Wyndham Classical 
  Ukulele Ensemble

About Steph

Enquiries: unstrungmusic@gmail.com

or 0409  856  071

For a list of Ukulele Ensemble

or Choir Arrangements

for sale, please email.

Steph has a current Employee Working With Children Card

and recent Victoria Police Check.

Australian Ukulele Teachers and Leaders Association (AUTLA)

Steph is an active member and former committee member, attending training days, picking up fantastic tips and arrangements that have been tried and tested by this country’s best ukulele teachers. Steph also played along side many of these mentors in the Outlaws Big Ukulele Band for two years.

Steph taught singing and soul choir courses at Melbourne’s Council of Adult Education (CAE) for seven years and has directed many choirs including Corisande, Cadence, ReciproVocal, Anglicare Staff Choir, North Yarra Community Health Staff Choir, Living Out Loud and many others before the ukulele became a focus of her teaching.

Steph Payne has been a musician for 20 years.

She is a performer, musical director, arranger and

teacher of singing, ukulele and music theory.

Qualifications

The pedagogy speaks for itself. Watch out for some serious name dropping!


Melbourne Polytechnic (known at the time as NMIT)

  1. -Associate Diploma of Music Performance (Jazz/Popular) 1999-2002

  2. -Associate Diploma of Small Companies and Community Theatre 1996-1998

  3. -Advanced Certificate in Theatre Technology (Stage Management/Lighting) Melbourne VIC 1995


Charles Darwin University (CDU) Darwin NT 2004

University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2005-2006

Steph has twice begun double degrees in Music and Education at (CDU) & (UNSW). Half way through, due to the need to move interstate, she was not able to complete them. One day!


James Hill Ukulele Initiative (JHUI)

This is the only dedicated ukulele teacher training course of it’s kind.

It is a three year course, of the highest pedagogy, taught by James Hill,

virtuosic ukulele player and passionate music educator.

Level 1 with James Hill, completed in Newcastle NSW 2016-2017

Level 3 with James Hill, completed in Newcastle NSW 2017-2018

Level 2 with James Hill, completed in Vancouver, Canada 2019-2020

with additional teachers, Cynthia Kinnunen and Gary Peare.


JHUI Masterclasses

Peer teaching to develop teaching skills and resources. James Hill and fellow students of JHUI alumni.

Newcastle NSW 2017 including James Hill, Mark Jackson and Jane Jelbart

Vancouver, Canada 2019 including composer/performer Aline Kelly, Brazilian teacher/performer Vinicius Vivas and many more.


Ukulele Teacher Summit

with Kevin Carroll

4 day ukulele teacher training program

Austin, TX 2019








Australian Ukulele Teachers & Leaders Association (AUTLA)

Active member and former committee member.

Attended several excellent training days.

Newcastle NSW 2016

Alphington VIC 2016

Brisbane QLD 2017

Brisbane QLD 2019


Samantha Muir Institute Day - A wonderful immersion

into classical ukulele ensembles playing medieval,

baroque and classical eras with this utterly

wonderful musician. Valla Beach, NSW 2019


Steph has had private lessons with these incredible artists:

Daniel Ho - A perfectionist who crosses genres and instruments. Los Angeles 2019

Jason Arimoto - blues artist and teacher. Los Angeles 2019

David Krycer - gypsy jazz and all things continental












Steph has attended Workshops with

James Hill - jump on YouTube and you’ll see why he’s a Master. Newcastle 2016, 2017

Kimo Hussey - living legend of jazz ukulele. Vancouver 2019

Cynthia Lin - YouTube sensation and beautiful performer. Brisbane 2019

Jason Arimoto - Blues ukulele artist and teacher. Los Angeles CA 2019

Manitoba Hal - Canadian blues man. Newcastle NSW 2018

Kevin Carroll - Austin, TX. Celtic Ukulele 2020

Paul Johnson - Kiwi Blues artist. Valla Beach NSW 2019

The Thin White Ukes - Brisbane 2019

The Wild Women of Anywhere Beach - Melbourne 2017

The Nukes - Kiwi uke band. Melbourne 2015 and 2018, Newcastle 2016

Peter Moss - English Uke player. Newcastle 2016

Ralph Shaw - Charming and quirky. Melbourne 2015

Steph is one third of gorgeous folk trio, Paisley & Plaid.

Currently Steph teaches

Willin Wimmin, in Williamstown

Wyndukes Ukestra in Werribee

Ukulele technique classes in Werribee

Wyndham Classical Ensemble in Werribee

Daisy Chains ukulele quintet

Steph believes everyone can and should sing and play music and that is why she has worked in the Community Music sector her whole career.

Steph Payne is teaching ukulele with techniques learnt at the intensive James Hill Ukulele Initiative, the only certified ukulele teacher training program of it’s kind. James Hill has worked closely with Chalmers Doane and leading ukulele educators to develop his exceptional program. www.JHUI.org

UkeTech