Instructor List
Brian Widder: Owner and Piano Instructor
Brian Widder received a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from
the UW-Platteville, and has a Master of Music degree in
Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the UW-Madison. He
has been teaching piano privately for over 20 years. He
is also an active performer in the Madison area for
weddings, receptions, dinner parties, & other special
events.
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Chris Allen: Guitar,
Banjo, Mandolin, and Ukulele Instructor
Chris Allen has been teaching students age five and
up since 1998. Chris received both a Master of Arts and
Bachelor of Arts degrees in classical guitar performance
from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SUIC).
Chris was active in the SUIC Jazz Ensemble, and has been
performing in other ensembles with established musicians
in Southern Illinois. Chris is currently pursuing a
Doctorate in classical guitar performance with a minor
in jazz studies at the UW-Madison.
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Stacey Binder: Violin Instructor
Stacey Binder received the Master of Music degree
in violin performance from the UW-Madison, where she was
a student of Vartan Manoogian. In addition to teaching
private lessons for 14 years, Stacey was an Upper
Strings Sectional Coach and a chamber music coach for
the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra (WYSO). She also
has served as a judge for WYSO and for WSMA's Solo and
Ensemble Festivals. Stacey has been a substitute
violinist for the Madison Symphony Orchestra and has
performed in productions by the Four Seasons
Theatre. Stacey has an interest in teaching the violin
to the visually impaired. Her article "Rewards and
Challenges of Teaching Blind String Students" was
published in the February 2002 issue of the American
String Teacher.
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Christopher Cramer: Guitar Instructor
Classical guitarist Christopher Cramer began his
music studies at the UW-Manitowoc, where he won a number
of awards including the UW-Manitowoc County Fine Arts
Award in the Area of Music. He went on to complete his
undergraduate training at the UW-Milwaukee and the
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, where he won first
place in the annual WCM scholarship competition in
classical guitar. Continuing his studies at the
UW-Madison, Dr. Cramer earned both his masters and
doctorate degrees in music performance under the
direction of renowned guitarist Javier Calderon.
While at the UW-Madison, Dr. Cramer undertook an
intensive study of instrumental conducting with
respected conductor and pedagogue David E. Becker,
ultimately leading to a doctoral minor in the discipline
and the opportunity to work with the UW-Madison Symphony
Orchestra.
From college campuses to performing arts centers, Dr.
Cramer has performed in the United States, Canada, and
Taiwan. In addition to performing as a solo recitalist
and as a soloist with orchestra, Dr. Cramer is also an
active chamber musician collaborating with various
instrumentalists and singers. In the fall of 2008, Dr.
Cramer joined the faculty at Beloit College where he
teaches studio guitar lessons and directs the guitar
ensemble program. He also teaches guitar related courses
at the UW-Madison and the UW-Rock County. Former faculty
engagements have included Edgewood College and the
UW-Manitowoc.
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Timm Gould: Piano, Saxophone,
Flute, and Clarinet
Instructor
Timm Gould has over 36 years of teaching and performing
experience. Timm holds a Bachelor of Music Education
degree from the University of Northern Iowa, and a
Masters in Performance from the UW-Madison. Timm has
played second clarinet in the Wisconsin Chamber
Orchestra since 1986 and also plays in the Caravan Gypsy
Swing Ensemble. His experience with other musical forms
includes playing clarinet and saxophone with Yid Vicious
(Klezmer), the Reptile Palace Orchestra (world music),
and clarinet with The Music Fix (contemporary trio).
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Kriss Hamilton:
Piano and Flute Instructor
Kriss Hamilton was born and raised in Wisconsin. She received
a Bachelor of Music Education degree from the UW-Eau
Claire and a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance
and Pedagogy from the Wichita
State University. She has taught private music lessons
in a wide variety of settings, including homes, music
stores, and schools.
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Jeff Larsen:
Guitar, Electric Guitar, Music Theory/Composition Instructor
Jeff Larsen has been performing with bands and doing
solo guitar concerts for over thirty years, and has been
teaching students for over twenty years. He plays most
styles of music, and specializes in jazz, progressive
rock, classical, and fingerstyle solo guitar. He has
released three CDs, including Spirits of St. Paul --
the score to a musical play he composed; Threads
-- a jazz-rock mixture of covers and originals; and
most recently, Jeff Larsen plays Emerson, Lake, and
Palmer -- solo fingerstyle arrangements of ELP's
best. He won a 2009 MAMA (Madison Area Music Award) for
Best Classical Piece of the Year, Suite for Two Guitars.
Having written over 100 pieces of music, he is able to
help guitarists become composers as well as players.
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Jennifer
Lloyd-Jones: Voice Instructor
Jenafer Lloyd-Jones, Soprano, holds a Bachelor of
Music in vocal performance from the University of
Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She has taught
voice privately since 1993. She has enjoyed performing
in various places through out the U.S. Favorite roles
include: the Countess from Marriage of Figaro, Tatiana
in Eugene Onegin, and Butterfly in Madame Butterfly.
Since moving to Wisconsin in 2000, she no longer travels
extensively but still sings often in the Madison/Spring
Green area. Jenafer believes that everyone can sing and
one of her greatest joys is helping students discover
their own voice.
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Jeff Marks:
Percussion, Piano, and Guitar Instructor
Jeff Marks has been teaching music for over 20 years
and has a Master's degree in music from Wichita State
University. He has played drums professionally in a wide
variety of styles. He also marched with the Americanos
Drum and Bugle Corps. He is a former member of the
Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra.
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Laura Mericle:
Violin and Suzuki Violin Instructor
Laura Mericle holds a Master of Music degree in
violin performance from the University of Wisconsin,
where she studied with David Perry. Laura received her
Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College, where she
studied music and economics. While a student at Barnard
she studied violin at the Manhattan School of Music with
Peter Winograd. An active orchestral and chamber
musician, Laura has played with the Madison Symphony
Orchestra, the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, the Columbia
University Bach Society, and several chamber ensembles. She is currently a chamber music and orchestra coach for
the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras and works
closely with violin pedagogue Bonnie Greene.
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J. Adam Shelton: Voice
Instructor
J. Adam Shelton, lyric tenor, has performed twice as
an apprentice with Des Moines Metro Opera where he
performed the role of “Elder Gleaton” in Susannah with
composer Carlisle Floyd in attendance. During his first
season, Mr. Shelton sang “Rinuccio” in Gianni Schicchi for
the one-act festival. He is a three time recipient of
the Ratcliffe award in the Southern Arizona Opera
Guild's "Quest for the Best" competition as well as the
grand prize winner of the Amelia Reiman Opera
Competition, and the second prize winner of the Battle
of the Tucson Tenors. Additionally, he has performed the
roles of The Magician in The Consul, “Ferrando” in Così
fan tutte, “Lyric Tenor” in Argento’s Postcard from
Morocco, the title role in Mascagni’s L’amico
Fritz, “Leicester” in Maria Stuarda, and “Nemorino” in
Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore. Audiences have also heard
Mr. Shelton perform the tenor solos in oratorio and
concert settings including: Handel’s Messiah,
Handel’s Esther, Britten’s St. Nicolas, and
Britten’s The Company of Heaven. He is also noted for
his recital appearances locally and nationally for
charities, fundraisers, and arts organizations.
Adam's students have gone on to receive high honors,
awards, and solos in regional all-state ensembles,
achieve leading roles in musicals and operas, as well as
pursue careers and degrees in music. He strives to meet
the desires and needs of each student on an individual
basis teaching across all genres of music by building a
strong, solid technical foundation in exercises and
applying them to the repertoire of choice in lessons.
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Adam completed his
master’s degree at the University of Arizona, and is
currently a dissertator at the University of Wisconsin
studying with Ms. Julia Faulkner as the Wisconsin
Distinguished Graduate Fellow in Voice 2009 - 2011.
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Joseph Spoelstra:
Guitar and Suzuki Guitar Instructor
Classical guitarist Joseph Spoelstra has
been heard in such halls as the historic Wilshire-Ebell
Theater and Alfred Newman Hall in Los Angeles, the
Guthrie Theater and Ted Mann Concert Hall in
Minneapolis, and Corbett Auditorium at CCM in
Cincinnati. In addition to solo recitals, Joseph is a
member of the Minneapolis-based contemporary classical
music group, Renegade Ensemble, a group specializing in
the performance of works by living composers. He is a
also founding member of The Dream Songs Project, a voice
and guitar duo with mezzo soprano Alyssa Anderson. The
duo released a full length CD of selected songs of Mauro
Giuliani in December 2011.
Joseph is a trained Suzuki guitar teacher who enjoys
working with young beginners (starting at age 3) to
advanced adult students. The Suzuki method teaches that
through a positive environment, logical progression of
techniques and concepts, and parental involvement, all
children have unlimited potential to learn music in the
same way that we acquire language. All of Joseph's
students learn the importance of beautiful tone and the
joy of being part of a musical community. He is an
active member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas,
Guitar Foundation of America, and serves as the Guitar
Coordinator for the Suzuki Association of Wisconsin.
Joseph holds his Master of Music from the University of
Southern California and his Bachelor of Music from the
University of Minnesota, where he was a John D.
Chatterton scholar. His primary teachers have been
William Kanengiser, founding member of the Los Angeles
Guitar Quartet, Jeffrey Van, and Brian Head. He has also
studied privately and in masterclasses with Pepe Romero,
David Russell, Sharon Isbin, and Scott Tennant. He can
be heard frequently performing in Madison, Minneapolis,
and throughout the Midwest.
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Tracy Wundrock:
Guitar Instructor (Currently on Sabbatical)
Tracy Wundrock studied piano, guitar, voice, and
music theory under the direction of private music
instructors for 15 years collectively, and is
currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in
guitar performance at UW-Madison. Tracy has taught
individual and group guitar and piano lessons for
several years, specializing in classical, folk, and
popular styles.
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