Mr Diprose returns to Avcol

Returning to the Atrium and the corridors of Avcol is both a "surreal and a familiar feeling" for newly-appointed Music educator Tyler Diprose.

Although he graduated from our school just four years ago, Mr Diprose brings an impressive depth of experience and expertise in performance music. A recipient of the Susan Smith Musical Excellence Award and the Gordon Cole Memorial Cup during his time at school, he went on to study a Bachelor of Music at the University of Auckland, and is a sought-after piano and bass player. Today, he hopes to give back to the school that nurtured his talents.

"I'm having a blast teaching," he shares, "I love being able to guide kids from all sorts of musical backgrounds to understand what we're looking at in music."

As a student, Mr Diprose was drawn to ragtime music and joined the Jazz Academy under Mr. Robinson. It was the improvisational nature of jazz that truly captivated him: “It’s not just mindlessly playing random notes,” he explains. “It’s playing something within the style and conventions, and linking it back to previous traditions. I will never stop learning about it."

At Avcol he joined multiple bands, like "Gypsy Jazz", "Toby and the Rest” and "52nd Street Combo" who performed at Jazz and Soul nights at Avcol, and this year, has been playing for several bands, including "Lucas Kewell & Friends" and "House of Green Branches" alongside his Avcol cohort, for Auckland’s Creative Jazz Club (CJC).

Seeing upcoming jazz bands like Swing 46, who recently won an award for Most Outstanding Jazz Combo, brings back fond memories. “I see little bits of them in me and that’s super cool,” he says. He especially enjoys working with students who already have a strong musical foundation, offering suggestions to help them grow.

Mr Diprose acknowledges that some parents can be worried if their child pursues music at a University level, fearing there might not be job prospects on the other side, but that hasn't been the case for him. "You make your own opportunities in music. I've learnt to hustle for gigs and connect with people to get hired, especially on bass - people often need bass players. It's about knowing where you sit in the market."

Deputy Principal Dr Julie Garner, who taught him in the Cambridge Music programme, is delighted that he's returned to Avcol.

 “Mr Diprose was always articulate and able to appreciate and analyse music from a range of musical styles and genres," she shares. "Having started in jazz, he jumped into the deep end of double bass playing in the Chamber Orchestra and helped the group gain a Gold Award at the KBB galas. His extensive musical expertise will be a wonderful asset to the next generation of young musicians at Avondale College."