Our Music Royale Family

Jesse McNamara - Store Owner & Instructor

Jesse McNamara first witnessed the power of music as a 10 year old when his father took him to his first concert – The Clash. Later that same year he got a guitar and began taking lessons at Coyle’s Music a few blocks from where he lived in Columbus. While in music school at Capital University, Jesse began selling guitars and teaching music at Sawmill Music Center. In 2002 Sawmill Music closed and Jesse opened Music Royale as a music store focused on offering the same neighborhood feel that he experienced at Coyle’s 20 years earlier. Today, Jesse is busy playing music and raising his two girls Maybellene and Everly, who also take music lessons.

Josh Jonak - General Manager

Josh realized his passion for music at an early age and dreamed of playing guitar after seeing the movie La Bamba. Once he got his first guitar at 12 years old, he was hooked and never looked back. A few years after moving to Ohio for college, Josh started working at Sawmill Music Center where he first met and started working with Jesse. Josh has been part of the Music Royale team since the very beginning in 2002 and in 2012 he was promoted to General Manager.  Josh has been in various local bands and has played professionally throughout Central Ohio. Outside of work, Josh enjoys spending time with his wife, two daughters and their Bernedoodle.  

Sara McCluskey - Director Of Operations & Instructor

Sara was introduced to independent music stores when she began taking private guitar lessons as a child in the 1990’s. Weekly lessons to the local Columbus shops planted the seed that drives her passion for independent music stores today. Sara joined the Music Royale staff in 2008 and shortly after being promoted to Sales Manager, she added teaching to her resume– something that came very natural to her. Sharing her passion for music and inspiring students to find their voice through an instrument is something she relates to on a personal level. Sara has performed in a variety of professional cover bands since the age of 15, including The Eleventh Hour and The Mighty Ikes.

Scott Gorsuch - Guitar Luthier & Instructor

Scott Gorsuch has been playing guitar for over 40 years. A bit of a mad scientist– Scott also builds his own guitars and amps, has a background in pipe organ building, and is a recording engineer at Musicol Recording Studio. With years of teaching experience under his fingers, Scott teaches all levels of guitar from beginner to advanced.

Megan Wetzel - Staff & Instructor

Classically trained and musically motivated, Megan teaches complete musicianship techniques applicable to many genres such as: classical, pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, fiddling, and improvisation. Students will learn music from method books, school songs, pop music, and more.

Thane Leshner - Staff & Instructor

Thane Leshner is a Columbus-born guitarist and vocalist who began playing in 2005. He graduated from Capital University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Music where he participated in choir and the school rock ensemble.

Thane has worked with rock bands for 10 years and written and recorded over 30 original songs. He currently performs locally and regionally with Why Omen and RK Maroon and also has experience on drums, keyboard, bass guitar and mandolin.

Sean Perry - Instructor

Despite being only 22 years old, Sean is a seasoned musician. He grew up playing Irish traditional music, and competed in various feissana across the United States. Sean traveled to Ireland 6 times to compete in the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the largest and most famous of Irish music competitions worldwide.

Rob Cave - Instructor

Rob Cave has been playing classical piano since the age of four, and studied piano performance under Juilliard graduate W. Eugene Hudson at Jacksonville University. After returning to Columbus for graduate study, a hand injury forced an early end to classical performing, but lead to a very successful performing schedule as a keyboard player in Columbus. Rob has played with prominent local acts The Moonbats, Wolf Ram Heart, The Pretty Filth and more, and is always in demand as both a performer and a teacher.

Caleb Hutslar - Instructor

Caleb Hutslar, native of Worthington, Ohio, graduated from the Fort Hayes School of Music with the State Board of Education Award of Distinction for musical excellence, and obtained a Bachelor of Music degree from OSU in piano performance in 1993, under scholarship. His teachers, over the years, included George Haddad and Andre LaPlante in classical piano and David Wheeler, Hank Marr and Tom Coster in jazz piano.

Nick Labita - Instructor

Nick began studying the piano when he was 5 years old. He went on to study jazz piano at Capital University under the late and great Mark Flugge and graduated with a B.M. in Music Industry/Media. Since graduating he has been active in the Columbus music scene in many bands playing everything from jazz to metal. He is currently the bass and keyboard player for the Dirty Money Live Karaoke Band.

Jon Boley - Instructor

Jon Boley was born and raised on the east side of Columbus. He graduated from Walnut Ridge High School and was a member of the Ensemble under the direction of Mr. Phil Wallace. He attended Michigan State University and performed in numerous musical groups and bands.

Deanna Sweeney - Instructor

Deanna Sweeney has been a widely recognized name in the Central Ohio music community by both musicians and music fans alike for over 20 years. She grew up in a family of musicians and was heavily influenced by the roots oriented music they would play. Since then, she has developed a love for a variety of different styles such as rock, blues, country and jazz.

Kelly McLennan - Instructor

Originally from Defiance, Ohio, Kelly McLennan holds a Bachelor of Arts – music education degree from Bowling Green State University. She has been professionally singing for 30+ years.

Tim Perdue - Instructor

Tim Perdue received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the Conservatory of Music at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio in 1991, and has since been teaching privately in the Columbus area. He is available for lessons in all levels of trumpet performance (beginning to advanced), music theory, jazz improvisation and beginning- to intermediate-level studies on other brass instruments (french horn, trombone, euphonium, etc.). Tim offers flexible courses of study tailored to each students needs. Lessons focus on learning the basic skills and techniques needed for playing the instrument, as well as additional work in other areas of interest to the student, including marching band, concert band, jazz band, orchestra and solo literature.

Seth Daily - Instructor

Seth Daily has been playing percussion since he was five years when he played snare drum with a community orchestra. Seth also studied percussion at Music Royale and participated in Music Royale’s very first Rock School session. Seth went on to graduate from Capital University in 2012 with a degree in Jazz Studies, Professionally, Seth has performed with the likes of Roger Hines, Bobby Shew, Mark Colby, Byron Stripling, Sunny Wilkinson as well as being contracted as a musician for CATCO musicals, and he has recorded music for several albums. In addition to playing and recording, Seth has also composed music for big bands, video games, and small ensembles. He currently plays with 6 local bands, and is regularly called for jazz gigs. Seth has taught all over Ohio, with marching bands, elementary schools, and various music camps.

Larz Raymond - Instructor

Larz is a graduate of Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California, where he specialized in drums and percussion, with continued education at Berklee College of Music and Capital University. Larz began playing at age 5 and began performing professionally at age 14. He played snare drum in the Lancaster High School marching band where he also performed in symphonic band, percussion ensemble, jazz band and pep band.

Dylan Cole - Instructor

Dylan was born in Columbus and was raised in Lewis Center, Ohio. He began taking guitar lessons at Music Royale in 2006. He developed a passion for playing guitar by participating in multiple Rock School workshops. After graduating high school Dylan attended the Recording Workshop in Massieville, Ohio. Once he completed the CORE program he moved to Los Angeles to attend The Musicians Institute to study Guitar Performance and Audio Engineering.

Dean Inboden - Instructor

Dean is an experienced musician who has been playing guitar for over thirty five years. In that time, he has performed with members from Lawrence Welk including Dick Dale, Jackie Martin, the Texas Troubadours, the Hager Twins, and Kenny Price among others. For the past twenty years, Dean has taught in various locations around Columbus and is able to teach most styles of music to any age or experience level. When Dean isn’t in the teaching studio, he can be found at Rome Recording where he has been an engineer and studio musician for over seventeen years.

Phil Smith - Instructor

From an early age Phil was exposed to a variety of musical instruments and styles. He grew up performing with family members who were professional musicians and quickly became proficient at drums, guitar, bass guitar and piano. As his musical skills progressed, he focused on guitar and his interests led to the study of music theory, music history and classical guitar.

Ron Brzoska - Instructor

Ron “Ronnie” Brzoska was born and raised in Cleveland, OH, but began his music career while attending The Ohio State University , where he graduated with a business degree.  He has been active in the Columbus music scene since 1991 and has played in multiple bands, most notable the Americana band, the Troubled Souls.  He is primarily self-taught, although he fondly recalls his own time as a guitar student as a child.  He has taught guitar and ukulele at Music Royale since 2005 and his teaching style can be best described as laid-back, chill and low-pressure. His goal as a musician and a teacher is to not only teach the craft of musicianship, but foster a student’s love of music.  His styles include rock and roll, R&B and country and western.  His favorite guitarists are Keith Richards, JJ Cale and Steve Cropper.

Greg Sharp - Instructor

Greg Sharp has been playing guitar for over 30 years, and has been a teacher of guitar and ukulele for more than 20 years. He has a wealth of live performance experience spanning many styles – rockabilly, surf, country, funk, blues, reggae, and metal are all a part of his live performance resume. Greg’s musical experiences inform the individualized curriculum he develops for all of his students – from playing rock at CBGB’s in New York City to playing ukulele in Honolulu, Hawaii. Greg shares his experience and love of many musical styles with his students in a way that allows them to develop their own musical voice and become lifelong musicians.

Carolyn Cline - Instructor

Carolyn Cline is a pianist, violinist, performer and educator from Columbus, Ohio. Carolyn began her practice and performances at a young age. She graduated from Capital University with a music degree studying under world renown names such as Dr. Tianshu Wang, Seymour Fink, and Mark Flugge. She has performed and recorded with groups such as the Columbus Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Capital Symphonic Winds and Boston Brass, while accompanying and performing with various professionals in the greater Columbus area.  Carolyn has also performed internationally in New Zealand and Japan. To date, she has accompanied for Columbus School for Girls, the Columbus School for the Blind, Meadow Park Church of God, Bethel Road United Methodist Church, the Little Theater Off Broadway, and many more.  She is currently a resident accompanist for Groveport Madison High School and enjoys writing her own music in her spare time.

Paul Baker - Instructor

Primarily a bassist, Paul graduated from Otterbein University in Spring 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music – Jazz Studies Concentration. He has performed with numerous local musicians across many different styles and has recorded two albums comprised entirely of original material.

Sydney McSweeney - Instructor

Sydney McSweeney is a vocalist from Columbus, Ohio who at a young age developed a deep love of music.  That love directed her to Otterbein University where she studied classical voice and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts in music. Most recently, Sydney sang with the renowned bass player FOLEY and she performs as the lead vocalist of the Sydney McSweeney trio.

David Swank - Instructor

Since an early age, David Swank has developed a love for all things music. From record collecting, to learning and performing in a variety of sets and settings, David has been immersed in music and creativity all his life. Naturally, this led to a desire to teach and share this passion with his many students over the years.

Race Lerma - Instructor

Race Lerma has been playing violin since the age of four and has grown up in the string music scene of Northwest Ohio. His background and training include 12 years of private instruction from various teachers in Fostoria and Findlay, OH., 2 years of private lessons at Ohio Northern University under Professor Sunny Zank, And the past 4 years at Capital University’s Conservatory of Music studying violin performance and music business, as well as two years of parallel training in piano. Race has been teaching private lessons in Findlay and Columbus off and on for the past 6 years.

Troy Kunkler - Instructor

Troy began playing percussion in middle school band. He went on to study music at Ohio University, where he studied classical percussion with Roger Braun and Joseph VanHassel and drum set with Guy Remonko. In college, Troy participated in as many ensembles as possible and was known for borrowing large stacks of scores from the library to read through. Since college, Troy has played, toured, and recorded with a variety of bands and ensembles on drum set, bass, and vibraphone.

Dr. Gaby Valladares - Instructor

Dr. Gaby Valladares is a native of Santa Clarita, California. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the University of California, Santa Barbara, she made her way to Ohio, where she has established herself as a clarinetist and teacher around the city of Columbus. She has performed with local symphonies, such as the Westerville Symphony, and has performed with symphonies in California, including the Symphony of the Canyons. She is also part of the Held-Together Wind Quintet, which was awarded the Barbara and Sheldon Pinchuk Arts-Community Outreach Grant. This quintet also had the honor of opening for the Imani Wind Quintet at the Southern Theatre in March 2022. She also served as the President of the ClariNetwork Association, whose efforts have funded masterclasses featuring world-renowned performers and teachers. With Dr. Sarah Jaegers, she is a member of the DesertLake duo, who have performed at ICA’s 2020 Clarinetfest.

Katey Hardesty - Instructor

Katey Hardesty is a graduate of Capital University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Saxophone Performance and Jazz Studies. She grew up on Coshocton, Ohio where she learned how to play saxophone, flute, clarinet, and piano.

Josh Sheik - Instructor

A seasoned drummer for over 30 years, Josh specializes in teaching all skill-levels, with students ranging in age from 4 to 74.  Josh has a fun and engaging approach to his teaching, and also has extensive experience teaching drums to students on the Autism spectrum, Cerebral-Palsy, and Kabuki Syndrome, among with other physical-challenges. Josh has also written a complete drum curriculum specifically for children.

Eryn Reynolds - Instructor

Eryn Reynolds is a voice music lessons instructor specializing in Rock, Pop, Country and Musical Theatre styles.

Originally from the Cleveland area, Eryn developed a passion for entertainment at a very young age and started her career in Cleveland’s theatre and film scene nearly 15 years ago. Her experiences have landed her opportunities all over the world including Off Broadway in New York and with the Royal Shakespeare Company in England to eventually signing on as a lead vocalist, dancer and sketch comedian at Shadowbox Live in 2016.

Aster Kanke - Instructor

Music has always been Aster’s life passion, and they love to share and help cultivate that passion with their students in music lessons. A nonbinary composer and pianist, Aster holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Miami University and a Masters in Music from Wright State University. Aster has arranged music for cabarets, accompanied vocal recitals, played recitals at anime conventions, released instrumental music on Spotify, and has even been sampled by the Wu-Tang Clan. In 2022, Aster had their orchestra piece, “Tone Poem in G Major ‘Rain-Songs,’” premiered by the Wright State Chamber Orchestra as part of their Fall Strings Festival. Aster lives in Columbus, Ohio, with their fiancee and their cats.

Miranda Demos - Instructor

Trained at the Dearmond Academy of Music, Miranda started playing flute when she was 10 years old. She went on to study at Mt. Vernon Nazarene University and Messiah University, performing in a number of concert bands and symphonic orchestras. In addition to her classical training, Miranda loves experimenting with different musical styles and tones on various wind instruments, including ocarinas, bamboo flutes, and penny whistles. She loves the music scene in Columbus and you can find her singing and playing flute in local bands and venues around town.

Tulia Spurgeon - Instructor

Tulia Spurgeon is a recent graduate of Otterbein University, earning a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance with a minor in Education. She is passionate about using music to foster community, celebrate diversity, and deepen understanding of traditional school subjects.

Jack Walbridge - Instructor

Jack Walbridge earned a Bachelor’s degree in music from Susquehanna University in 2012. Jack has taught guitar, bass guitar, upright bass, and ukulele for over 15 years. Jack Is currently playing guitar for Shadowbox Live. In addition to teaching, Jack has worked as an Off-Broadway pit musician in New York and as a Session musician and composer in Los Angeles. Jack has also worked as a freelance composer and has had his music featured on television and in movies including Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Real Husbands of Hollywood, and Being Mary Jane. Jack is currently living in Columbus, Ohio.

Emily Mulvany - Instructor

Emily Mulvany is an oboist with over a decade of ensemble and individual experience. She started playing the oboe right here in central Ohio. Oboe was her instrument of choice through intermediate, middle, and high schools. Her private lesson teachers during this time included George Edge (band director at Grove City High School) and Drew Keller (music professional).

Emily then earned a scholarship to play oboe at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. During this time she studied under the instruction of professor Jack Cozen Harel. In Akron she played in top, collegiate level, ensembles for five years while pursuing degrees in engineering.

While her day job may not be playing music, Emily loves the oboe! The oboe remains an important part of her life that continuous to bring her joy. She is excited to share her knowledge of, and passion for, this instrument with students. Her aim as a teacher is to help each student reach their oboe goals in an environment that challenges them to be their best, and that emphasizes the fun of playing music.

Gordon Perkins - Instructor

Originally from Columbia, South Carolina, Gordon began learning guitar at seven years old. His passion continued with school band in middle and high school, giving him an early foundation and deep appreciation for music.

Brent Badger - Instructor

Brent has been an active drummer/percussionist for over 40 years.  He studied the full range of percussion instruments, including drum set, throughout middle and high school at the Paul-Mueller Percussion Studio in Indianapolis with instructor Richard Paul, who had served as the principal percussionist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.  Brent has experience in multiple musical settings and instruments, including orchestral and marching percussion, musical theater, and on drum set in jazz, worship, and rock and pop groups.  As a multi-instrumentalist, Brent is passionate about the role percussion plays in supporting the music and the ensemble.  As an experienced marketing and technology leader, Brent is equally passionate about the value of music education in enabling success in life and leadership in non-musical careers.  His goal with students is to unlock their love and appreciation for music, rhythm and groove and give them tools to pursue their individual musical goals.