Todd Summers
Todd L. Summers is a 1990 graduate of Capital University Conservatory of Music, Columbus, Ohio. He taught instrumental music in Ohio for ten years prior to moving to California. He has been the Director of Bands at Gunn since 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Capital University Conservatory of Music (Ohio) and Master of Arts in Instrumental Conducting from Ohio University. His primary conducting teachers were Dr. Timothy Swinehart (Capital University Conservatory) and Dr. John Climer (Ohio University). He studied saxophone with Dr. Jim Carroll and Dr. Matthew James and clarinet with Dr. Rebecca Rischin. Mr. Summers also received a Masters in Educational Administration in 2003 from Santa Clara University, CA.
Mr. Summers was named Teacher of the Year in June 2010 at Gunn High School and received the California Music Educators Association “Gilbert T. Freitas Outstanding Bay Section Instrumental Teacher of the Year” in 2011. He served on the board of CMEA Bay Section as President from 2014-2018. Mr. Summers was inducted into the John Philip Sousa Legion of Honor in December of 2017 and was awarded the CMEA Bay Section Outstanding Music Educator in January 2020.
Sandra Lewis
Sandra Lewis teaches orchestra and band at Henry M. Gunn High School. She resides in San Jose, California with her husband Jason and their two sons. Mrs. Lewis began her musical training at the University of Hawaii where she studied both clarinet and violin and received a Bachelor of Music Degree. She completed a Master’s Degree in Violin Performance at San Francisco State University.
Passionate about chamber music, she was the recipient of the Morrison Chamber Music Fellowship. Participating in this program provided opportunities to train with the Alexander String Quartet known for mentoring aspiring musicians for careers in music. After receiving her Master’s Degree she served as one of three directors at The Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in Nelson New Hampshire from 1989-2000. In 1999 she went with Apple Hill Chamber Players to Amman, Jordan where they shared their “Playing for Peace” project. She continues to inspire young musicians to play chamber music and provides numerous opportunities for each member of the Gunn Orchestra to participate in chamber ensembles throughout the school year.
Mrs. Lewis started her tenure with Henry M. Gunn High School in August of 2002, teaching both band and orchestra. Her groups consistently receive Superior ratings at CMEA festivals and contests. She has performed at the CMEA Bay Section Conference and twice for the CMEA State Conference. Under her leadership, the Gunn Orchestra has collaborated with area high schools to sponsor joint concerts between schools, worked with world class conductors and composers, and performed in Stanford Lively Arts student matinee performances on the Stanford Campus.
Sandra Lewis was awarded the California Music Education Association Richard L. Levin Orchestra Educator of the Year for 2014 at the State Conference in February. She was also awarded the 2014 CMEA Bay Section Outstanding Orchestra Teacher of the Year, which was awarded at the Bay Section Conference on January 11, 2014.
Tiffany Ou-Ponticelli
Tiffany Ou-Ponticelli teaches orchestra at Gunn High School in the Palo Alto, CA. Ms. Ou-Ponticelli holds a B.A. in Music Education (viola) from UCLA and a master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Michigan. In the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, she studied viola with Richard O’Neill, and she received her teaching credential from the UCLA Teacher Education Program. Ms. Ou-Ponticelli has taught in the Palo Alto Unified School District since 2012.
Ms. Ou-Ponticelli currently serves as President of the California Orchestra Director's Association (CODA), as Secretary of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) national Board of Directors, and as Website Editor for California Music Educator’s Association (CMEA) Bay Section. She has also held positions as CODA All-State Orchestras Coordinator, CODA Secretary, CMEA Bay Section Orchestra Representative, and has served as a member of the American String Teacher’s Journal Editorial Committee. Ms. Ou-Ponticelli has presented at state and national conferences including ASTA and CASMEC, and has been an invited conductor for county- and state-level honor ensembles. She was the recipient of the 2022 CMEA Bay Section Outstanding Orchestra Educator Award, and the 2023 CMEA State Richard L. Levin Orchestra Educator Award.
Ms. Ou-Ponticelli is an active clinician, guest conductor, violist, and vocalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to her orchestral background, she is a lifelong choral singer and currently performs as an alto with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Ms. Ou-Ponticelli holds a Level III Orff Certification and is an advocate for incorporating Orff pedagogy in the secondary ensemble setting. Her research interests include musical self-efficacy, repertoire diversity, and solfège singing for instrumentalists.
Shawn McGinn
Shawn McGinn teaches Big Band Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Band II at Gunn and Elementary Band in PAUSD. Mr. McGinn has a B.A. in Music Education from Gonzaga University, with a Master’s Degree in Conducting from Southern Oregon University. Working previously in Morgan Hill, Mr. McGinn served as the Director of Instrumental Music and VAPA coordinator at the secondary level. He has guest conducted at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, and was named Teacher of the Year at his school sites in 2014, and 2018. Mr. McGinn has performed in a variety of ensembles in Japan and Europe. Mr. McGinn is celebrating 21 years in Music Education.
Ben Abada
Ben Abada teaches band at Gunn High School and JLS Middle School. Mr. Abada holds a B.M. in Music Education and received his teaching credential from San Diego State University. Prior to teaching in Palo Alto, Mr. Abada taught high school instrumental music in San Diego for two years and was awarded “Newcomer of the Year” by the CMEA Southern Border Section in January 2024.
During his time at SDSU, Mr. Abada was a dual Music Education and Trumpet Performance major and studied with San Diego Symphony trumpeter, John Wilds. He played in several SDSU ensembles, including the Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and Brass Quintet. His mentor teachers include Jeanne Christensen, Dean Hickman, Carrissa Mattison, and Harvey Tellinghuisen. Mr. Abada was recognized by the School of Music and Dance as a Presser Undergraduate Scholar and was selected as a Music Education Fellow in 2020.
Mr. Abada grew up in Sunnyvale, CA and graduated from Homestead High School. He marched trumpet in the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps in 2017, and Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets Drum and Bugle Corps in 2015. Outside of his teaching responsibilities, Mr. Abada enjoys spending time with his family, listening to classical radio, and playing trumpet in community groups.