Meet The Team

Founder & Professional Musician

Ashleigh McHugh

Ashleigh McHugh is a professional musician and the founder of AM Music School, based at The Stage Door Studios in Guiseley. With extensive experience in live performance, private tuition, and workshop delivery, Ashleigh has dedicated her career to inspiring and developing musicians of all ages and abilities.

Specialising in vocals, guitar, piano, and drums, Ashleigh provides structured, engaging lessons designed to build technical skills, musical understanding, and creative confidence. Her approach combines graded exam preparation with practical, performance-led learning, ensuring that students not only progress in their musical abilities but also gain valuable stage experience and self-assurance.

Beyond one-to-one tuition, Ashleigh has a wealth of experience running bands, workshops, and performance events, giving students the opportunity to experience real-life music-making in a supportive environment. She believes that every student should have the chance to perform, collaborate, and express themselves musically, whether in small ensemble settings, seasonal showcases, or full-scale concerts.

Creative Director

Amy Atkinson

Amy Atkinson is an accomplished Course Leader with over 25 years of experience in musical theatre, dance, and performance. A former professional performer, Amy now brings her expertise to education as a lecturer at Leeds City College, inspiring and developing the next generation of performers.

At AM Music School, Amy leads all show production, choreography, and artistic direction, ensuring every performance is professional, polished, and creatively engaging. Her specialisms in musical theatre and dance make her the driving force behind our students’ confidence, stage presence, and creative growth.

Drum Teacher

Sean Howe

Sean’s drumming journey began at just 11 years old, after spending an entire summer banging on pots and pans and driving his parents crazy! Luckily, he was soon bought his first proper drum kit, and he hasn’t looked back since.

With over 20 years of teaching experience, Sean has built an impressive career working with students of all ages and abilities. Before moving to Yorkshire in 2010 to join a touring band, he performed with a variety of artists across the North West.

Alongside his teaching career, Sean has spent the past five years working in music therapy and has also served as a peripatetic music teacher for Bradford Music and Arts. Between 2013 and 2021, he taught at St Joseph’s in Bradford, helping students work towards their Rockschool grades and putting a strong emphasis on live performance and end-of-year showcases.

Sean holds a BA (Hons) in Jazz Performance from Leeds Conservatoire and has achieved Grade 5 Jazz Piano with ABRSM.

With his wealth of experience in teaching, performing and music therapy, Sean brings a fantastic combination of musical knowledge and practical experience to AM Music School. Whether you're picking up the sticks for the first time or working towards your next grade, Sean is here to help you develop your skills, build confidence and most importantly, enjoy making music!

Tutor

Amy Clark

Amy Clark is a Scottish vocalist and improvisor based in Leeds. She is lead singer of folk-jazz septet Awen Ensemble and, during the release of their debut album, KLOF Magazine dubbed her ‘the British vocal find of 2024’. She has been composing and collaborating for over a decade and through this has been afforded opportunities to perform across Europe and appear on BBC Radio Three’s Round Midnight, Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Sessions and BBC’s Later with Jools Holland.

Amy is a passionate educator, teaching vocals and piano spanning many genres. With years of experience teaching privately and as a university lecturer at Leeds Conservatoire, she is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment, navigating teaching with care and discipline while offering real-world insights and practice guidance on performance, improvisation and composition.