The Story of Musical Surprise
Musical Surprise opened in the Harris Family living room in 2008 with a goal to make music accessible to everyone– regardless of their age or ability. The following year, it moved to an office park near Reems and Grand Ave and quickly grew to 125 students by offering piano, guitar, voice and drum lessons, music therapy services and preschool music in one location.
January 2nd of 2012, Musical Surprise moved to its current location at 303/Bell Rd so that it could continue to accept new students into its programs. By this time, lessons in all instruments were available, and a small retail area was added to the studio.
The studio continued to grow steadily, and expanded into the neighboring suite in November of 2013 to total more than 5,000 square feet! By adding more lesson studios and quadrupling the size of the retail store, Musical Surprise was able to provide band and orchestra instrument rentals for students in local schools as well as repair & sell instruments. Soon, digital keyboards, ukuleles, and supplies and accessories for most instruments were also available. There is also a wide variety of books and sheet music, along with music themed gifts and jewelry. We now offer thousands of retail selections from various vendors.
The teaching studio includes 10 private studios, a keyboard lab and a larger classroom for group classes. A comfortable waiting area welcomes students and parents for waiting clients. There are now 30+ amazing teachers who are degreed/certified educators, professional performers, and college music majors who provide lessons in most instruments as well as early childhood music programs.
Musical Surprise currently provides lessons to nearly 800 students each week, and is your one-stop-shop for ALL things music! Lessons, Retail, Rentals, and Repairs, we do it all!
CEO/Founder, Lance Harris
Lance Harris is the Co-Founder/CEO of Musical Surprise. In this role, Lance coordinates the Marketing, Finance, and Operations teams for Musical Surprise. A big believer in Music Education, Lance supports creating a strong foundation for Music Education Programs, as well as helping to create other programs for all age groups.
Lance has over 28 years of Business Management experience with a focus on Marketing, Technology, Operational Management and Business Expansion. Prior to starting Musical Surprise, Lance held roles as Vice President, Director of Operations and Consulted with various companies on direct response advertising and achieving key performance levels in customer service and operations.
Passionate about Musical Surprise and its possibilities, Lance has worked to increase technology, operational procedures, and multiple campaigns to help in meet future expansion goals.
Lance obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Southwestern Oklahoma University with emphasis in Marketing and Management. Lance also received American Society for Training and Development and Triple “C” Certification from the University of Oklahoma.
To contact Lance Harris please send emails to lance@musicalsurprise.com or request information at www.musicalsurprise.com.
Studio Director, Megan Williams
Megan Williams has been an integral member of the Musical Surprise team since March 2017. As Director, Megan oversees a wide range of responsibilities, including marketing, event management, social media, and community outreach. She is also in charge of front desk administration, student scheduling and billing, retail inventory, and purchase orders. Additionally, Megan manages instrument rentals and repairs in collaboration with our affiliate, Music & Arts.
Prior to her role as Director, Megan served as Studio Manager, where she gained extensive experience in the daily operations of the studio and developed strong relationships with students, families, teachers, and patrons. Her deep understanding of the business and operations has been instrumental in fostering growth.
In 2020, Megan graduated with an Associate in Arts degree from Glendale Community College and transitioned to a full-time management role at Musical Surprise. Since then, she has been dedicated to refining systems, improving internal processes, and helping the business expand—nearly doubling in size since her start in 2017.
A hobbyist musician, Megan enjoys singing and was a member of GCC’s Concert & Chamber Choir during her studies. She can also be found performing with the Teacher Band at Musical Surprise events. Outside of work, Megan is an avid baseball fan (Go Padres!), a runner, and values spending time with her loved ones.
To contact Megan Williams, please send emails to megan@musicalsurprise.com
