 Koch studied music performance at the New South Wales State Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1987.He subsequently won scholarships to complete postgraduate study in classical guitar at the Madrid Royal Conservatory, gaining a Diploma of Music, and at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna.He later completed a PhD in Music at the University of Newcastle, with a thesis exploring the nature of creativity and the workings of the unconscious mind during the act of creation.