Instructors
Keith Stevens – guitar, Owner/Director of Stevens School of Music & The Arts, LLC.
Keith Stevens holds both a B.M., M.M. in classical guitar performance from James Madison University. His primary teachers have included Jim Rowe, American Guitar Master Benjamin Verdery in New York City, Peter Miller, Peter Golladay and Wayne Dooley.
He has performed in master classes with renowned guitarists Pepe Romero, Christopher Parkening, David Russell, Guillermo Fierenes and Jesus Silva. Mr. Stevens has compositions published with Les Productions D’OZ in Quebec, Canada, and Hal Leonard. Click to view some of Keith’s compositions on video. Click to view Keith’s Reverbnation page and listen to him play.
Keith has over 20 years of experience teaching both children and adults in a variety of styles.
Cindy Stevens – piano, Kindermusik®, Owner/Director of Stevens School of Music & The Arts, LLC.
Fully-Licensed Kindermusik Educator; B.S. in Early Childhood Education and concentration in applied piano studies and pedagogy at James Madison University.
Cindy has had a passion for music as far back as she can remember – listening to a wide variety of music from big band to blues! At the age of 4 years old, she began playing piano by ear. After starting piano lessons in the 3rd grade, she began accompanying for the elementary school choir by fifth grade.
The rest of her years at Fluvanna Public Schools were filled with music where she sang with and accompanied for school choirs under the direction of Jeff Suling. In 1982 she traveled as a Friendship Force Ambassador to Korea with the Thoroughly Modern Madrigals.
Cindy graduated from James Madison University in 1987 and now has 23 years of experience teaching piano to both children and adults. She decided to become a fully-licensed Kindermusik® instructor in 1999 to fulfill the growing number of parental requests for music for young children.
It has been a wonderful and gratifying experience to share her love of music with students from birth and beyond! Cindy is a member of the Music Teacher’s National Association and the local Charlottesville Chapter. She also serves as accompanist for the Fluvanna Community Singers and is the Early Worship Service pianist for Palmyra United Methodist Church.
Cindy enjoys playing with the Recorder and World Beat Drumming Ensembles at the school and watching her two children, Andrew and Emily, grow into musicians themselves! What a joy!
Daniel McCarthy – Guitar, Banjo, Bass Guitar, Ukulele
Daniel McCarthy is among the few guitarists to excel in both classical and jazz performance. After earning his B.M. (Magna Cum Laude) from James Madison University studying classical guitar with Keith Stevens, he traveled to Montreal, Canada with the JMU Jazz Ensemble where he performed at the L’off Jazz Festival with some of Montreal’s most prominent jazz musicians.
The ensemble then traveled to Europe performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
He recently received his M.M. in Guitar Performance from Appalachian State University where he studied classical guitar with Dr. Douglas James and jazz guitar with Andy Page.
Daniel taught in both the classical and jazz guitar areas at ASU as a graduate assistant. In addition to his experience as a performer and teacher, Daniel has arranged pieces for guitar that he performed with the Appalachian Chamber Singers and was commissioned by composer Jane Roman Pitt to arrange her “Songs of the Season” originally for solo piano for two guitars. In his free time he enjoys reading and composing original music.
Lindsay Ann Hoffmann – Beginning Piano, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet.
Lindsay received a B.M. in Music Education from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she performed on clarinet in University Band, Wind Ensemble, and various small woodwind ensembles.
She is a student of Dr. Charles West, former International Clarinet Association president, and David Neithamer of the Richmond Symphony.
Her secondary instrument was trumpet under Taylor Barnett, who is currently the director of Jazz Orchestra II at VCU.She plays in the pit orchestra for Woodberry Forest School in Orange County and was recently invited to join the Commonwealth Winds for their performance at the VMEA Conference in November 2007.
In her free time she relaxes with her husband, Carl, and her family, and is currently learning to play the accordian.
Eric Smith – Drums.
Eric Smith was raised in an environment where music was a constant. His father Steven, a life long multi-instrumentalist, instilled in him both a passion for listening and a desire to play.
As a result of his parents’ eclectic taste in music, Eric grew up listening to highly influential artists from just about every genre conceivable. Constant exposure to such a varied musical landscape has fostered an extremely sensitive ear and built the back bone of an extensive stylistic flexibility as a musician.
Eric began playing music as a guitarist, learning from his father. One day, Steve brought home a recording of drum legend, Dennis Chambers.
Eric, then age eleven, was profoundly moved by Dennis’ performance. Later that year, a friend of the family and
professional drummer, invited Eric over to experience drumming for the first time. Within a few minutes Eric was playing grooves and licks, emulating some of his favorite music. Shortly thereafter, Eric begged his parents until he had a drum set, and before long, was playing rock covers and improvising with his father.
Since then, Eric has taught himself drum set method with books and recordings, until most recently when he auditioned and was accepted at Shenandoah Conservatory to study Jazz and Music Production with a scholarship. Eric has played extensively throughout Charlottesville and is currently working on new music with a local band. In his spare time away from the drums, he writes and records original music and practices.
Rebecca Muller – voice, piano
Rebecca Muller, a Charlottesville native, has been singing nearly all of her life, studying popular voice for over twenty-five years, as well as being a classically trained pianist. After receiving a degree in audio engineering from NVCC, she briefly worked in a local recording studio, and booked live music in Charlottesville for several years before relocating to Baltimore, Maryland, where for six years, she pursued a teaching career at the nationally renowned School of Rock, teaching voice and piano. There, she produced and directed over twenty live shows, and eventually became acting general manager. Rebecca performed regularly in and around the Baltimore area, and had the opportunity to be a judge at the local round of American Idol auditions in the Summer of 2010. Rebecca specializes in pop and rock vocal styles, as well as classical piano.
Curtis Partusch – guitar, drums, piano
Curtis Partusch holds both a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Shenandoah University, and a Music Production Degree from Full Sail University. Fluent on a variety of instruments and in a number of styles, Curtis also spends time composing and performing music in a wide range of styles, including rock, R & B, acoustic, and instrumental. With years of experience teaching both privately and student teaching in the public school system, Curtis is very adept working with students of all ages.