Jeremy Wuertz – Music Director

Mr. Wuertz has been teaching music at SDA for 18 years. During that time, SDA’s performance ensembles have received numerous awards and Superior performance ratings. Prior to becoming the Band Director at SDA, he served as the Assistant Band Director at Vista High School for 2 years. He received his BA in Music Composition from UCLA and his Masters in Instrumental Conducting from Sam Houston State University. Mr. Wuertz was named SDA’s Teacher of the Year in 2011. He is a member of the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association and the California Music Educators Association. In addition to teaching, Mr. Wuertz plays percussion professionally in San Diego with the Seaside Brass. He resides in Vista with his wife Robin, their children Peyton and Parker, and their five animals. He is also a huge baseball fan – Go Padres!

Steve Ebner – Brass Instructor

Steve first picked up a trumpet in the fourth grade and was playing professionally in a dance band by his second year of High School. He continues to play professionally to this day. Trained at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, he now splits his time between playing and teaching music. Proficient in many styles of music, he has played with such legendary musicians as Sammy Davis, Jr., Kenny Rogers, Lou Rawls, Patty Page, Bobby Shew, and Poncho Sanchez, as well as many favorite local groups and musicians. As well as The Ultratones, Steve has played with The Big Time Operator and The Soul Persuaders, as well as various local Salsa and Jazz Bands.
Currently, Steve is the leader of The Jazz 88 All-Stars; a group organized to provide an outreach for the non-profit radio station, KSDS. His film and television credits include: Pearl Harbor and Manhattan, Az. For the last eight years, he has been the Musical Director for NAMM (North American Musical Manufacture’s Association) which is headquartered in Carlsbad, California. He is a brass coach for Digueno and Oak Crest Middle in Encinitas as well as the Artistry in Music Program, which includes all 9 Elementary Schools in Encinitas, CA. He also serves as the Band Director for Jefferson Elementary School in Carlsbad. As a studio musician in Los Angeles working for Bizarre/Planet Records he has recorded with many global and local artists.

Alina Steele – Woodwind Instructor

Alina Freiman Steele(M.M.) has been teaching flute since 2001. A member of the MTAC Music Teachers’ Association of California, Mrs. Steele or ‘Ms. Alina’ as most students call her, is also on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Flute Guild. She received a Bachelor of Music from DePaul University School of Music in Chicago, and a Master of Music from New York University. Very fortunate to have studied with some of the most highly regarded flutists of our time, her principal flute teachers have included Linda Chesis, Mary Stolper, and Robert Dick. Ms. Alina continues to be an active performer in chamber and orchestral settings and is a member of the National Flute Association.