about the teacher

Cara Keidel-Schmidt is dedicated to providing all students with a quality music education in a caring and professional studio environment.  Lessons include violin basics (note reading, rhythm, theory, physical instrument knowledge, and technical skill development) in a setting that is strongly based on the Suzuki violin method as well as aural and cognitive recall development.  Also included are music-aided technology, ensemble experiences, visual aids, memorization techniques, incentive programs, and preparation for performance opportunities.

      Cara began her early violin studies at the age of 3 ½ as a UNI Suzuki student under teachers Becky Bailey, Mary Grey, Julie Fox-Henson, John Fetter, and Therese Fetter. She received a Bachelor of the Arts degree with a violin emphasis in 2008 from the University of Northern Iowa where she studied with Professor Frederick Halgedahl. She has received extensive Suzuki teacher training through level 6 with world-renown Suzuki pedagogues like Edward Kreitman, Edmund Sprunger, Nancy Jackson, and Thomas Wermuth.

      Cara has had many musical outlets over the years, many of which she still participates in quite frequently. She is a first violinist in the Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra of which she has been a member since 2002. She has subbed with Cedar Rapids' Orchestra Iowa and the Wartburg Community Symphony of which she is now concertmaster. She also enjoys playing with various local church worship teams where she is able to share her newly-discovered love of improvisational techniques.

      Mrs. Keidel-Schmidt has been actively coordinating the musical aspect of weddings and other events since 2002 with her performing group Cedar Valley Strings. Cara has organized and taken part in over 125 weddings in northeast Iowa.

Amidst all the musical journeys, Cara’s true joy is in her son Joshua, born in August 2011 and her husband Spencer. She greatly enjoys spending time with her family of three (or five, if you include Hunter and Oliver, the dog and cat) and spends her leisure time baking, “crock-potting”, cross-stitching, taking part in extreme fitness and nutrition class, and playing board games with her extended families.