Our Tremendous Staff
Jeff - Piano, Advanced Piano, Brass
Music Director, INSTRUCTOR - 4S RANCH
Jeff was born into a musical family. Both parents played and sang, and Jeff picked it up immediately. He began formal piano lessons at age five and never looked back. He loves all types of music but his piano teacher in high school made the mistake of introducing him to “The Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin. Ragtime immediately became his music of choice, and he still loves it today. In sixth grade he began playing the trombone and in high school he taught himself bass guitar to complete his first rock band with two of his friends.
Jeff began arranging and composing in high school. He continued his musical education and earned his BA in Music from California Lutheran University. He studied arranging and composition under Elmer Ramsey and conducting under C. Robert Zimmerman. He composed several scores for CLU Drama productions and arranged several orchestra and choir pieces for the annual CLU Music Department tours. Jeff majored on trombone in college and played in the Concert Band, Pep Band, Orchestra, Dixieland Band, Brass Quintet and was a member of the Conejo Symphony Orchestra from 1980 until the symphony ceased operation in 1994.
Jeff has taught beginning through advanced band and spent six years teaching music at his alma mater of Santa Ynez Valley Union High School. There he taught Concert Band, Pep Band, Choir and Jazz Band. He also formed the Santa Ynez Valley Musical Theatre which brought both students and adults together for musical theatre productions.
Jeff believes that everyone should develop their love for music. He loves teaching and watching a student progress and improve their skills. He teaches that music does not come from the page but from the soul.
Sean - Classroom, Improv, Theatre, Piano, Vocals, Guitar
INSTRUCTOR - 4S RANCH
Sean is originally from Illinois and has lived in Los Angeles, New York City, and Torino, Italy. He is a member of the Actors Equity Association and has an MFA in Physical Theatre. He sung as a cast member at the Venetian Casino in Las Vegas and Macau, China and performed on musical theater stages from Kansas and Utah to Venice and Milan, Italy. he is an accomplished guitarist and songwriter and composed the score for the feature film Act Social.
Sean is the Artistic Director of the Exuberant Theatre Company. He recently wrote and starred in PUPPY LOVE at San Diego International Fringe Festival. He has performed with and coached a number of improv teams in New York City theaters including Broadway Comedy Club, PIT, Magnet, and UCB. His directing credits include the feature film ACT SOCIAL starring Colin Mochrie (Winner-Film Heals Award-Manhattan Film Festival-New York, NY) and VELO, a solo clown show (Official Selection-Rooted Moon International Theatre Festival-Sardegna, Italy). Sean relocated to San Diego in early 2023 and is excited to bring his honest and encouraging teaching style to America's Finest City.
Tamara - Vocal, Piano
Instructor - 4S Ranch
Tamara is an opera singer, who made her international stage debut at the Macedonian Opera in the title role of Verdi’s AIDA in 2008. Since that time, Tamara has performed close to 100 critical acclaim performances of Aida in Europe, as well as various other roles in opera houses throughout the USA.
In Germany, Tamara performed regularly as a concert soloist with the Klassic Philharmonie of Hamburg. In Spain, she was the featured guest artist with the Setmana Lirica de Santanyi Orchestra of Mallorca. She toured extensively throughout Spain singing concerts in the cities of Jaca, Escaldes, Vielha, Amurio and Orense. In the United States, Tamara performed as a solo artist with New York City Opera, the Midland Symphony, New York City American Composer’s Orchestra, the New Haven Symphony, the One World Symphony and the Gateway Symphony Orchestra.
Throughout her singing career, Tamara maintained private vocal studios in the United States and Europe, working with singers of all ages, from beginners to established professionals. She’s worked with a variety of musical genres such as: classical, musical theater, jazz, pop, R&B, indie, rap, country and gospel artists. In her 18-years of vocal and pedagogic training from noted international vocal pedagogue David Jones, Tamara developed important therapeutic skills to remedy many common vocal issues.
Known for her Warm-up Workshops, Mock Auditions and Performance Masterclasses, Tamara knows from first-hand experience that singers with a solid vocal foundation are more confident on stage and in the recording studio. Tamara is passionate about helping singers discover vocal freedom in a fun, creative, positive and nurturing environment.
John - Guitar, Drums, Piano, Bands, Classroom
Instructor - 4S Ranch
John has been mastering the art of guitar playing for over 30 years. A graduate of the Musicians Institute (MI), he has remained actively involved in the music industry, working with prestigious companies like Gibson. Although John recorded an album with the band Ten Years Late and toured extensively, he is primarily a solo artist, having released three albums on his own.
John has been teaching professionally for over 12 years. In addition to guitar, he teaches other instruments, including piano, drums, vocals, and bass. He teaches all popular styles, including Rock, Flamenco, Jazz, Pop, and more. With his eclectic taste and expertise in multiple genres, John offers students the opportunity to explore any style they desire. As your dedicated teacher, he is committed to helping you achieve your musical goals.
Megan - Choreographer
INSTRUCTOR - 4S RANCH
Megan Alves caught the dancing bug when she was 3 years old & has loved it ever since. She was born & raised in Connecticut & was grateful for her close proximity to New York City, where she spent much of her time dancing & training. Megan received her Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Dance & Dance Pedagogy from Point Park University with concentrations in both jazz and modern dance.
For well over a decade, Megan has been teaching dance & theater to students from age 3 up to adults! She has taught a range of dance styles from ballet, to tap, jazz, tap, modern, contemporary, theater, hip-hop, & more. While Megan enjoys teaching all styles of dance, she particularly loves getting to work within the world of musical theater. It is exciting to help her students learn how to use movement to effectively express & tell a story. Megan has had a wide range of teaching opportunities, from youth theater programs, to numerous dance studios & she was even asked to create her own course for undergraduate business students to teach and demonstrate leadership skills through the lens of dance.
In addition to teaching and choreographing, Megan has had a fruitful career performing in musical theater across the country! Some of her favorite show’s she has had the opportunity to perform in are: Cats, A Chorus Line, An American in Paris, 42nd Street, Bye Bye Birdie, Mamma Mia, Hairspray & Evita, among many others. Megan also spent over a half a year in Hawaii performing for Norwegian Cruise Line as their ship’s dance captain.
Randy Lindquist - UAV Pilot, Media, Photography, Videography
INSTRUCTOR, PHOTOGRAPHER, VIDEOGRAPHER, MEDIA
Randy Lindquist has owned and operated his media business (R3 Services) for over 20 years. What started out as a fun hobby, developed into a passion and later into a career.
A 3rd generation San Diego native, Randy has studied film locally and abroad. Working with Global Industries such as Google, 3M, YKK, Point Blank Industries, Panda Express, 5.11 Tactical and more – he grew to love video more and more. Locally Randy has worked with the San Diego Symphony, Rady’s Children Hospital, The Cities of San Diego, Chula Vista, La Mesa, El Cajon.
In High School Randy started a successful wedding and special event company which to this day still provides ALL-INCLUSIVE wedding and event packages (Catering, Flowers, Photo, Video, DJ, Cake, Tables, Chairs, Linens etc.). It was also during High School that Randy was hired provide video-only services for the Soupplantation Corporation. That experience started him off on his video journey.
Randy and his company R3 Services now work closely with a variety of First Responder teams all over California including the Navy Seals, Special Forces, FBI, Police Departments, Fire Departments, SWAT, Search & Rescue as well as other agencies. With a strong desire to give back to his community, Randy and R3 Services have provided media services for the PATH organization, San Diego City College’s unsheltered program as well as the HOME program for San Diegans who are having a hard time in life.
For many years, one of Randy’s focuses on media has been LIVESTREAMING and LIVE Camera switching for Musical Groups, Theaters, Bands and other performances. Randy was fortunate enough to develop these skills years ago before covid made it cool to livestream.
As a licensed UAV Pilot, Randy also enjoys aerial photography and videography.
He is a fierce entrepreneur who loves a good idea and advocates for its success (Randy acknowledges that he probably gets this from his mother who believes she has a million dollar idea come into her head several times a week).
A graduate of UCSD, Randy lives in the San Diego area with his wife and two kids.
Melissa Spurgiesz - Founder, Coordinator, Accounting, Classroom, Theater Director
A little over 10 years ago, Melissa and her husband, Scott, decided to sell their business and leave their jobs to create a music school dedicated to developing musicians. That school is Music Pillars. With over 12 teachers, 7 schools, and 300+ students, Melissa operates and coordinates all schedules and events for Music Pillars. She also is the head of our accounting department.
When she isn’t busy with administrative portion of Music Pillars, Melissa teaches elementary and secondary music education to children ages 3 to 15. For over a decade, she has been teaching music and creating music curriculum in various environments. From large theater groups to small private school classrooms, she loves seeing the personal growth of her students.
In her spare time, Melissa can be found either on the beach, on a run, or cheering on the sidelines of one of kid’s sporting events with her husband, Scott and 4 kids.
Scott Spurgiesz - Founder, Interim Music Director
Scott is committed to giving students and parents a world-class music teaching environment. He constructed and developed the "Pillars" of Music Pillars. This was developed by both experiencing the various schools of thought regarding music pedagogy, and then also working as a paid musician. Pillars is a fusion of Suzuki, Classical, Kodaly, and Jazz. He made a wonderful living as a pianist from the age of 15 until 25. Totaling over 3,000+ actual hours performing live (for all you math-scholars, that is the equivalent of being on stage 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 18 months). He was a Merit-based Buck Family Music Scholar from the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music.
Because of that dual background in a formal classical conservatory, and also as a paid musician, Scott set out to establish music studios in the U.S. to teach "musicianship" rather than simply technical mastery on the piano (classical training) or cheapening music education by just learning a few "cool rock songs" and having that somehow equate to a musical education. He has a patent in Molecular Epidemiology for his pioneering work on VNTRs in M. Tuberculosis (patent link). Prior to founding Music Pillars, Scott founded Forte Commercial Cleaning and franchised the business through over 100 franchises in California, Utah, and Nevada. Scott received his MBA from UC Berkeley. He lives in San Diego with his wife Melissa, and their four children. When he isn’t working, Scott enjoys soccer, reading, running, boating, fly-fishing, market investing, and chess.
To read more about our teaching philosophy, please click here.
