Jennifer Lyford is a violinist and violist originally from Holland, Michigan who has been living and teaching in Laramie since 1994. She received her B.A. and B.M. in Music Education from St. Olaf College and her M.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Wyoming, studying with Charles Gray, Brian Hanley, Sherry Sinift and Jim Przygocki. Ms. Lyford has over 30 years of experience in private and group string instruction, and has also taught elementary general music, beginning band, orchestra, guitar, and choir in local schools for 20 years. Since the fall of 2019, she has directed the orchestral and guitar ensembles at Laramie High School. An active performer, Ms. Lyford plays in the Cheyenne Symphony and the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra as well as in the Lovejoy String Quartet. She is a member of the American String Teachers Association and the National Association of Music Education and holds a Level 2 Certification from the Paul Roland Society. In her free time, Ms. Lyford enjoys spending time with her family and pets, preferably in the beautiful Wyoming outdoors.

Erin Decker is a violinist who has been involved in the Laramie string community from a young age. She received her B.A. in Music Education from the University of Wyoming, where she studied violin and violin education with Sherry Sinift and Jim Pryzgocki. During her time at UW, Mrs. Decker performed with the UW Symphony Orchestra and taught with the UW String Project. Mrs. Decker also received a Master's in Theological Studies from The WEST Institute. She has seven years of experience in private and group string instruction and holds a Level 1 Certification from the Paul Roland Society, and is a member of the American String Teachers Association and the National Association of Music Education. When not in the studio, Mrs. Decker enjoys showing the world to her two kids, and exploring the wilderness of Wyoming.

Ashley Schnell is a violinist and violist originally from Lincoln, NE who has been living and teaching in Laramie since 2012. She received her B.M. in Music Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her M.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Wyoming, with an additional year for viola studies. Her former violin teachers include Donna Carnes, Dr. Robert Emile, Beth Hoffman, Dr. Fabian Lopez, Dr. John Fadial; and she has studied viola with Jim Przygocki. She has 12 years of experience teaching privately and in group settings. She has taught with the UW String Project, the String Academy of Wyoming, UW Summer Music Camp, and a string class internship at the UW Lab School before joining Cornerstone Music Studios in March of 2024. Ashley performs regularly with the Cheyenne Symphony and Wyoming Symphony Orchestra and is a member of the Cottonwood String Quartet. In her freetime, Ashley enjoys hiking, biking, stargazing, relaxing with a good book, and listening to all the wonderful music that exists out in the world!

Maddy Buckwalter is a classically trained pianist and has been playing the piano for 19 years. She has been teaching piano for 1 year. Mrs. Buckwalter received her Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of Wyoming and her Masters in Theological Studies from the West Institute. She is passionat. about applying her knowledge of chSldhoood developmhnt eand learning styles into her piano instruction. She is excited to help others learn piano so they, too, can experience the joys that music brings into their lives. She loves playing anything from the Romantic Era, especially, her favorite composer, Chopin. When not teaching piano you can find Mrs. Buckwalter swing dancing, cooking something new from another culture, paddle boarding, or enjoying game nights with friends.