Lynda Smith started on the piano early in her life and was always fascinated by the instruments at her local record shop. Her love for classical music led her down the path of studying mu...
Tim Smith grew up in a very musical family as his father and uncle both wrote and record music. In fact, his uncle, Arthur Smith, wrote two of the most famous instrumentals in modern coun...
Greg Snyder has been the Director of Bands at Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio for 25 years. He talks here about some challenges that come with leading a music program and ho...
Kate Spates is a Co-Founder of The Academy of Musical Performance located in Indio, California. The AMP was the idea of Roman Whittaker who recognized the need to support music education ...
Kristen Spath treasures her many fond memories of making music with her father, a talented clarinetist in several big bands. Her passion for the piano was deeply influenced by the rich ta...
Alyce Spoto is the Beginning Band Director in Muscatine, Iowa, where she assists 4th graders in choosing their instruments and teaches 5th graders in the development of their technique. S...
Charles Staley is the Fine Arts Chair at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Illinois. He speaks about growing as an educator and the importance of placing students first to provide ...
Phillip Stanger began playing drums at an early age and took lessons from the famed percussionist, Roy Knapp. Phil remembers with great joy the first time he walked into Frank’s Drum Shop...
Sarah Strickland is the School Services Manager for Elefante Music in New Jersey. Her journey began in the rental program before she transitioned into teaching. In 2020, Sarah was promote...
Al Sturchio served the Texas Bandmasters Association for over 25 years as director and also as president. His passion and unbelievable energy has been a large part of the success of the a...
Morton Subotnick composed one of the earliest and most important works of electronic music. When his album “Silver Apples of the Moon” was released in the late 1960s, it represented an en...
Peter Sullivan grew up in a musical home with both his mother and father playing piano. Peter played piano, ukulele, as well as double bass as a youngster and became passionate about play...
Ira Sullivan was just three years old when he pulled his father’s trumpet out from behind the couch and began blowing into it. His father began teaching him how to play and by the time li...
Tom Sumner grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area where he not only played guitar in local bands but also worked in area music stores. While attending college Tom worked in music retail as...
Peter Suzuki's career parallels the rise of Yamaha and the highly successful Yamaha Music Schools in Japan and the United States. Mr. Suzuki started with Yamaha in 1962 as a retail keyboa...
Reiko Suzuki discovered her passion for music at a young age as she watched her father and mother operate a company that manufactured harmonicas and other instruments. This coupled with h...
Frederick Swann was one of the most famous organists of the last 50 years due to his many publications, recitals, church performances and his long run on the television program The Hour o...
Jim Swearingen began composing for his students. He soon realized his music was not only helping students learn to play, but was also encouraging them since the music was similar to popu...
Michael Sweeney has been heavily involved in all aspects of music education over his career in the music industry. Originally a public school band director, he’s been a full-time employe...
Tetsuya Takagi served as Executive Vice President of Yamaha International Corporation (currently Yamaha Corporation of America) and worked for Yamaha Corporation in Japan holding several ...
Crystal Taliefero is primarily a percussionist, yet she plays many other instruments including the bass and several wind instruments. In 1986, she began her long association with LP, her ...
Paul Tanner joined Glenn Miller's newly formed band in 1938 and recorded all of the band's hits including "In the Mood" and "String of Pearls." He often said "Everything the Glenn Miller...
Billy Taylor was first and foremost a jazz pianist. This fact might surprise some people who knew Billy best for one of a number of other careers he enjoyed in music, including teaching, ...
Bryce Taylor was one of the best known and respected bandmasters in the state of Texas. His school bands performed at the Midwest Band Clinic, TMEA, and the Texas Bandmaster’s Association...
Tess Taylor is the president of the National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP), which is one of the largest music business networks in the world. Tess formed the assoc...
Victoria Theodore has had some marvelous musical experiences both as a musician and teacher. Her first big gig was a seven-year stint touring with Stevie Wonder in his band. Being classic...
William Thomas is a recent retiree who served as first the head Band Director at Lakota East High School outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. He gives insights on the challenges and rewards of be...
Rob Thorsen, a distinguished bass player and revered music educator based in San Diego, embarked on his musical odyssey at a young age, exploring a myriad of instruments thanks to his par...
Chris Trombley found his footing in music education by stepping in as a substitute band director, a pivotal experience that sparked a lifelong commitment to empowering student musicians. ...
Mike Tyler has been involved with music his entire life, and at the age of five he was playing clarinet. He was a rock drummer while in college studying music education and was later a sc...
Michael Udow served as principal percussionist with the Santa Fe Opera from 1968 until his retirement in 2009. His work with Keiko Abe in Japan as part of Summit Brass, Equilibrium and th...
