Faculty
Ashley Diggs was born in Los Angeles, CA and grew up in Henderson, NV. It was in Henderson where she found her passion for music. She returned to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California where she received her BA in Music as well as her Masters of Art in Teaching Music. She has been teaching in South Pasadena Unified since 2011. Mrs. Diggs teaches general music at all three elementary schools and Intermediate and Advanced Orchestra at the middle school level.
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A native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mr. Farrell spent 8 years teaching Band and Orchestra in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA as well as serving as Professor of Oboe at Westmont College. In 2018 he was granted a Star Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Santa Barbara Unified School District. As an oboist, he has recorded for Sony Pictures and has performed with numerous groups throughout Southern California and the Bay Area.
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Tim Orindgreff is a multi-instrumentalist (Saxophones, flutes, clarinets, guitars, keyboards), a composer, and a producer originally from Wichita, Kansas. Tim attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music and then graduated from Kansas State University. He moved to California to pursue a career in music in the late 90’s. Tim has performed, written and recorded with countless artists: Eric Clapton, James Brown, The Black Eyed Peas, Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray, Fergie, Herbie Hancock, Earth, Wind and Fire, and many more. Tim is a resident of South Pasadena and began his teaching career in South Pasadena after the birth of his two children. |
Wylder Reinman (they/them) is a gender-nonconforming music educator committed to creating a music classroom where all students feel safe to develop and hone their unique artistic voice. Wylder received their BA in Vocal Performance from Sonoma State University and their K-12 music credential from San Jose State University. In 2018, San Francisco Unified School District awarded Wylder the DreamCatcher Award for their dedication to arts education. In addition to teaching choir at both SPMS and SPHS, Wylder conducts the choir at Shadow Hills Presbyterian Church.
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Jorge Padrón is currently the orchestra director at South Pasadena Middle and High School and a doctoral student at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. He is also the principal conductor for the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra and the assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra. He has taught teacher preparation courses at USC and Pepperdine, was a site conductor for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA program, and directed the district-wide honors orchestra for The Harmony Project. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Jorge was the orchestra director at Miami Palmetto Senior High School where he taught orchestra classes along with elective guitar courses, AP Music Theory, and sponsored the high school’s competitive mathematics teams. As a result of his work in the educational community, he was recognized by the Village of Palmetto Bay and the Miami-Dade County School District for his “exemplary public service.”
Dr. Walter Simonsen is a native of Southern California and has spent over 25 years as a professional musician and educator. He earned his BM in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas and his master's and doctorate of musical arts in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California, where he also served as the assistant director of the USC Marching Band. As a performer, he has worked with many acts, including Radiohead, Dream Theatre, Steve Miller, Bob Florence, Bill Holman, Michael Buble, and Brian McKnight. He has also performed at the Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, and Golden Globes. Dr. Simonsen is well known for his marching band designs and has created music and drill for over 100 marching shows for high school and college marching bands, including at the University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, Mt. San Antonio Community College, and East Los Angeles City College. He continues to lead his own projects, including The Red Light Brass Band, Trumpetology, The Walter Simonsen Deforestation Project Big Band, Speed of Light, The West Coast Edition, and The Walter Simonsen Swing Syndicate. |
MUSIC COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT COMING SOON!
If you are an alumni of SPUSD that has gone into a career in the visual or performing arts, we want to hear from you! Please consider clicking the link below to update us on your accomplishments and join our thriving SPUSD Arts alumni community. |