualifications to Canada.

At the time, Rockschool was separating from Trinity and looking to expand into countries including Canada.

The director flew to Kelowna, toured our school and asked me if I would become the representative for Rockschool in Canada.

I eventually became the British Columbia Representative for RSL Awards/Rockschool.

I’ve helped promote Rockschool’s contemporary music education programs and books, and when RSL Awards introduced its Licentiate in Music Teaching qualification, 12 of our teachers pursued and successfully earned the certification.

I also hold a Licentiate in Music Teaching from RSL Awards myself.

The most meaningful part of teaching isn’t always a concert, an exam or a career in music.

Sometimes it’s something much more personal.

One of the students I’m most proud of was born with cerebral palsy and had a hand and arm that were curled inward. He wanted desperately to learn guitar, but holding a pick was extremely difficult.

I started thinking about how we might create a simple adaptation that would allow him to hold the pick.

I suggested modifying a golf glove with Velcro on the thumb and index finger, with the corresponding Velcro attached to the pick. His parents tried the idea, and it worked well enough for him to hold the pick and strum the guitar.

He stuck with it.

After two years, he was able to play without the glove.

Sadly, that student passed away in his 30s. His parents told us they wanted to give something back to other families through music, and asked if, instead of flowers, people could donate to create a bursary for students who needed instruments.

The donations were enough to provide a new guitar for one student and an electronic drum kit for a family with autistic children.

That experience has stayed with me.

It reminds me that teaching music isn’t just about teaching someone where to put their fingers. Sometimes, it’s about finding a way to help someone participate in something they desperately want to be part of.

I love learning new songs, and I especially enjoy teaching students songs they already love listening to.

I believe that students are more engaged when they’re learning music that matters to them.

I can take almost any song a student brings to a lesson and turn it into a discussion about music theory, technique, rhythm, harmony, songwriting, ear training or musicianship.

Because I developed my own ear by learning songs from recordings, I can often learn songs very quickly. That allows me to help students understand not only how to play a song, but why the music works.

My goal isn’t to force every student down the same musical path.

I want students to become confident playing the music they love, regardless of where that takes them.

Some students may simply want to play guitar around a campfire. Others may want to join a band, perform on stage, prepare for exams, write songs or pursue a career in music.

There isn’t one right destination.

Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to receive recognition for both music education and community involvement.

Some highlights include:

• Diploma in Music Performance, Selkirk College
• Licentiate in Music Teaching, RSL Awards
• Completed Grade 6 Bass, with Grade 7 studies completed
• More than 25 years of music teaching experience
• Founder and former Director/Vice President of Education of the Wentworth Music Education Centre
• Helped grow a music school to more than 2,000 weekly students
• British Columbia Representative for RSL Awards/Rockschool
• Helped bring contemporary Rockschool music education to Canada
• Organized large-scale student concerts for nearly two decades, regularly selling out theatres with more than 860 seats
• Helped raise more than $276,000 for Kelowna General Hospital’s Paediatric Ward
• Regular speaker at the NAMM Show in California and Nashville
• Featured on the cover of Music Inc. magazine and in numerous newspaper and magazine articles
• Recipient of a Kelowna Civic Award
• Recognized by the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada through my Member of Parliament
• Recognized as one of the Top 50 Canadians Helping Children
• Recognized as one of Kelowna’s Top 40 Under 40
• Wentworth Music was recognized internationally by NAMM among the Top 100 Music Schools in the World

One of the most difficult experiences of my teaching career happened on June 13, 2012.

After a Wentworth Band Factory rehearsal for an upcoming performance with Darby Mills, one of our Band Factory students, Riley Russell, was struck by a drunk driver and nearly lost her life.

I immediately wanted to do something, not only to help Riley, but to help prevent another family from experiencing what Riley and her family were going through.

I organized a fundraising concert and raised enough money to work with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) to install 12 roadside “Call 911 if you see a drunk driver” signs around Kelowna.

It was a difficult time, but it showed me once again that music and the community around it can be used to make a difference far beyond the stage or the classroom.

I was born and raised in Kelowna, and it’s difficult for me to imagine living anywhere else.

I’ve watched Kelowna grow and have had the privilege of being part of its music community for decades. Today, I’m grateful that I can continue teaching music in the city where I grew up.

Outside of music, I enjoy growing our own food during the summer and playing music with my family whenever the opportunity arises.

Music has been part of my life for more than 40 years. I’ve learned it by ear, studied it formally, performed it professionally, taught it to thousands of students and built programs around it.

But ultimately, what matters most to me is helping people discover the joy of making music for themselves.

I hope my students remember that I helped them explore music and learn how to play the music they love.