“I grew up in a small town, with little to no music education. Sure we had music class in elementary school, but all-in-all, nothing that furthered my personal growth as a musician.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Music Box is that it gives students the tools and personalized instruction to be able to speak the musical language.
I would have loved a program like Music Box as a kid, with their band program and all the opportunities to perform in the community.
So now I am extremely proud to be part of THIS educator team. ”
Alex Ovando. Owner. Academic Director.
Alex is the Music Box founder and most avid advocate. He is originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala, but his love for music & passion for teaching, rooted him in Memphis TN, where he has taught guitar, bass, piano & drum lessons for over 20 years.
Alex’s vision for Music Box is to teach music as a language, and assemble a team of like-minded educators who help evangelize Music Box’s mission: to help aspiring musicians become a happier, more confident version of themselves.
Outside of Music Box, Alex enjoys investing in local community and spending time with his wife Yelena and their two very musical children - Marco & Sofia.
Lindsay Reeves. Piano & Voice Teacher.
Lindsay is a piano & vocal teacher at Music Box. Coming from a family of musicians, she has loved music ever since she was a little girl. She began taking piano lessons at 5, and began singing in middle school. She is currently pursuing a vocal performance degree at the University of Memphis, and feels honored to have been the 2021-2022 recipient of the Ethel T Maxwell Voice scholarship. Lindsay has sung with multiple ensembles at the University, ranging in genres from contemporary to opera, and is currently in an a cappella group “Blu” and the university’s flagship ensembles, “University Singers” and “Chamber Choir.” Lindsay is also a part of the University of Memphis’s opera program, and has performed in operas such as Puccini’s “La Bohème”, and Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Médium.”
Lindsay has been teaching piano and assistant-teaching choir for several years now, and feels honored to continue her teaching career at Music Box!
Sean Roman. Piano & Music Production Teacher.
Sean is a piano teacher at Music Box with an enduring love for music that traces back to his high school years. Sean’s love for piano began with playing in a school jazz Band, and quickly evolved into an unwavering passion and ignited a lifelong commitment to music. Presently pursuing his degree in Audio Engineering at the University of Memphis, Sean also dives into the creative realm of music production.
Sean currently performs with various jazz and pop ensembles, where he plays piano and an electronic wind instrument.
Outside of Music Box, Sean enjoys arranging music and cooking breakfast, no matter the time of day.
Karoline Larsen.
Voice & Piano Teacher.
Karoline Larsen (Soprano) is a Voice and Choir educator at Music Box. Even before she could talk, she has been singing. Born and raised in Memphis, she has expanded her musicianship to classical, jazz, contemporary, musical theater and a cappella music. She is a devoted teacher and aims to connect and learn from her students.
Karoline has vast choral and performance experience from participating in Tennessee’s first collegiate performance of a Choral Opera, Radio Hour by Jake Heggie to Puccini’s La Bohème. as a chorus member. Karoline also recently performed as Jack’s Mother in Sondheim’s Into the Woods at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival of 2023.
Karoline is a former president of the University of Memphis’ [blu] a cappella group who was selected for the National A Cappella Conference in Orlando in 2022 and the OneVoice Invitational of 2023.
Karoline is currently in her fourth year of studies at the University of Memphis and is an honorary recipient of the Dr. Barbara Mashburn Choral Music Education Scholarship.
Marshall (Hill) Huffman.
Guitar, Ukulele & Piano Teacher.
Marshall is a guitar and ukulele teacher at Music Box. Born and raised in Gilt Edge, Tennessee, he began his music learning journey in a middle school band as a percussionist, and picked up the guitar shortly after and played all through high school. Marshall is now finishing up his Commercial Music degree in Guitar Performance from the University of Memphis and studies under Dr. Patrick Sutton, and hopes to pass both his passion and knowledge of music to others his is now teaching.
Marshall is also performing locally, on stages like The Bluff, The Lamplighter Lounge, and The High-Tone.
Outside of Music Box, Marshall likes nature, hiking with his dogs, and spending time on the computer.
Zeke Wright
Drums, Guitar, Ukulele & Piano Teacher.
Zeke Wright is a piano, drum, guitar, bass & ukulele teacher at Music Box. He is a singer/songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist, originally hailing from Ohio. Committed first to keeping creativity in music, he has made efforts to develop unique styles not only in instrumental performance, but also in writing both music and lyrics for personal projects - including his debut EP, released in 2022.
Marco Ovando. Drum Teacher.
Marco is a drum set educator at Music Box. He began his music studies at the age of 3 and now plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and sings. Marco has learned to play drum set and other percussion instruments at Music Box, at Stax Music Academy and at Houston Middle School.
At such young age, Marco has already been recognized as a member of TN All-State Treble Choir and 2nd Percussion Chair of the All-West Band. He also studied under Greyson Nekrutman and Todd Sucherman at the Memphis Drum Shop, performed on Beale Street, at GPAC, Cannon Center, Delta Fair stage, and many stages in Germantown, Collierville and Memphis.
Marco hopes to continue his music learning journey at Music Box and the Houston High School as part of the Jazz, Marching and concert bands, and eventually get a music degree. Meanwhile, Marco’s hobbies are traveling, playing video games, recording drum covers and hanging out with his family and friends.
Sherry Zhang. Piano Teacher.
Sherry Zhang is a piano teacher at Music Box. She is originally from Taiwan and has been playing piano since the age of 8.
After receiving her Bachelor’s of Music degree from the National Kaohsiung Normal University she pursued her Master’s Degree in Music Therapy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Sherry has been teaching piano for 10 years and researching, training in and working with Music Therapy for the last 5.
Sherry is an award-winning pianist and received many recognitions in her career: first prizes in the Berlin Music Competition, Gold Prague Musical Instruments Competition, Taiwan Cultural Music Competition, and an honorable mention in the Joyce Adams Curtis Concerto Competition in 2018.
Sherry speaks English, Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese, and in addition to piano, also plays guitar, flute and Chinese traditional instruments.
Outside of Music Box Sherry enjoys yoga, spending time with her husband Eric and their cat.
Daniel Young. Drum Teacher.
Daniel is a drum teacher at Music Box. Originally from Louisville, KY, he is from a military family, so moved around frequently, ultimately settling in Memphis.
During his high school years at Millington Central, he discovered his passion for drumming and joined the percussion section in the school band, and then continued on to the concert band, marching band, and percussion ensemble.
After graduating from high school, Daniel was awarded a Music Scholarship to the University of Memphis to pursue a degree in Music Education. At U of M, he’s played percussion and drum set in many ensembles, including Mazi, Tigerchor, Opera, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Percussion Ensemble, Mighty Sound of the South, and Pep Band.
Daniel also studies under George Lawrence, plays drums for The Ethan Smith Band, at churches in the greater Memphis area, and serves as a Battery Tech for the Bartlett High School Marching Band.
Outside of Music Box, Daniel enjoys video making, biking and reading.
Ty Matthews.
Voice & Piano Teacher.
Ty Matthews is a Voice & Piano educator at Music Box. From the age of 10 Ty started playing Piano at church and shortly after also became one of their lead vocalists. Ty holds a Bachelors Degree in Music performance from University of Texas at Arlington, a Masters Degree in Music Performance from Oklahoma City University, and is now pursuing a Doctorate in Music from the University of Memphis. Ty has sang as a lead vocalist in many bands and has toured on countless occasions around the United States. He also sang in many music festivals, such as South by Southwest (SXSW) and Warped Tour. Through the years Ty enjoyed leading various Musical Theater programs as an accompanist and a vocal coach, as well as helping other vocalists with audition prep.
Learn more about Ty
Dana Vasileuskaya. Voice & Piano Teacher.
Dana is a vocal and piano educator at Music Box. She knew that music was her passion since she was very young and started taking piano and voice lessons at the age of 5. After going through 7 years of classical vocal instruction, she got to be a soloist in the choir “Decima”. Dana studied in the Pedagogical University and got her Bachelor degree in Ministry and Vocal Performance from the Christ for the Nations College, in Belarus. While in Belarus, Dana worked as a vocal teacher in the children musical theater studio, called “Rocket” and taught vocal private lessons.
Dana is currently pursuing her degree in modern music and singing at the Visible Music College, under Dr. Andrew Lee Harper’s instruction. Outside of Music Box, Dana loves to perform live with bands and as a solo-singer. She also loves to study the physiology and anatomy of a vocal instrument, and teach her students to sing healthy and freely, as well as help them find their best authentic sound.
Jeremy Wright. Band Director.
Jeremy L. Wright is a traveled and studied jazz and commercial music guitarist from Memphis, TN. He has performed at the 2023 Memphis Music Hall of Fame Induction and the 2023 TN Arts Awards, at the Lowell Folk and Virginia Folk Festivals, musical productions, such as Stuart Benjamin's pilot project "Heart of Soul (2016)", wide-ranging jazz ensembles, session work, and as a general business musician, all since 2013. As a working guitarist, Jeremy approaches each musical situation with sensitivity, integrity, and adventure. Jeremy’s philosophy on music is that it is Divine. “It's my privilege to be skilled and wholesome enough to push the music beyond sonic vibrations."
Off the bandstand, Jeremy works as a composer and music transcriptionist. He's had experience as a lead music instructor and guitar instructor in various settings teaching youth, co-developing music curricula, and coaching beginning to pre-college leveled ensembles for r&b, jazz, and pop.
Jeremy has worked as a Music Director at The Stax Music Academy from 2020 to 2022 and as a middle school Music Director from 2022 to 2023.
“For the time I’ve been at Music Box, the staff and students alike have been nothing but welcoming, encouraging, and always ready to learn (teachers included). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working alongside colleagues that share the same love for music as I do and are eager to learn new techniques and styles to pass on to their students. Students at Music Box are unlike any students I’ve seen. They are always supportive of one another and excited about music. My vocal students are open-minded in every lesson and I’ve consistently seen immense progress in each lesson from every one of them. I couldn’t be prouder to have taught these wonderful musicians, and I know their hard work will help them grow in their musicianship incredibly. ”