1954 his parents, Bob and Vickie Spahn started the Park Forest Conservatory[8][9] with Chicago professional musicians like Linus Carroll,[9] Art Hodes[10] and Bill Tinkler teaching music.

In high school Jay Hoel,[11] Cecil Gorey and Watt Jones[12] promoted his music projects, a rock band, productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell.

Historically, this was the first fully outed gay male trio that boasted of being “Equal Opportunity Employers” by introducing Tom as their heterosexual pianist - Gotham specialized in the great standards of the 1930s and 1940s.

While doing all the above he has composed and arranged original underscoring for continuing dramas like the Emmy Award-winning daytime serial, ABC’s All My Children and Guiding Light for Judy Rybak Supervising Producer.

[20] Currently, he continues his work at Sesame Workshop, and has several projects in development, City of Light that he wrote with Beverly Ross, Hot Ice - with Michael Pace and Francesca James and works with Ray Kennedy (VP of Entertainment, USO - New York) arranging updated versions of the American classic and patriotic repertoire for the 60+ member USO Show Troupe[21] that tour all over the world to support our service men and women in the military.