Staff & Luthiers

John M. Schultz, President & CEO

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 has served on the 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. 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.

Rebecca R. Schultz, Vice President & COO

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point where she studied Arts Management. She has also completed coursework towards a Masters in Accounting. Rebecca has worked for non-profits in the areas of fundraising and administration for both the arts and higher education. Some of the organizations include the Schauer Arts Center, Tucson Pima Arts Council (TPAC), Cornell College, and the University of Iowa Foundation. As a Co-Owner of Schultz Strings she worked from 2009 to February 2014 behind the scenes doing HR, Accounting, and other administrative tasks. In February 2014, Rebecca joined Schultz Strings full time adding overseeing the day-to-day operations to her administrative duties.

Brytton Pollock, Store Manager & Luthier

Brytton specializes in string instrument set up and restoration. He joined our staff in August 2012. He has studied string instrument repair with John Schultz, David Pope and other professional luthiers. Brytton is a member of the Cedar Rapids Community String Orchestra. He studies viola with Jessica Altfillish at Kirkwood Community College and has studied violin with Natalie Brown, Annie Savage, and Andrew Steffen. He is studying Business Management at Kirkwood Community College.

Piper McGee, Educational Services Manager

Piper started learning violin and piano by ear at a young age in her hometown in Minnesota; she played with the Winona Fiddler’s Club, directed by Betsy Neil, until moving to Cedar Rapids, IA to further her studies. While at Coe College, Piper was a member of Mu Phi Epsilon - Mu Psi, Concertmaster of the Coe College Symphony Orchestra, and a volunteer musician at local hospitals and nursing homes (sometimes in collaboration with Mu Phi Epsilon). Piper graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree focused on Music and Psychology. After graduating, Piper spent time abroad before moving back to Cedar Rapids to partner with a CR-based record label and compose, improvise, and perform alongside fellow musicians. In addition to vigorous involvement in music, Piper embraces any opportunity to venture into the wilderness and treasures each moment spent off-the-grid.

Robbie Gearhart, Office Assistant

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.”

Andrew Acosta, String Specialist

Andrew is an aspiring violist and has participated in and has earned leadership roles in major music festivals. Andrew was recently awarded the prestigious Marshall Scholar at Coe College where he will study music education. Aside from being a fine player and very knowledgeable about accessories and supplies Andrew is developing as a luthier. Besides his music interest he loves to cook and going camping outdoors. "Viola is love, Viola is life" -Andrew Acosta and Brytton Pollock.

Anna Wolle, String Specialist

Anna Wolle is an artist, musician, and writer who has devoted a large part of her life to the arts and arts advocacy. A person of many interests, she sees music as a unifying factor that has significantly impacted the different stages of her life. Since the age of four, Anna has studied classical violin in her home state of Iowa, and later added other musical opportunities such as opera study, jazz improvisation, and musical theatre. Anna received her B.A. in French and visual art from St. Olaf College. Shortly after, Anna moved to Dakar, Senegal on the west coast of Africa to found Teranga Strings (Teranga meaning 'hospitality' in the Wolof language) as an El Sistema-inspired social venture which connects students of many ages and economic backgrounds to violin lessons. While in Dakar, Anna also joined guitarist and folk story writer Elhadji Leeboon to form the band Groupe Leeboon: Anna and Elhadji. Wanting to bolster Teranga Strings and learn more through experience and graduate studies, Anna moved back to Cedar Rapids, IA in April of 2019. There, she is working as a violin teacher and string specialist. She is also subbing in local Eastern Iowa symphonies, playing chamber music with her cellist younger sister Ella, and always looking for more creative projects to follow.

Bradley Affolter, String Specialist