Our Co-Founders
Davis Reinhart
Davis Reinhart
Davis Reinhart
Buellton native Davis Reinhart co-founded Muffin Music with a vision to transform his hometown into a music destination. In his role as CEO, Davis oversees Muffin Music's fundraising efforts, logistical operations, but perhaps most enjoys serving as a teaching and performance artist- putting his Michigan School of Music education to good use. As an accomplished composer, trumpeter, and pianist, Davis is passionate about great music and sharing his passion with the next generation of Santa Ynez valley students.
Learn more about Davis here
Sylvia Jiang
Davis Reinhart
Davis Reinhart
An internationally renowned concert pianist based in New York City, Sylvia has performed on some of the world's biggest stages and won many top prizes. Originally hailing from New Zealand, Sylvia grew up seeing and believing that great music can happen anywhere. In her role as Artistic Director and co-founder for Muffin Music, her goal is to provide a truly international calibre of performance and education to Muffin Music students and audiences.
Learn more about Sylvia here
Board of Directors
President: Davis Reinhart
Vice President: Marv Newton
Marv Newton, a proud Iowa native, found his calling in California after serving in the Air Force from 1964 to 1968 during the Vietnam War. He has dedicated over 54 years to entrepreneurship in the Santa Ynez Valley—first in the flooring and window covering industry and now as a leader in decorative lighting fixture manufacturing. His impressive portfolio includes projects for renowned casinos, restaurants, and stunning homes. A charter member of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church since 1978, Marv has actively contributed in various leadership roles, embodying community spirit and service.
Treasurer: Zane St. Andre Jackson
Zane St. Andre Jackson is a saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and teacher from Santa Barbara, CA. He is a recent graduate of UCLA with a BA in Global Jazz Studies, where he was fortunate to receive mentorship from many renowned jazz musicians including Terence Blanchard, Arturo O’ Farrill, and Mark Turner. He also has experience mentoring others, from private lessons with kids and adults to guest teaching the Santa Ynez Valley Jazz Band and volunteering as a tutor for the Cuesta College Jazz Camp. Now launching his career as a professional saxophonist based in Los Angeles, Zane is excited to be recording his first album, set to be released in 2025.
In addition to performing and recording music, he is now the Program Coordinator for The Jazz Bakery, a Los Angeles non-profit whose mission is to present the greatest jazz in the world to an LA audience at an affordable price. Zane hopes his work at The Jazz Bakery will help cultivate a younger audience for jazz and keep the music he loves alive and well for generations to come.
Member: Jeff McKinnon
Jeff McKinnon is a dynamic teacher, actor, and writer with 25 years of experience in Santa Barbara County, including 23 years at Santa Ynez High School, where he founded the SYVHS Theatre Group. Prior to teaching, he showcased his talent in regional theaters across the Midwest, West Coast, and Europe. Now residing in Solvang, California, he enjoys life with his wife, Carey, and their beloved cat, Charlie.
Member: Jeff Reck
Jeff Reck recently retired after an inspiring 41-year career as an English teacher at Santa Ynez Valley High School, where he served as English Chair for 20 years and coached basketball for 17 years. He passionately led students on transformative trips to destinations like London, Paris, and Morocco, fostering a love for culture and adventure. Now enjoying retirement with his wife, JoAnn, Jeff cherishes family time with their two adult kids and their newly born grandchild.
Advisors
Milda M. De Voe - speaker, author, founder and executive director of Pen Parentis
Milda M. De Voe - speaker, author, founder and executive director of Pen Parentis
Milda M. De Voe - speaker, author, founder and executive director of Pen Parentis
M. De Voe is a Manhattan-based fiction writer who has won awards and published short fiction in nearly every genre. She holds an MFA from Columbia University where she was a Writing Fellow and where she studied under Michael Cunningham, Helen Schulman, Joyce Johnson, and thesis advisor Matthew Sharpe. She won a fellowship to the 2008 St.
M. De Voe is a Manhattan-based fiction writer who has won awards and published short fiction in nearly every genre. She holds an MFA from Columbia University where she was a Writing Fellow and where she studied under Michael Cunningham, Helen Schulman, Joyce Johnson, and thesis advisor Matthew Sharpe. She won a fellowship to the 2008 St. Petersburg Summer Literary Seminars. The manuscript of her Columbia thesis won an honorable mention.
In 2013, De Voe founded Pen Parentis, a literary nonprofit organization that provides resources to authors who are also parents. The organization hosts an annual Writing Fellowship for New Parents and runs a popular reading series in Manhattan called the Pen Parentis Literary Salons, which is curated by Christina Chiu.
A member of both Equity and SAG/AFTRA, under the name Milda DeVoe, she appeared in many plays in New York City, including The Marriage of Bette and Boo, A Lie of the Mind, Baby with the Bathwater and The Heidi Chronicles (as the title role). She still does voiceover work in both Lithuanian and English, and is one of the Lithuanian voices of OnStar.
Scott Reed - Lane 4 Fundraising, former CEO of the Music Academy of the West
Milda M. De Voe - speaker, author, founder and executive director of Pen Parentis
Milda M. De Voe - speaker, author, founder and executive director of Pen Parentis
Scott was named President and CEO of the Music Academy in 2010 after serving as Vice President for Institutional Advancement. He served in that role through August 15, 2023.
As the Academy’s President and CEO, Scott Reed forged a number of transformative initiatives including partnerships with the New York Philharmonic and London Symphony
Scott was named President and CEO of the Music Academy in 2010 after serving as Vice President for Institutional Advancement. He served in that role through August 15, 2023.
As the Academy’s President and CEO, Scott Reed forged a number of transformative initiatives including partnerships with the New York Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra, the Mosher Guest Artist Program, an annual four-week String Quartet Seminar led by the Takács Quartet, a solo piano competition presented in collaboration with Steinway & Sons, Community Access programs cultivating new audiences, the Alumni Enterprise Awards, the Classical Music Evolution/Revolution Conference, and a Commissions and Premieres program.
Prior to his tenure at the Music Academy, Scott worked for the San Francisco Opera as Associate Director of Development and as a consultant for St. Luke’s Hospital Foundation.
Scott currently operates Lane 4 Fundraising with business partner, Jonathan Bishop, spearheading major fundraising drives throughout Santa Barbara County.
Scott Reed earned his bachelor's degree in Vocal Performance at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Linda Burrows - Social Worker and Program Coordinator for SYV Concert Series
Milda M. De Voe - speaker, author, founder and executive director of Pen Parentis
Linda Burrows - Social Worker and Program Coordinator for SYV Concert Series
Linda’s work has focused primarily on Child Advocacy, advocating for and establishing Music & Arts Education programs, and strengthening communities. She has served as president on many hard-working boards including The Children & Families Action Network (Alameda County, CA), Solvang School Education Foundation (“SAM”), Valley Community T
Linda’s work has focused primarily on Child Advocacy, advocating for and establishing Music & Arts Education programs, and strengthening communities. She has served as president on many hard-working boards including The Children & Families Action Network (Alameda County, CA), Solvang School Education Foundation (“SAM”), Valley Community Theatre, Santa Barbara Strings, and The Santa Ynez Valley Foundation. She currently serves as the series coordinator for the Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series, working to present a plethora of internationally recognized classical musicians in the Santa Ynez Valley. In 2017, she was honored as Woman of the Year by the Santa Maria Times and Santa Ynez Valley News as an advocate for youth education and the performing arts.
Linda has a Masters in Law & Social Policy and a Masters in Social Services from Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work & Social Research.