Meet Noel Wentworth
Who Is Noel Wentworth?
Noel Wentworth is a Kelowna music educator and professional musician with more than 25 years of teaching experience and over 40 years as a musician. He teaches guitar, bass , ukulele and songwriting at Upbeat Music Academy Kelowna in Glenmore, working with students from age 7 through adult.
Noel holds a Diploma in Music Performance from Selkirk College and a Licentiate in Music Teaching from RSL Awards. He has completed Grade 6 Bass and further study through Grade 7.
As a professional guitarist, bassist, singer and entertainer, Noel spent more than 10 years performing in clubs, bars, wineries and large public events across Canada and internationally. His performance career has taken him to India and Japan, and included performing with well-known Canadian musicians.
Noel is also the British Columbia Representative for RSL Awards/Rockschool, promoting contemporary music education and examination programs for students and teachers.
His teaching philosophy is simple: help students become confident musicians who can play the music they love.
What Are Noel Wentworth’s Qualifications and Experience?
- 25+ years teaching music, including guitar, bass and ukulele
- 40+ years as a musician, including more than 10 years as a professional performer
- Songwriter and Recording artist with two albums (Motion and Change)
- Diploma in Music Performance, Selkirk College
- Licentiate in Music Teaching, RSL Awards
- Grade 6 Bass, with further study through Grade 7
- British Columbia Representative, RSL Awards/Rockschool
- Professional guitarist, bassist, singer and entertainer, performing across Canada and internationally
- Music educator and school director, with experience teaching thousands of students
- Born and raised in Kelowna, with deep roots in the local music community
What Instruments Does Noel Wentworth Teach?
Noel teaches guitar, bass and ukulele.
He teaches guitar and bass beginning at age 9 and ukulele beginning at age 7. Lessons are available for beginners through advanced players, including adults.
Noel’s experience includes acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass and ukulele. His broad musical background allows him to teach both the technical and creative sides of playing and songwriting.
How Did Noel Wentworth Get Started in Music?
Noel’s interest in music began when he was about 11 years old.
He listened to music differently from many people. Instead of hearing only the whole song, he focused on individual instruments and parts. He would listen closely to the guitar, bass, drums, vocals and other sounds within a recording.
This helped Noel develop a strong natural ear for music.
He first learned piano at about six years old, but it didn’t stick. Around age 12, everything changed when he heard “Round and Round” by RATT and decided he had to learn electric guitar.
AC/DC and Iron Maiden were early influences. Soon, though, Noel wanted to do more than play his favourite rock songs. He wanted to hear a song on the radio and figure out how to play it himself.
Before streaming and YouTube, Noel learned songs from cassette tapes. He would rewind a recording, find a few notes on his guitar and repeat the process until he could piece together an entire song.
Learning this way developed Noel’s ability to hear and understand music quickly. That skill remains an important part of his approach to teaching guitar, bass and ukulele today.
When Did Noel Wentworth Begin Performing?
Noel began playing with other musicians at about age 16.
His first band, Runaway, was named after a reference from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The band played a variety of music, with Noel singing and playing guitar on songs such as AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.”
He also performed an original instrumental he had written.
Runaway went on to win Noel’s Grade 12 talent show.
That early experience sparked Noel’s love of performing with other musicians and eventually led to a career as a professional guitarist, singer and entertainer.
What Is Noel’s Professional Performance Experience?
Noel spent more than 10 years performing professionally while also teaching music.
He performed in bars, nightclubs, wineries and public events throughout British Columbia. His experience includes large public performances with audiences of thousands, including events at Prospera Place in Kelowna.
Noel has performed many different styles of music, including pop, rock, metal, Celtic music, reggae, dance music and polka.
In 1998, he formed The Wentworth Brothers with his brother. The duo performed three to six nights a week using realistic backing tracks that Noel programmed himself, including drums and keyboards.
In 2000, Noel travelled to Delhi, India, for a three-month performance contract at the Hyatt Hotel, where he performed disco and dance music.
He later travelled to Nagoya, Japan, where he performed for 10 days during Expo 2005.
Throughout his career, Noel has also had opportunities to perform with or get to know musicians from Canadian bands and artists he grew up listening to. These include members of Prism, Glass Tiger, The Headpins and Boulevard, along with other professional musicians.
What Is Noel’s Teaching Philosophy?
Noel believes students should learn music they genuinely enjoy.
He loves learning new songs and teaching students the music they already listen to. He believes this keeps students engaged and gives them a reason to continue playing.
A song can also become a starting point for learning much more. Noel can use music students enjoy to teach:
- Music theory
- Technique
- Rhythm
- Harmony
- Ear training
- Chords
- Song structure
- Improvisation
- Musical expression
Because Noel developed his own musical ear by learning songs from recordings, he can often learn new music quickly.
His goal is not to make every student follow the same path.
Some students want to play music for fun. Others want to perform, join a band, write songs, prepare for exams or pursue music professionally.
Noel wants his students to feel confident playing the music they love, regardless of where that takes them.
What Is Noel Wentworth’s Experience With Music Education?
In 2004, Noel founded the Wentworth Music Education Centre.
He taught guitar and bass and eventually helped grow the school to more than 2,000 weekly students.
Noel served as Director and Vice President of Education until 2022.
During this time, he helped develop programs that gave students opportunities to do more than take private lessons. Students could rehearse together, perform concerts and gain real experience playing music with other people.
That philosophy continues at Upbeat Music Academy today.
How Has Noel Wentworth Created Performance Opportunities for Students?
Noel believes music students should have opportunities to do more than take private lessons. Playing with other musicians, rehearsing as a group and performing live can transform how students experience music.
Throughout his career, Noel has created programs that brought together vocalists, guitarists, bass players, keyboard players, drummers and saxophone players to form working student bands.
Some groups performed almost 40 weekend shows in a year at venues and events throughout Kelowna.
Noel also organized international performance opportunities in Singapore, New York and Australia.
Students performed at Rockwood Music Hall in New York and completed a two-week Australian tour with shows in Melbourne and Sydney.
During the trip, they even met Mark Evans, the original bassist for AC/DC, at the Hard Rock Cafe in Sydney.
Noel also organized a student trip to Nelson where participants received first-year, first-semester credit at Selkirk College for their involvement in the program.
These experiences reflect one of Noel’s core beliefs about music education: students learn more than music when they perform. They develop confidence, teamwork and the ability to discover what they are capable of.
How Has Noel Wentworth Helped Students Overcome Challenges?
One of the most meaningful teaching experiences of Noel’s career involved a student with cerebral palsy who desperately wanted to learn guitar.
The student was born with a hand and arm that were curled inward, making it difficult to hold a guitar pick.
Noel began looking for a practical solution. He suggested modifying a golf glove with Velcro on the thumb and index finger, with matching Velcro attached to the pick.
It worked.
The student was able to hold the pick and strum the guitar. After two years, he was able to play without the glove.
Sadly, the student passed away in his 30s. His parents asked friends and family to donate to a music bursary in his memory instead of sending flowers.
The donations provided a new guitar for one student and an electronic drum kit for a family with autistic children.
For Noel, the experience remains a powerful reminder that music education is about more than learning an instrument. Sometimes, a teacher simply needs to find a way to help someone participate.
What Is Noel Wentworth’s Connection to Rockschool?
Noel wanted students to have a way to earn high school credit for studying contemporary music, including pop, rock, metal, blues, reggae and hip-hop.
He spent more than a year searching for an appropriate program. When he couldn’t find one, he began developing his own guitar syllabus.
Then Noel learned about Rockschool, a contemporary music education and examination program.
After researching the program and communicating with its leadership, a chance meeting in Singapore helped bring the opportunity to Canada.
While Noel’s wife, Lora, was in Singapore with two student bands, she was unexpectedly introduced to Rockschool’s director.
After hearing about Noel’s work in music education and his efforts to bring Rockschool to Canada, the director travelled to Kelowna to visit the school.
He then offered Noel the opportunity to become Rockschool’s representative in Canada.
Noel later became the British Columbia Representative for RSL Awards/Rockschool, a role he continues today.
He promotes Rockschool’s contemporary music education programs and books and helps connect students and teachers in BC with contemporary music qualifications.
How Has Noel Wentworth Supported Contemporary Music Education?
Noel has helped expand access to structured contemporary music education for students and teachers in British Columbia.
When RSL Awards introduced its Licentiate in Music Teaching qualification, 12 teachers from the music school where Noel was Director and Vice President of Education pursued the certification.
Noel also holds the Licentiate in Music Teaching himself.
Through his work as the British Columbia Representative for RSL Awards/Rockschool, Noel continues to promote contemporary music education, examinations and resources for students and teachers.
How Has Noel Wentworth Contributed to His Community?
For Noel, music education has always been about more than learning an instrument.
For nearly 20 years, he organized large student rock concerts that regularly sold out theatres with more than 860 seats.
The concerts gave students valuable live performance experience while raising more than $276,000 for the Kelowna General Hospital Paediatric Ward.
In 2012, one of Noel’s students, Riley Russell, was nearly killed by a drunk driver after a student band rehearsal.
Noel organized a fundraising concert to support Riley and help prevent similar tragedies.
The event raised enough money for Noel to work with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) to install 12 signs around Kelowna encouraging people to call 911 if they see a suspected drunk driver.
Noel has also contributed to the music education community as a speaker at industry events, including the NAMM Show in California and Nashville.
What Awards and Recognition Has Noel Wentworth Received?
Noel has received recognition for his contributions to music education, student development and community involvement.
His recognition includes:
- Kelowna Civic Award
- Recognition from the Province of British Columbia
- Recognition from the Government of Canada through his Member of Parliament
- Named one of the Top 50 Canadians Helping Children
- Named one of Kelowna’s Top 40 Over 40
- International recognition from NAMM among the Top 100 Music Schools in the World for his work in music education
- Featured on the cover of Music Inc. magazine
- Featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles covering his work in music education and the community
Where Does Noel Wentworth Teach Music?
Noel teaches guitar, bass and ukulele at Upbeat Music Academy Kelowna, located in Glenmore, Kelowna, BC.
He teaches guitar and bass from age 9 and ukulele from age 7, working with students from beginners through advanced levels.
Students come from across Kelowna, including Glenmore, Wilden, Dilworth, Lake Country, Lower Mission and Rutland, as well as communities throughout the Okanagan.
Noel also offers online music lessons, teaching students beyond the Okanagan and as far away as Jamaica.
Why Does Noel Wentworth Teach Music in Kelowna?
Noel Wentworth was born and raised in Kelowna, BC, and has deep roots in the local music community.
Although his career has taken him across Canada and internationally, Kelowna has always been home.
He enjoys the city’s natural beauty, mild climate and strong sense of community. Today, Noel is proud to continue teaching music in the city where he grew up.
Outside of music, Noel enjoys growing food during the summer and playing music with his family whenever the opportunity arises.
What Does Noel Hope His Students Remember?
After more than 25 years of teaching, Noel hopes his students remember more than the songs they learned or the techniques they practiced.
He hopes they remember that he helped them explore music and learn how to play the music they love.
Whether a student plays guitar, bass or ukulele for fun, joins a band, performs on stage or builds a career in music, Noel believes the most important thing is that they enjoy making music.
Music has been a lifelong journey for Noel Wentworth. His goal is to help his students begin their own journey with confidence.
