Michael Dolce "Behind the Scenes" / Guitar Masterclass information

Inspire, Motivate, and Empower Your Students

Join Michael for an unforgettable 80-minute presentation that gives secondary school students a rare opportunity to engage with a seasoned professional whose 30-year career has been built on the core attributes of Growth, Determination, Initiative, Resilience, Courage, Attitude, Authenticity, and Perseverance.

Through a compelling blend of personal storytelling and carefully selected footage, Michael delivers a dynamic and inspiring experience that highlights the power of these principles in achieving long-term success.

What to Expect

✅ Overcoming Challenges & Building Confidence
In the first half of the session, Michael shares candid insights into managing performance anxiety and nerves—common obstacles faced by students. By revealing how he navigates these challenges, he provides practical strategies to help students develop confidence in both academic and personal settings.

✅ Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Look at The Voice
The second half offers a fascinating, behind-the-scenes perspective on The Voice, illustrating the level of preparation and resilience required to thrive in high-pressure environments. This segment always sparks curiosity and generates lively discussions.

✅ Interactive Q&A Session
Students are encouraged to actively participate, ask questions, and engage in open discussions with Michael. This collaborative forum ensures students leave with not just inspiration, but real-world takeaways they can apply to their own journeys.

An Experience for Every School

Whether for a small classroom setting or a full auditorium, this session is designed to accommodate groups of any size—with no attendance cap. Michael has successfully presented to audiences ranging from intimate groups to over 1,000 students, making this an accessible and adaptable event for any school.

Bring This Transformative Experience to Your School

This is more than just a presentation—it’s an opportunity to equip students with essential life skills, empower them with confidence, and inspire them to become the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and creators.

Don’t miss the chance to introduce your students to an experience that could shape their future. Book Michael for your school today!

Guitar Masterclass: A Rare Opportunity for Aspiring Guitarists

Give your most dedicated guitar students the ultimate learning experience with this exclusive 60-minute Guitar Masterclass, led by one of Australia’s premier guitarists, Michael. This hands-on session provides a rare opportunity for students to learn directly from an expert, gaining invaluable skills and techniques to elevate their playing.

Tailored for Intermediate to Advanced Players

Michael customises his teaching approach to match the skill level and needs of each group, ensuring that every student receives personalised attention and expert guidance. Whether focusing on refining technique, theory, or tackling improvisation , this session is designed to deepen musical understanding and build confidence.

A Focused & Intimate Learning Experience

With a strictly limited class size of just 10 students, this masterclass fosters a supportive and immersive learning environment. Michael’s bespoke teaching style ensures that students walk away with practical insights they can immediately apply to their playing.

Bring This Transformative Experience to Your School

This is more than just a guitar lesson—it’s a unique opportunity for aspiring musicians to be mentored by one of the industry’s finest. Inspire, challenge, and ignite your students’ passion for music with this unforgettable masterclass.

Book now and give your students the gift of expert mentorship!

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Michael has had the pleasure of conducting over 200 Q&A Session’s and Guitar Masterclasses in since 2021 nationwide.

St Stanislaus College, St John’s College Dubbo, Rosebank College, St Francis de Sales Regional College, Mater Dei Catholic College WAGGA, Marian Catholic College Griffith, Nyngan High School, Riverstone HighCabramatta High, Coonabarrabran High School, St Edward’s Christian Brothers’ College, Nirmba TAFE Quakers Hill, Kariong Mountains High School, St Philip’s Christian College – Gosford, Callaghan College – Jesmond Campus, Midcoast Christian College, St Columba SA, Kempsey High School, Wollongong High School,Music Industry College,Highlands Christian College (Toowoomba),Claremont College,Elizabeth College,Pacific Lutheran College (Meridan Plains),Independent Music QLD,Cannon Hill Anglican College (Cannon Hill), Suncoast Christian College, St Johns Anglican, Saint Stephen’s College (Coomera), John Paul College (Daisy Hill), Arcadia College Robina, Trinity College Lismore, Bishop Druitt College, Canowindra High School, Casimir College Marrickville, St Philip’s Christian College – Port Stephens, Ultimo TAFE, Coastal Music Academy, St Patrick’s College TAS, Riverside High School TAS, Newstead Christian School TAS, Launceston College TAS, Lucas Ferguson Guitar Academy TAS,St Patricks Marist College, Knox Grammer, Gold Creek Senior Site, Nothern Bay College, Bendigo Senior Secondary College, SKY MUSIC, Box Hill Institute, Melbourne Guitar Academy, Bendigo South East College, Canning Vale College, Ocean Reef Senior High School, Byford Secondary College, The Kings College (Perth), Xavier Catholic College, Kardinia International College, Belmont High School, A&B Music Geelong, St Columba Port Mac, Trinity Grammer SA, Bavas Music, Newcastle TAFE, Mordialloc College, Portside Christian College SA,Newstead College ,Haileybury, St Raphael

Resized_20210610_130651_11967913762324 — School Theatre

Resized_20210609_115957_11185522161807 — School Hall

JPEG image-969B026DCD1A-1 — School Auditorium

Resized_20210609_153840_11706652128358 — School Classroom

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Students Inspired by Music Masterclass with Michael Dolce

For our budding musicians at St Raphael’s Catholic School, the Music Industry Masterclass held last month offered students from Years 5 to 12 a rare opportunity to gain insights into professional performance, composition, and musicianship. With guidance from industry experts, students embraced this inspiring challenge with enthusiasm and dedication.

Renowned Australian guitarist Michael Dolce, with over 30 years of experience in the music industry and more than a decade as the house guitarist for The Voice Australia, led the masterclass. His expertise and passion for music brought a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to the students.

The day was structured into three dynamic sessions. In the Guitar Masterclass, students received hands-on coaching, refining their technical and creative skills under Dolce’s expert guidance. The Band Mentoring session provided performance-ready students with valuable insights into collaboration and stagecraft, and the result was a beautifully put together version of INXS’s Never Tear Us Apart. The Q&A session offered a behind-the-scenes look into live television production and the music industry.

Students eagerly engaged in each session, soaking up advice and encouragement from Dolce. “It was amazing to see how Michael approaches his music and to get advice on improving our own playing,” said Briannah, (keyboardist) who took part in both the Band Mentoring and the Q&A sessions.

This unique experience not only deepened students’ passion for music but also reflected the school’s commitment to fostering creativity and excellence. It also highlighted St Raph’s Catholic values of striving for one’s best while sharing talents with the community and was a truly memorable opportunity for all involved.

“It was an absolute pleasure to host Michael Dolce’s Q & A session at Knox Grammar School. Michael’s presentation provided a unique, behind the scenes insight to the ins and outs of working on ‘The Voice’, accompanying major label artists on the world stage and in the studio, and performing on the local music scene.The Q & A session helped students to understand what is required to be at the top of their game on their instrument, whilst highlighting the importance of other social and practical skills, essential for working with groups of creative people in high pressure environments. This was a highly valued event for our music students.”

Rob EwanCo-Ordinator of Contemporary Music Studies Knox Grammar School

“Michael Dolce delivered a very inspiring and motivating session for our music students. He ran a live workshop with one of our contemporary ensembles and was able to demonstrate the rehearsal process with an incredible focus and attention to detail – a skill honed through years of experience. It was fantastic for our students to have Michael insist on refining the smaller details.

Michael’s presentation really bought home the importance of reading, practice, and hard work. He also spoke about being ready to put yourself out there in performances. He gave many insights into life as a professional performer and how he prepares to make sure he is ready for the next gig. Michael also spoke about the duality of staying true to your musical goals, but also being aware of what the ensemble, song, or job required. He also shared the importance and value of maintaining good working relationships with other musicians.

Michael was extremely accommodating and worked around the busy school day. We are really looking forward to having him back soon”!

Stephen Briggs Bendigo South East College Music Coordinator

“We were so lucky to have the opportunity to hear Michael Dolce share his story with us. Our students were really excited to hear about how Michael’s career progressed, how hard he had to work to get to the stage he is at now and of course, they loved hearing all the stories of how “The Voice” is made and all the effort and hours that go into preparing each song “behind the scenes”. Michael spoke in a relaxed and confident manner and his presentation kept everyone’s interest with a mixture of video footage, photographs and stories to tell. The students loved having the opportunity to ask Michael questions and to interact with him. Overall, this session was very inspiring, and our students will be talking about this for a long time. The buzz of excitement in the air was amazing. We are so grateful to have had this opportunity”.

Louise SkeltonMusic Coordinator Trinity Grammar, SA

“Michael was amazing. The Behind the Scenes presentation was well timed, comprehensive and engaging, with lots of footage from Michael’s time on The Voice. My students were thoroughly entertained, a lot of my more reserved students were asking questions, and even more stayed back in their lunch break to ask more questions, listen to Michael play and to showcase their own budding musical abilities. Michael was endlessly patient and encouraging. The staff present continued to rave about how fantastic the experience was days later. All in all, The Behind the Scenes Q & A session is well worth while. We can’t wait to have Michael back out our way again”.

Elese Colliar Nyngan High School Head of Department ‐ Music

“Michael Dolce visited our school in May 2022 and presented a fantastic Q&A session. It was packed with great information about the music industry as well as excellent advice about performance nerves, practicing to achieve goals and commitment to hard work. Michael also conducted a guitar workshop and showed students a pentatonic scale, some chords, and simple improvisations using both of these. He explained the concepts clearly and took the time to help individual students as well. The students thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and left the room inspired. Michael is not only a phenomenal guitarist, but also utterly professional and excellent in maintaining contact and communication. It was an absolute pleasure to have Michael speak to and work with our students and we hope to have him visit our school again soon”.

Aimee RosslerCoonabarabran High School Head of Department ‐ Music

“Michael gave a well prepared presentation in a self-assured professional manner outlining in detail, his journey to become an accomplished guitar player who has been the guitarist for the band supporting the television show The Voice.
He was able to inspire the young, and not so young people present painstakingly outlining just how hard musicians have to practise and prepare to meet the industry standard. I’ve never had students take up that message of hard work and enthuse about it afterwards with such immediacy. It is a key message which in his own non-scary way Michael was able to convey very potently. Bravo”.

Andy JenkinsonNirimba TAFE Head Teacher, Entertainment

“We were privileged to have Michael speak to students from Sydney Catholic Schools recently. He is an experienced professional, who is able to connect with young people and inspire them to pursue their dreams through hard work, commitment and persistence. The behind-the-scenes look into The Voice helped to demystify the entertainment industry, and hearing band members talk about their musical journeys encouraged students to view their own practice. I would highly recommend Michael to schools interested in making the connection between the performing arts and the entertainment industry.”

Eva SpartaSpecialist: Creative & Performing Arts Sydney Catholic Schools

“Michael’s session was loads fun and he was very charismatic with the students. His knowledge of the industry practices and the way he explained these to the students was insightful and honest. We would love to have him back again next year”!

Carlie PurkisPacific Lutheran College Head of Department ‐ Music

“Michael Dolce, a true gentleman, with integrity and industry knowledge above and beyond my expectation.”

“Michael conducted a 90 min Q & A Workshop to the Creative Industry students at Newcastle, Tafe NSW, during 2019. The session was abundant in industry information with topics ranging from, Performance, Sound, Business and Time management.
The student feedback was a resounding “excellent”, resulting in Michael being invited back for a studio session with our students, this also was a highlight of their study during the 2nd semester.

I would highly recommend Michael’s workshops and masterclasses to any institute looking for industry mentorship”.

Lennie EdgertonTeacher of Creative Industries, TAFE NSW, Newcastle.”

“Michael was able to give our unit 3/4 music students simple and effective approaches to their guitar and bass playing which enabled them to meet exam assessment criteria at a much higher level than they had been. His generosity and incredible skill and musical understanding inspired my students to be their best.”

Sasha StellaNorthern Bay College Bands and Performance Coordinator

“Recently TAFE NSW Music Ultimo hosted a MasterClass with the esteemed guitarist, Michael Dolce.

The class was attended by most of our music performance students to a full auditorium in our own facilities here at Ultimo.

I would like to thank Michael so much for his professionalism, entertainment and willing generosity to help our students on their pathway to realise their career goals.

I highly recommend his MasterClass and I without hesitation will welcome him back to Ultimo for a repeat performance”.

Michael RohanekHead Teacher Music TAFE NSW - Ultimo

“We booked Michael for both a Q&A workshop and guitar masterclass for our Elective Music students (years 9-12). Although Michael is a guitarist, his message was relevant and engaging for all of our students, from our rockers to our classical musicians to our composers. The Q&A session was well-presented and allowed for our students to find out more about working as a professional musician. The guitar workshop was incredibly hands-on, and our guitar students learnt a lot about improvisation and soloing. I would highly recommend Michael to any school that is wanting to inspire their students”.

Amanda HillMusic Coordinator - Rosebank College

Cost – $1250 plus GST (100km radius Sydney) . This includes the Q&A session and Guitar Masterclass. Total -2hrs 20min session, timing is flexible to suit your schools schedule.

(We’ve had many instances where the hosting school has invited neighbouring schools to share costs).

PLEASE NOTE* – Additional travel fees out of the Sydney 100km radius will apply for your location.

If you would be interested in hosting these sessions click below.