Brett Holland

Brett, a musician with a diverse background, initially developed his musical skills on the piano before picking up the guitar at the age of 15. During his school years, he collaborated with like-minded friends to write and perform songs, sparking his passion for music. Motivated by his musical pursuits, Brett enrolled at the Wellington Music Conservatorium, where he studied Jazz under the guidance of Geoff Hughes and Leigh Jackson.

During his time in Nelson, Brett led the Mister Nobody Quintet and participated in over 50 musical endeavors, including NYT productions of Les Miserables and Godspell, performances with notable artists such as Sharon O’Neill and Midge Marsden, and collaborations with Ubercat featuring Liam Ryan, among others. He taught music at institutions such as NMIT, Nelson College for Girls, Garin College, and also provided private lessons. Notably, he mentored and taught talented musicians like Callum Allardice, a three-time recipient of the New Zealand Jazz Composition of the Year award, and Caleb Nott of Broods fame.

In 2011, Brett embarked on a new chapter by moving to the United States for five years. During this time, he had the opportunity to work part-time with renowned guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel, who had previously served as his mentor. Brett engaged in extensive travels, touring, and recorded two albums while also performing at resorts in Hawaii.

Between 2016 and 2021, Brett established himself in South East Queensland, where he focused on performing, teaching, managing bands, and leading composition classes at a private school.

Currently, Brett channels his creativity through various musical outlets. He writes and records music for Fuse Box Social, performs under the name Brett Hallam Holland, and occasionally entertains audiences with cover gigs as Mister Nobody.

Brett teaches all ages and abilities following a path of musical education through the musical tastes of students. With guitar being a relatively easy instrument to pick up and then be creative, Brett quickly has students finding their niche and enjoyment.

Core competencies include: Written music and notation, harmonic knowledge, playing by ear, songwriting and composition, developing performance confidence, recording, band or group development, project management.

Guitar skillset: Scales and modal systems, chords systems and families, rhythm /percussion, improvisation, two handed tapping, odd times, fingerstyle, thumb-picking, plectrum, playing with other people and performing. Covering popular, jazz, blues, rock and traditional.