Alumni - Teachers

ALUMNI (teacher) Entries:

Hannah Howland Jacobs-teacher through spring 2024, former student.

Dr. Julia Bullard-Teacher through summer 2022

Todd Williams -Teacher through summer 2022

Mary Bellone former violin teacher until spring 2020. 

Holly Young; former violin and viola faculty

Holly is a graduate of the UNI Suzuki School, where she studied with Therese Fetter and Ute Brandenburg.  She has taken Suzuki teacher training courses with Martha Shackford and also with Michelle Higa George at the Chicago Suzuki Institute.  Holly also enjoys interior design, collecting antique books, and reading.  She left the school to attend to her duties as a new mother in the spring of 2017.

Therese Fetter

Therese Fetter, a native of Dublin, Ireland, began her violin studies at the Irish College of Music. She received a Master of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Northern Iowa.  Her Suzuki training has included work with Doris Preucil, Martha Holvik, Barbara Barber, Almita Vamos, Yuko Honda and Bill Starr.  She has had an extensive career as an orchestral performer in the US and abroad, most recently as concertmaster of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Fetter joined the faculty of the UNI Suzuki School in 1978, served as Director from 1986-2000, and was named Artistic Advisor in 2010 and retired from teaching in 2016. Through her association with that school, she has touched the lives of hundreds of families in the Cedar Valley.  Under her leadership the UNI Suzuki School initiated two youth orchestras, created an outreach and performance group of advanced violinists (called "Fiddlesticks"), introduced a comprehensive theory curriculum, and added flute and clarinet programs.  In 1997, in collaboration with Center City Arts, she helped establish "Music Works," a program in Waterloo that provides subsidized violin lessons for inner-city children.  Ms. Fetter has served as a role model and mentor for numerous student string teachers who now teach throughout the United States.  Her former students have gone on to study and play the violin at such schools as Harvard, the Cleveland Institute, Northwestern, Indiana University, the Eastman School of Music, St. Olaf College and at virtually every college and university in Iowa. Therese retired in the spring of 2016.

Tara Payne

Tara Payne joined the UNI Suzuki School faculty in 2004 and left after the spring semester in 2011.  Tara is a native of Cedar Falls, and was a student in the UNI Suzuki School, where she performed with the Northern Iowa Youth Orchestra and "Fiddlesticks."  She was a violin student of Therese Fetter.  Tara received a bachelor's degree in Christian Education with a music emphasis from Embassy University and has studied Suzuki teaching at the Western Spring School of Talent Education, Chicago, Toronto and Stevens Point Suzuki Institutes with Ed Kreitman, Nancy Jackson, Joanne Melvin, Karen Kimmett and Alice Joy Lewis.  Tara has also pursued studies in linguistics, and enjoys cooking, biking traveling world-wide. 

John Fetter; violinist;  John (son of former teacher Therese Fetter) is currently director of orchestras at the Hochstein School and Pinnacle School in Rochester, NY. You can find more at hochstein.org/About/Faculty/Ensembles/John-Fetter 

Saylar Craig

Former Violin Faculty Saylar Craig (son of Cathy) now resides in Singapore with his wife Tracy (trumpet), daughters Kalia (horn), and Ripley (euphonium).  But at one time, he was an eager young pre-Twinkle violinist in the UNI Suzuki School like many reading this page.  Eventually, he earned math education and music degrees while teaching violin and viola at the UNI Suzuki School, playing violin in the WCFSO, and electric violin in rock bands.  Now, he and wife Tracy are teaching for the Singapore American School; Tracy teaches middle school band and Saylar teaches high school math.  Previously they were located in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia where they taught at the school for Aramco.  There they both enjoyed playing in the Bahrain Concert Sinfonia as well as other community musical opportunities in their area.  During some of their annual stateside visits, the entire family attended a summer Suzuki institute and resumed lessons with UNI Suzuki faculty. They are pictured here wearing their Suzuki Institute shirts and playing each other's instruments.  Listen to a recording of Saylar on SoundCloud. While at SAS, Saylar is a faculty sponsor of the student branch of Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation.  Here is a video of his work with that group: youtube.com/watch?v=GqtAZpOny0

Mia (Craig) Hagarty

Former Violin Faculty Mia Hagarty (daughter of Cathy) now resides in Tennessee with her husband Scott (trumpet) and daughter Anya (violin & oboe).  Mia is director of the String Project at Tennessee Tech.  You can find her bio here: tntech.edu/directory/fine-art/music/mia-hagarty.php

Jennifer Wagaman; former Flute Faculty

Jennifer Wagaman received her Master of Music degree at the University of Northern Iowa in flute music performance. She completed her BA at Luther College, majoring in flute performance and music management.  Jennifer teaches flute at the Preucil School of Music in Iowa City and for the Cedar Rapids Symphony School. She directs a Flute Camp yearly in August for interested flute students, including beginners through intermediate. Jennifer taught for the UNI Suzuki School until summer, 2012.

Cara Keidel Lockard; Former violin faculty & student

Cara Keidel Lockard, a Cedar Falls native, began playing the violin with the UNI Suzuki School at the age of 3. She played in both NIJO and NIYO and was also a member of the advanced violin group Fiddlesticks. At the University of Northern Iowa, she studied with Frederick Halgedahl. Cara has taught with the Suzuki program 2008-2012 and continues to further her Suzuki education by attending Suzuki Teacher Training institutes every summer. She has taken Teacher Training courses with Ed Kreitman and Ed Springer. She is also a member of the Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony and Cedar Valley Strings and enjoys playing for weddings and other events with her string quartet. Her other hobbies include cooking, baking, cross-stitching, yard work/gardening, and spending time with her children.