After completing a bachelor of music and classical performance in Wellington Ms Flood went on to do a postgraduate degree in teaching before teaching music in secondary schools around Wellington for six years.
She then took two years off teaching and travelled the world on a cruise ship working as a professional musician, playing and singing for up to five hours each night.
"I'm so glad I did it. It goes to show that there are jobs in music, and well-paid ones. We got to see the world at the same time too," she said.
Ms Flood said it was during this period that she began to plan her "dream job" of running a music academy and landed on Napier as the location because it was between her two homes of Gisborne and Wellington.
Since moving to Napier at the end of last July she's worked to put a team of active musicians together who "practise what they preach" to staff the academy.
"When you see your actual teaching getting out and performing in front of lots of people you feel inspired," she said.
"I do feel a bit crazy for doing this but I think it needs to be done."
While Ms Flood doesn't come from a particularly musical family, she said her parents were incredibly supportive of her cultural ambitions, and she hopes to offer the same level of support to young locals in the academy.
Along with after-school lessons Ms Flood said there would also be a travelling day academy where musicians would travel around local schools to teach music lessons.
She said 13 schools from Napier, Hastings and even Waipukurau had already signed up.
The academy's doors will open on Wednesday February 1 and more information can be found at www.napiermusicacademy.co.nz.
