Ms. Amy Suggs comes to the Legacy Ranch High School School Private Lesson staff after serving as a band director for 10 years. Ms. Suggs taught at Tom Glenn HS in LISD as a founding staff member and director from 2016-2022. Prior to Glenn, Ms. Suggs completed five years in the Austin Independent School District, teaching at James Bowie High School.  Ms. Suggs holds a Bachelors of Music Education Degree from Texas Christian University. While at TCU Ms. Suggs was a member of the Horned Frog Marching Band, Symphonic Ensemble and Wind Ensemble. She’s performed at venues including Carnegie Hall, the USS Midway,  the Rose Bowl and the 2011 Super Bowl.

Ms. Suggs has been playing flute for over 20 years and has been developing flute players in her respective band programs and feeder middle schools for the last 10 years. Ms. Suggs has had multiple All-State flute players in her programs and even taught private lessons to double reed students seeking to learn flute for marching band. Ms. Suggs’ ensembles and students have received superior ratings at UIL Marching Contest, UIL Concert & Sightreading Contest, and the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest. Under her direction, her programs have been UIL State Marching Band Contest Finalists, PASIC, Bands of America Regional, Super Regional, and Grand National Finalists, and a recipient of the John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Shield in 2013.

Ms. Suggs holds professional affiliations with the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, and Tau Beta Sigma.

With over six years of teaching experience in Central Texas and Austin, Shelby Avants shares her passion for music while considering her students' goals and individual learning styles. 

In 2019, Shelby earned her Associate of Arts in music at Temple College. In December 2021, Shelby earned her Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance at Southwestern University. Currently, she is working on her Master's Degree in Performance and Pedagogy at Texas State University.

Shelby customizes every student's learning experience to their goals, interests, and learning styles.

She loves teaching classical, jazz, and pop while incorporating history, theory, and ear training.

Shelby's personal goal for her students is to balance reading sheet music with learning music by ear to empower her students to be adaptable in any given musical situation.

Michael Rey is a professional trumpet player residing in Austin, Texas. In a city known for its live music, he has carved an impressive path for himself, in not only performance, but instruction, adjudication and studio work as well.

A founding member of the acclaimed Austin-based horn trio, The Fresh 2 Def Horns, Michael has busied his performance schedule with groups of many varying genre. From the Grammy award winning Latin piece, Grupo Fantasma, to another Grammy-awarding winning artist, Country singer/song writer Rick Trevino, to say he is a versatile musician is a gross understatement.

Michael has been a long-standing performer at the well-known jazz venue, The Elephant Room, down in the basement on Congress Ave. in downtown Austin; a place where many aspiring Austin transplant musicians hope to one day cut their teeth on the same stage that has been graced by the likes of Wynton Marsallis and Harry Connick, Jr. He is among the elite who have had that opportunity, and he has done so on hundreds of occasions - showcasing his chops as the “high note guy” in various established local jazz ensembles.

In between performances, local and on tour, Michael also has quite the rap sheet as a recording artist, playing both solo and within a horn section. He can be heard on the four records of esteemed Austin group, The Nightowls, many tunes featuring horn lines on which he collaborated creatively as well. Most notably, he has found himself blowing away within the walls of the famed Sun Studio, where Elvis Presley was discovered, in addition to being in the talented hands of Grammy-award winning producer Laurence “Boo” Mitchell at renowned Royal Studios.

For almost 15 years, Michael has been a private trumpet instructor, working with kids from the time they first put a horn to their mouth, to when they’re preparing their college audition material. He has coached several students who have excelled in district, region and state competitions, and many of his mentees have achieved the highest accolades during solo and ensemble performances.

Mr. Rey, as they call him, has helped them hone the skills necessary to enter confidently into their respective universities as aspiring music students. Some of his former students are pursuing their own musical dreams at Stephen F. Austin University (Michael’s alma mater), Oberlin Music Conservatory, Texas State, the University of Texas, and the University of North Texas.

He has had the honor of being an adjudicator and guest artist at jazz festivals on an annual basis. For the past 15 summers, he has paid homage to his Alma Mater by traveling back to Nacogdoches, Texas, to lead trumpet masterclasses, teach private lessons, and perform as a guest artist with the campers.

Dr. Michael (Mick) Pierce is a retired band director with 35 years of teaching experience at all levels of education, from elementary through college. He received his Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Pierce taught music and band in several states but most of his experience has been in Texas, including 23 years in the Georgetown Independent School District at Tippit Middle School.

These days find Mick teaching private lessons on French horn and other brass instruments, leading the First United Methodist Church, Georgetown orchestra, and playing in the Cinematic Symphony, a group of highly talented amateur musicians based in Austin, Texas. Mick also takes a couple of weeks in the summer to fish in Canada.

Daniel Gostein is a graduate of Northwestern University with a master's degree in percussion performance, and performed with orchestras, chamber ensembles, and musical theater productions in the Pittsburgh area. As a soloist, Daniel has won concerto competitions with orchestras across the U.S., as well as reaching the semifinals of the 7th World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart. 

Jonathan Pereira is an Austin-based percussionist and educator. As a classically trained percussionist, he feels equally at home performing classical, jazz, or popular music. Mr. Pereira holds degrees in music education and percussion performance from Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY (BM 2013, MM 2016). He spent several years teaching instrumental music in New York State public schools and private percussion lessons before relocating to Austin in 2018. He has extensive performance experience in wind ensembles, orchestras, and pit orchestras for musical theatre productions, and currently performs with Flechaus, an indie folk band based in Austin.