We have connections with the best music programs and instructors in Eastern Iowa. Please contact us if you want a recommendation or contact information. We have several of the most experienced teachers right at our Cedar Rapids location. Please contact us for more information about these and other instructors!
John holds a Master of Music degree from the Leonard Sorkin Institute of Chamber Music. While there he was a member of the Arreaux String Quartet. Prior to this he received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he studied on full scholarship with Myron Kartman. A strong proponent of the Talent Education Method, John has studied Suzuki violin pedagogy with Nancy Jackson, Alice Joy Lewis, Mark Bjork, and has studied viola pedagogy with William Preucil. In addition to owning Schultz Strings, John is on faculty at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City as well and as a faculty member at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, IA. John has developed many music festivals and is currently the executive director of the Corridor Honors Orchestra and Hilltop Chamber Music Festival. When not teaching and administrating he often plays chamber music concerts throughout the corridor area and occasionally performs with Orchestra Iowa and other professional orchestras. Away from music John enjoys spending many happy hours participating as a member of Rotary International working in training, leadership development and youth exchange. He is also an avid cyclist recently completing a cross country ride from San Francisco to Virginia Beach with his wife Rebecca and two young children.
Dr. Tyler Hendrickson began as a Suzuki student at age six, and . He holds a B.A. in Music from Luther College, a M.M. from Wichita State University and a D.M.A. from the University of Iowa. He was a fellowship recipient at the internationally renowned Aspen Music Festival and School. He has held positions with the Wichita Symphony and LaCrosse Symphony Orchestras. He was the founding violist with both the Franziska Trio and the Spiritoso Quartet. Dr. Hendrickson is deeply versed in Suzuki Pedagogy, having registered 20 core training units with the Suzuki Association of the Americas including multiple units with William Preucil, Sr (Recording Artist of the Suzuki Viola School) . He has been praised not only for his playing, but also his ideas, energy and understanding of Suzuki pedagogy leading to presentations at the 16th and 17th Biennial Conference of the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Dr. Hendrickson has taught across the country and worked with students aged 3 through 80. He has taught college students at Wichita State University and the University of Oregon. His students have gone on to honor orchestras, All-State orchestras, and performed at University of Oregon Basketball Games, the Iowa State Fair, and Carnegie Hall.
Robbie Gearhart is a musician and composer whose work extends over multiple musical genres including classical, jazz, and musical theatre. He began playing violin at age nine through the Suzuki Program, and bass at age 13. He continued his private and orchestral studies through college, and graduated from St. Ambrose University with a bachelor’s degree in K-12 music education in 2018. Robbie has experience working with students ranging from four to 18 years old in private, small-group, and classroom settings. His approach to teaching is characterized by his ability to diagnose problem areas in students’ playing, and apply appropriate solutions through both comprehensible language and physical demonstration. In addition to his work with orchestral instruments, Robbie also plays guitar and bass in the indie pop band, “The Horse Theory.”
Catherine Rinderknecht Moritz is a violinist dedicated to connecting with people through the shared experience of music-performing, teaching, and collaborating with others to enhance our human experience. Praised for her “innate artistry,” she strives to bond deeply with music and convey it with the utmost care, vulnerability and sincerity. An advocate for new music and collaboration, Catherine actively commissions and promotes new works for solo unaccompanied violin. In 2016, she commissioned and premiered a series of solo violin pieces for her project entitled, "There Is No Comfort Zone” and was a cocommissioner of Stephanie Ann Boyd's Amerigo violin sonata (2015), giving the Oklahoma premiere as part of the composer’s 50 State Sonata Project. In August 2019, she will begin a large-scale performance project called “Shared Stories” which will bring contemporary solo violin pieces to every county in Iowa. Catherine is pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts program in Violin Performance and Pedagogy at the University of Iowa. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance with distinction at the University of Iowa and her Master of Music degree in Violin Performance at the University of Oklahoma. Her principal teachers include, Scott Conklin, Hal Grossman, and Doris Preucil.
Rachel Peters is Principal 2nd Violin of Orchestra Iowa and Section Violin in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. Peters is a founding member of the Oak Quartet, which operates all Candlelight Concerts in Iowa. She has performed across the United States, United Kingdom, and Asia. In 2021 she completed her tenure as Assistant Concertmaster in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Collegiate degrees have been obtained from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (B.M.), Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music (M.M.), and she is currently pursuing a Doctoral Musical Arts degree from the University of Iowa. Peters served for six seasons as Concertmaster of Opera in the Ozarks. She has recorded commercially for Disney+, National Geographic, Cedille Records, the Charleston Symphony, and more. When not on the stage she works with her violin and viola students at Schultz Strings and is brought fluttering joy from her pet bird named Ori.
Over the past two decades Dr. Sam Stapleton has enjoyed an active career as a conductor, violinist, and educator. As a conductor Sam has served as the Music Director of the Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston New Music Initiative, as well as principal second violin and associate conductor of the Boston String Players. Stapleton has directed the orchestra programs at Central, Wartburg, and Augustana Colleges. Stapleton has also conducted numerous opera productions including Verdi’s La Traviata; Mozart’s Così fan tutte; Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia; Amahl and the Night Visitors, and The Medium, by Menotti; and others. Stapleton began his violin studies at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City, where he grew up, and currently resides. His teachers included Sonja Zeithamel and Doris Preucil. He studied with Dr. Richard Luby while earning his BM in violin performance at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. At the University of Iowa he completed his MFA in violin performance studying with Professor Katie Wolfe; and also his MA, and then Doctor of Musical Arts in orchestral conducting, studying with Dr. William LaRue Jones. As a professional violinist Stapleton has performed with numerous ensembles including Orchestra Iowa, the Dubuque Symphony, the Quad City Symphony, the Southeast Iowa Symphony, the La Crosse Symphony (Wisconsin), the Cape Ann Symphony (Massachusetts), Orchestra del Luigi Cherubini (Florence, Italy), and others. Sam currently has violin studios at the Quad City Symphony School, and in Iowa City, and is delighted to join Schultz Strings. Outside of music Dr. Stapleton enjoys reading, cooking, (eating), and holds the title of Certified Bourbon Professional. He also usually enjoys walking his sweet bassett-lab Frances Begonia.
Mike Hall has been an active member of the Cedar Rapids musical community for many years. He received a Bachelor of Music degree in violin from the University of Iowa as a Fairall scholarship student, and a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy from the Cleveland Institute of Music. His principal teachers have been Linda Cerone, Allen Ohmes, and Eugene Gratovich. Additional study has been with David Russell and Dorothy Mauney. He has studied viola with William Preucil and Veronica Salas. Mike received long term Suzuki teacher training with Michele George. He has taken additional coursework with Doris Preucil, Sonja Zeithamel, Alice Joy Lewis, Barbara Barber, Eleonor Allen, and Carrie Reuning. Mike was able to participate in special teacher workshops with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki during some of his last visits to the US. Mike is on the faculty of the Orchestra Iowa School where he currently teaches Suzuki and traditional violin and viola lessons. As an active instructor in Orchestra Iowa School's String Outreach Programs he has introduced thousands of elementary school students in Cedar Rapids to the violin through the Fifth Grade Fiddles program. He taught previously in the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory program, the Toledo (OH) Suzuki Institute, in programs in Des Moines, and at the Preucil School.
Bryce Christensen has lived in eastern Iowa since the age of two when his family left the farm in western Iowa to move to Iowa City. (His father planned to attend college at the University of Iowa.) Bryce attended kindergarten and part of first grade in Iowa City, then lived in Cedar Rapids until his graduation from Washington High School in 1979. He then went on to attend Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, graduating with his Bachelors Degree in 1983. He then returned to Iowa City to attend graduate school at the University of Iowa and received his Masters degree in Violin Performance in 1986. Bryce currently makes his home in Cedar Rapids with his wife, Kay, their dog, Peter and their cat, Chance.
Joel Peterson grew up as an active member of the Cedar Rapids musical community. Starting violin lessons at age six, Joel was Suzuki trained and attended several years of Suzuki music music camps in his formative years. Joel attended the Chicago Suzuki Institute, Ottawa Suzuki Institute, American Suzuki Institute, Credo Music Festival, and the Eastern Music Festival. As an accomplished violinist, Joel was the winner of the Muscatine concerto competition with his performance of Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 2. Joel received his Bachelor’s of Music in Violin Performance and Music Education from the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music where he studied with Dr. Samantha George. His private instructors also include John Schultz and his mother, Kris Peterson. Joel is a graduate of Linn-Mar High School.
Born in Fresno, California, but raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Andrew J Acosta is an active violist in the Eastern Iowa area. Starting his private studies with Andrew Steffen, Andrew found his love of viola playing in high school. He earned the full tuition Marshall Scholarship and studied with Dr. Michael Kimber at Coe College. He was also the winner of the Coe College Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition in 2018, playing the first movement from Cecil Forsyth’s viola concerto. Andrew recently finished his studies with Dr. Tyler Hendrickson at the University of Northern Iowa, pursuing his Master's in music. Aside from being a fine player, Andrew loves to cook and currently attends St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church.
James Ellis is a cellist from St. Clair Shores, Michigan and has received three music degrees. A Bachelor from Western Michigan University, studying with Bruce Uchimura; a Masters from the University of Georgia, studying with David Starkweather; and a Doctorate from the University of Iowa, studying with Charles Wendt. James has played with 17 professional symphonies in Michigan, Georgia, South Carolina and Iowa. He currently maintains a private studio in Iowa City, and in Marion at the Marion Music Academy and Schultz Strings, and also teaches at Cornell College. He has been principal cellist at various times with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, the Southeast Iowa Symphony, the Waverly Community Orchestra, and the Quad-Cities Symphony. For three years, he has played with a fledgling new music group, the Durward Ensemble. James also plays regularly with the Iowa City Community Orchestra and the Iowa City Chamber Singers. In his spare time, he works at Pleasant Valley Golf Course in Iowa City.
Hanna Rumora, cellist, is a committed teacher who has worked with students of all ages and experience levels. She has completed Suzuki Certification under Grace Field and Andrea Yun. As a performer, Hanna co-founded Room 1078, a string quartet committed to commissioning, premiering, and recording new works. Hanna has performed with Eighth Blackbird and with members of the Silk Road Ensemble, as well as recording alongside the JACK Quartet. As a cross-genre artist, Hanna has performed with varied artists from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra to Michael Buble and a Beatles Tribute band. You can hear her play on Room 1078’s debut album, By the Skin of Our Teeth, and an upcoming recording of John Luther Adams’ Sila: The Breath of the World. She recently won the American Prize in Chamber Music with her piano-clarinet ensemble, Quartet Granitique. Hanna received her Master of Music degrees from the University of Michigan where she studied with Anthony Elliott and Amir Eldan; she is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts with Anthony Arnone at the University of Iowa.
Carey has been conductor of the Iowa City Community String Orchestra since 1998. Born and raised in Granville, Ohio, he came to study at the University of Iowa in 1993. He holds a MFA in orchestral conducting as the last student of James Dixon, and a DMA in cello as a student of Charles Wendt. Carey is the incoming Artistic Director of Red Cedar Chamber Music and is the former Principal Cellist of Orchestra Iowa. He is a member of the conducting faculty at the Preucil School of Music, and has served as conductor at Coe College, Grinnell College and Lawrence University. Carey is an active clinician as both conductor and cellist throughout the region and actively promotes new music. Carey lives in Iowa City with his wife, Miera Kim, a violinist, and their two sons, Oliver and Adrian.
Leah Anderson has been teaching piano for 19 years, and enjoys leading piano lessons filled with widely diverse music, captivating to whatever level of development the individual is at. Leah studied piano performance on scholarship at the University of Iowa with Dr. Rene Lecuona, and received Suzuki training with Caroline Frasier at the Suzuki Institute at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. Leah was also a longtime student of respected Russian pianist Helena Khomchenko. She is a member of IMTA (Iowa Music Teachers Association), and MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) .In 2003 she completed Music Together teacher training at the Center for Music and Young Children® in Princeton, New Jersey. Possessing a European pianistic style and method of training, Suzuki Method's--Mother Tongue Approach, and Music Togethers’ Philosophy, The Four Principles of Music Together®. These methods and philosophies have influenced her personal style and method when leading piano instruction. Leah believes that we are all born musical and that fundamental musical growth starts at age 0 and that the musical ability of a parent or caregiver, does not determine the child's own musical ability. She is confident that what ultimately determines musical growth is the environment at home, the expanse of music being played or listened to, and how we interact with it. Leah believes these initial early childhood experiences with music allow natural listening to occur and develop— which nurtures a strong connection and passion with music. Leah and her family live on an acreage where she enjoys spending time with their 2 dogs, 2 goats, enjoys many house plants, gardening, and painting.
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