Susan Spain, Director

Ms. Spain earned her Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Mississippi State University, then went on to earn Master's degrees from The University of Memphis and The American Band College at Sam Houston State University.

Ms. Spain's first teaching position was at Coldwater High School in Coldwater, Mississippi. Feeling a bit adventurous, she then moved to Alamogordo, New Mexico, where she taught at both the middle and high school levels. Upon returning to Memphis, Ms. Spain taught at Kingsbury High School before being hired by the Shelby County School system. After teaching at Mt. Pisgah Middle, Germantown Middle, Southwind Middle, and Riverdale Elementary, Ms. Spain moved to SFMS/WCMS full-time in 2012.

Melanie Schuette, Assistant Director

Ms. Schuette earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education in 2013 from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. After college, Ms. Schuette went on to teach middle and high school band in Hamilton County, Illinois for one year, and then moved on to teach middle and high school band in Fayette County, Illinois for 3 years. Ms. Schuette went back to school to pursue her Master’s degree in Wind Conducting from Southern Illinois University, from which she graduated in 2019. Following her master’s program, Ms. Schuette moved to College Station, Texas where she taught at a private saxophone studio for the next year. Looking to move back into the public school system, Ms. Schuette accepted a job teaching middle school band in Horry County, South Carolina where she taught for the next 3 years, until she accepted a position with Collierville Schools in the fall of 2023.