Tracy Stuever

Tracy Stuever, Studio Owner - harp, piano, guitar, voice, drums

Tracy started playing piano (self taught) at the age of 7.  She added on many instruments over the years, singing and playing guitar proficiently by the age of 13.  By this point in her life, she began composing songs as well.

In the fifth grade, her formal training started with the snare drum.  Her self-developed skills as a pianist aided her in class as she quickly added timpani and mallet percussion to her skill set.  From there she participated in the GMEA District Band in 8th grade, and then did so again every year until she graduated high school.  

In her senior year of high school, she attended the Governors Honors Program for percussion, made the All-State band, and was a member of the prestigious Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra.  In addition to her commitments with the school band, Tracy was a dedicated member of the High School Choir and even student taught the Women's Choir during her senior year of high school.  She performed in over ten musicals and played guitar and sang in every talent show.

In 2007, Tracy graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education.  She also received certification from the GAPSC (Georgia Professional Standards Commission).  During her time at the University, she performed in the Wind Symphony, Wind Ensemble, Tropical Breeze Steel Band, Georgia Brass and accompanied many other musicians in solo recitals.   She trained on over 40 different instruments during her college years!

Tracy has been teaching privately in Downtown Monroe for over 10 years now. It is her vision to fill the community with musicians who wish to share the gift of music for all to hear. She believes that music brings us together, enriches our lives and is always there to speak for us when words fail. She welcomes students of all ages and all ability levels!  

Emily Casey

Emily Casey, voice, piano, guitar, ukulele

Emily Casey began her musical career through voice lessons in elementary school. Not long after her vocal lessons began, she was encouraged to explore the piano. Emily received her first keyboard for Christmas in fourth grade, and has been hooked to it ever since! She began reading traditional sheet music, but quickly found that her passion lies with improvisation of chord sheets while singing and playing. In addition to learning an instrument, in fourth grade, Emily also began her acting career. Since elementary school, Emily has been in dozens of shows, including lots of musicals. Throughout middle school, Emily focused on playing the piano and vocal lessons. She also learned a great deal about music through experiences in musical theater. 

In high school, Emily found Stuever Studios and added ukulele and guitar to her skill set. Emily has studied voice, piano, ukulele, guitar and teaching methods under the guidance of Tracy Stuever for over three years. Throughout high school, Emily has continued to participate in theater- both in school and at On Stage Walton. Emily recently received a banjo, and is beginning to learn how to play it. You can never run out of things to learn once you have acquired the universal knowledge contained within music theory! 

Emily has found a passion sharing her musical gifts through teaching. She has served as the vocal director at Walnut Grove High School, George Walton Academy, and OnStage Walton. She began her career at Stuever Studios as a substitute teacher and is now taking on students of her own.  Her experience leading the youth is not limited to her private musical teachings. She has been a leader in vacation bible school, supervised at summer camps, and served as a babysitter.

Emily is currently studying Elementary Education at the University of Georgia with a minor in Human Development. She is so grateful to have been taught so much about music and is following in the footsteps of Tracy Stuever by sharing music in her community through teaching and performance. Tracy considers Emily to be her protégée. Emily hopes that everyone gets the chance to play an instrument as music is such a powerful thing! Click here to schedule a lesson with Emily.

Lauren McClary

Lauren McClary - piano, violin, voice, guitar

Lauren McClary is a violinist and music therapist based in Athens, GA. She began playing violin in her school orchestra at the age of 10. Throughout her middle and high school years she participated in SCMEA’s Region and All-State orchestras, as well as played violin in Carolina Youth Symphony. 

After discovering the field of music therapy in high school, she started to teach herself to play the guitar. She moved to Athens in the Fall of 2021 to attend the University of Georgia’s Music Therapy Program. During her music therapy coursework she studied on guitar, piano, and voice expanding her self taught skills to a collegiate level. Lauren also continued to study violin under Dr. Michael Heald, playing in the UGA Symphony Orchestra and various string quartets.

Lauren is now a graduate student at the University of Georgia and is passionate about meeting people where they are to help them to grow their love for music. She believes that music is a beneficial tool to many people, no matter what their previous musical experiences are. 

Caroline Hamilton

Caroline Hamilton, piano and cello

Raised in the metro-Atlanta area, Caroline is a multi-instrumentalist and music educator whose musical journey extends far into childhood. Growing up in a musically rich household, Caroline started learning the piano the moment she could read. After starting piano at the age of five, she soon expanded into cello, quickly becoming active in honor orchestras and group music settings before high school. Having grown up learning music from an early age as well as providing lessons for young friends and family, she intuitively understands the pace, imagination, and encouragement musicians need.

By high school, Caroline has established her place in the local music community as both a performer and leader. She serves as piano accompanist for multiple band and orchestra classes as well as jazz ensembles. She holds the position of Vice President of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and participates as a cellist in local district honor orchestras. Outside of school, she performs regularly at local nursing homes, where she has accumulated many volunteer hours sharing hymns and classical repertoire. She also accompanies local church choirs and performs local gigs with a jazz quartet on the side.

 Caroline is aiming to attend UGA in the fall semester to continue studying music education. She currently studies classical piano under GSU professors while attending Parkview High School as a Senior. Caroline aims to cultivate confidence, musical literacy, technique, and artistic curiosity in her students. Her diverse background studying multiple genres and accompanying a wide range of instruments and ensembles shapes her approach to music education; she teaches elements from all genres of music to ensure her students have a well rounded musical education. She strives to meet young learners and help them grow into expressive, thoughtful musicians, and help them make a lifelong friend in music.

James Terrell

James Terrell, guitar, ukulele

James Terrell is a guitarist, composer and music educator currently based in Athens, Georgia. He holds degrees in music from Columbus State University (B.M. Performance, guitar, 2007) and the University of Massachusetts (M.M. Composition, 2011) and is pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Georgia (Performance, guitar).

As a composer-guitarist, even his earliest musical activities sought to combine these impulses. This first took the form of experimental guitar compositions recorded in the bedroom: plaintive atmospheric textures built out of dozens of layers of guitar sounds. At the same time he was learning classical guitar and developing a technique capable of accommodating even the most virtuosic music in the repertoire. Composition and guitar take turns as the dominant force in his musical life.

As a guitarist, he is an active performer both as a soloist and in chamber ensembles, and his repertoire spans the history of the guitar, from the Renaissance to new music. As a composer, he has written concert music for all manner of ensembles and soloists as well as orchestral music and works for fixed media. His principal teachers are Andrew Zohn and Daniel Bolshoy (guitar), and Bruce MacCombie, Salvatore Macchia and Adrian Childs (composition).

James has been teaching music nearly as long as he has been playing. This has taken the form of private instruction in guitar most often, but he has also taught composition, music fundamentals, music history (popular music and jazz) and classroom guitar. Recent teaching engagements have been with the Montgomery School of Music (Montgomery, Alabama) and the UGA Community Music School.

Hear him at Sound Cloud or YouTube

Catherine Littlepage

Cat Littlepage - voice, ukulele, guitar, piano

Born in 1996, Catherine is a lifelong Vocalist who had her start in Pre-K and Church Choruses consistently throughout 3-17 years of age in South Georgia and Rural Minnesota. She had a few instrumental seasons by age 12 in school bands, playing Alto Saxophone, Flute, and Violin. Throughout High School, she participated in multiple school Choirs every year, Womens’ Barbershop and Musical/One-Act Theater, as well as two seasons of Show Choir Camp at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. In her early twenties, she kick started her career as an independent working musician, teaching herself Ukulele (Soprano & Baritone) and Guitar with her own solo act as well as collaborating with Artists and Bands around greater Atlanta and Athens.

Catherine strives to pass on her refined vocal disciplines. As well as help her students understand and harness their unique voices. Specializing in Vocal Lessons, she will also be teaching Intermediate Soprano and Baritone Ukulele, Intermediate Guitar, and Basic Piano.

MeMe Walton

Meme Walton is a third-year Music Education major at the University of Georgia and currently studies under renowned Mr. Timothy Adams and Mrs. Kimberly Toscano-Adams. She is a classically-trained percussionist with experience in the marching arts, concert percussion, and drum set. 

MeMe Walton, drum set, percussion

In high school, Meme was a principal percussionist all 4 years in the GMEA district 8 honor band, in addition to making All-State honor band and Governor’s Honors Program for percussion her senior year. Meme is deeply passionate about music education and creating an enjoyable music-learning environment. Her teaching experiences include: Front Ensemble tech for Dacula High School, Drumline Instructor for Habersham Central, Percussion tech for UGA’s annual Midfest and Janfest events, Percussion instructor for Dacula Middle School, and private percussion lessons instructor. 

In addition to being an educator, Meme is an avid performer, with involvements in many ensembles across the UGA School of Music. Previously, she was a member of the UGA Orchestra and steel band. Meme is currently a member of the UGA Wind Ensemble, British Brass Band under the direction of Phillip Smith, UGA Percussion ensemble, and a quad player for the Redcoat Marching Band. 

Sarah Nienhiser

Sarah Nienhiser, violin and piano

Sarah Nienhiser, born in 2000, first began piano at age 7 and later started violin at age 10. Under her first instructor, Andrea Probus, she worked diligently and obtained a solid foundation. A few years later she transferred to Dr. David Kovac and under his guidance her skills and passion for playing increased. In 2014, Sarah won the MTNA state solo competition and placed 1st in the BJU chamber group competition. Under Dr. Kovac's coaching, Sarah participated in several years of chamber music further broadening her skills. In 2015, the chamber group she was a member of won the KMTA chamber group competition. In 2020 and 2021 she was accepted into the Maryland National Music Festival. 

Sarah graduated in May 2022 with her Bachelors in Violin Performance from Park University while studying under Ben Sayevich. After graduation, Sarah accepted a full-time assistantship position at the University of Georgia where she is currently studying under Dr. Levon Ambartsumian to earn her Masters in Violin Performance. 

Tanner Fallin

Tanner Fallin - piano, percussion, bass guitar

Tanner Fallin is a recent graduate of the UGA School of Music with a bachelor’s degree in percussion performance and a certificate in music business, graduating magna cum laude and with the Excellence in Music Business award. He is a classically-trained percussionist, well-versed in piano and bass guitar, and is experientially familiar with both the casual and professional music scenes. Tanner is also a songwriter and recording engineer operating in the Athens area.

Growing up surrounded by music, Tanner officially began his training in middle school with piano and percussion, later adding bass guitar. Having began gigging around the Statesboro area in high school, Tanner currently plays in three Athens-based bands as well as several upper-level ensembles in the Athens and Atlanta areas. Previously, Tanner was an instructor at the Pladd Dot School of Music in Statesboro, Ga and Toombs County High School. His teaching has a heavy emphasis on honing strong foundations while ensuring that the learning process is motivating and enjoyable.

Jana Hornsey

Jana Hornsey began playing piano self-taught at the age of eight and later picked up the guitar at twelve.  She was accepted into the University of North Georgia Music Department as a Musical Arts major in  2023, where she studied classical piano.  She later transferred to the University of Georgia in 2024 after being accepted into the Music Therapy program.  She now studies jazz piano and improv in Dr. James Weidman’s studio and is the upcoming secretary for the Music Therapy Student Association of UGA.  She is also an active member of the Georgia Treble Choir and was a previous member of the University Singers at the University of North Georgia.

From a background of playing by ear and learning theory later in life, Jana is familiar with many different approaches to musical learning, as well as both the technical and aural aspects of music education.  She can be found practicing piano in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and performing with electric guitar in local Downtown Athens venues.  Fueled by her passion for music and the way it connects people, she loves being able to share the joy of making music with others through many different mediums, whether it be in a clinical or educational setting.

Emily Elmore

Emily Elmore - flute, piano, cello

Emily Elmore is a first-year graduate student in Flute Performance at the University of Georgia, Hugh Hodgson School of Music, studying with Professor Angela Jones-Reus. Currently, she is Principal Flutist of the Hodgson Wind Ensemble, as well as an active performer and teacher in Georgia. Emily completed her undergraduate study at the University of Central Florida with Dr. Nora Lee Garcia. In 2021, she graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance, with honors. A multi-instrumentalist, Emily played both flute and cello in University of Central Florida ensembles, including the Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, and Cello Choir. She has performed in masterclasses for William Bennett, Jim Walker, Mark Sparks, Karl-Heinz Schütz, Demarre McGill, and Lorna McGhee, won Third Prize in the 2020 Florida Flute Association’s College Young Artist Competition, and was a member of the 2019 Florida All-State Intercollegiate Band. In 2020, Emily was awarded both the John R. Quello Memorial Music Scholarship and a Women’s Executive Council Orlando Scholarship.

Emily’s love for performing is matched by her passion for education. She has enjoyed teaching private piano, flute, and cello lessons for the last four years, and has experience teaching in classroom settings in Florida. As a second-generation music educator, Emily grew up witnessing what a remarkable impact music education can make, and maintains that she learns as much from her students as they learn from her. Emily is an alumna of Manatee High School’s music program, during which time she was a member of Florida All-State Band, NAfME’s All-National Honor Band, Music For All’s Honor Band of America, and was awarded the E. James Forssell Outstanding Music Student Scholarship. Above all else, her goal as an artist and educator is to share the joy that music brings, always.