About the Benzie Youth String Program

  • The Benzie Youth String Program is brand new to the area. It will supply free of charge all that is necessary to learn the violin: the instrument, music stand, music books, and supervised instruction from professional musicians who have devoted their careers to teaching children. Later as the program grows, other string instrument instruction (the viola, cello, and double bass) will be added.

  • The Benzie Youth String Program provides free professional string instrument instruction, instruments, and transportation for Benzie County 3rd-5th graders, including homeschoolers, for a registration fee. Starting with violin, the program aims to include as many children as possible regardless of their financial circumstances. The ultimate goal is the formation of string ensembles and a youth string orchestra.

  • From the joy of playing string instruments and the opportunity of participating in string orchestras, the purpose of the Benzie Youth String Program is to strengthen the ties that bind communities together.

  • The Benzie Youth String Program enriches young lives by fostering a lifelong passion for music through quality string education. We value music’s power to inspire creativity, empathy, and community, offering an environment where all students can grow, broaden their horizons, collaborate and connect with the cultural heritage of string music.

BYSP Instructors

  • Rob Jones MD is a retired Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon with a Masters degree in Health Administration and Leadership, and with a love of the violin. He was a violinist in the Midland Community Orchestra and now in the Benzie Area Symphony Orchestra. He served as a board member of the Traverse City Philharmonic. He sings in the choir at the First Congregational Church and in the Congregational Summer Assembly. He is also a member of the Benzie Community Chorus.

    The creation of a youth string program open to all children and dedicated to teaching the skills of  group collaboration and the nurturing of friendships through music is a lifetime goal of his.

  • Violinist Harold Byers, an Oregon native, studied violin at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music under David Cerone and at the Juilliard School under Paul Makanowitzky and Ivan Galamian. He is a former member of the Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia and the Atlanta Symphony. He has performed chamber music as a member of the Cazenovia, Atlanta, and Oxford String Quartets. As a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) for 41 years, he participated in over 100 recording projects and in over 30 concerts at Carnegie Hall. With the CSO he also performed in the major music venues of Europe, Japan, China, Taiwan, and Singapore.

    Mr. Byers has been active as a chamber musician, with a special interest in early music performance. He studied at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute with Marilyn McDonald and at Indiana University with Stanley Ritchie. He was a semi-finalist in the International Bach Competition in Washington DC and performed numerous concerts with the Baroque ensemble Apollo’s Cabinet.

    Mr. Byers has taught violin during his entire career, serving as a faculty member at Miami University (1980-1988) and at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory Department (1988-2019).

    Harold Byers performs on a “Grand Pattern” violin by Nicolo Amati of 1653 and a violin by Jacob Stainer of 1668.

    Musical training for young people can be a transformative experience, fostering lifelong appreciation for great music, enhancing learning approaches applicable to various fields, and developing problem-solving, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills. It also instills a sense of accomplishment and pride. For those in underserved communities, music can significantly improve quality of life; children receiving quality arts education achieve higher academic scores and are more likely to pursue further education.

  • Classical music has always been important to Suzy. She is fortunate that her parents introduced music to her as a very young child. Suzy’s father played the cello in the Toledo Symphony in college years and continued to enjoy playing until his late years. Her mother played the alto sax in high school and college bands and jazz groups, and continued to play off and on throughout her life. Suzy’s family home was always full of classical music and playing it. Suzy played piano for a long time, for pleasure.

    After moving to Crystal Lake, it was always fun for her to hear the high school bands at football games and concerts. There were two violin teachers then who had young students but there were no classical programs in the local schools for the students to participate. There was always discussion but no resolution and those teachers retired long ago.

    She is pleased to be a part of this organization to bring stringed instrument opportunities, locally, to the children during their early development years. Instruction with talented musicians gives life-long enjoyment, whether playing for personal pleasure or joining other players in groups and orchestras.

    Suzy currently serves as a board member of the Traverse City Philharmonic and was part of the effort to complete an amazing Music Center and School in Traverse City.

  • Catherine L. Webb, MD is a retired pediatric cardiologist who worked at both Lurie Children’s Hospital at Northwestern University and C.S. Mott Hospital at the University of Michigan during her 40 year career. She currently serves as Professor Emeritus at both universities. She has always felt music and medicine fit well together. Scientific and musical ability must originate from the same part of the brain. Many of her physician friends are musicians and although she took piano lessons, the talent wasn’t there. She satisfied her musical cravings by listening – a lot. Her grandmother took her to her first opera (Carmen) when she was 16, and her father was president of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra when she was a teenager. She sang in the Smith College Choir in college and enjoyed season tickets to musical series in both Ann Arbor and Chicago when she was working. She continues to love the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and also attends as many performances of the Traverse City Philharmonic as possible. She spends lots of time at musical events at Interlochen. Many members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have attended Interlochen. What a treasured institution. For many years she has been concerned that cultural programs have been cut from local school systems due to fiscal concerns. She feels lucky to have grown up visiting museums on field trips in elementary school and also to have musical programs available to all. Since these programs are not easily available any more, the Benzie Youth String Program is truly an important initiative for local elementary students to explore music and develop their talents. She is enthusiastically supportive of this endeavor and hopes that her service on the board will help to broaden the musical horizons of our local children.

BYSP Leadership

  • Kaylee is Acting Associate Principal Second Violin with the Traverse City Philharmonic and was previously Assistant Concertmaster with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra. She is also Principal 2nd Violin for the Bay View Music Festival opera, Carmen, this summer (2025). As a Traverse City native, she began her studies at the age of 7 and then attended high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy for four years, studying with Paul Sonner. She continued violin studies with Dmitri Berlinsky at Michigan State University, where she earned her Bachelor of Music while studying music therapy and violin. Other teachers include Blair Milton and I-Fu Wang.

    She is active as a soloist and chamber musician at weddings, musicals, churches, and other events around Michigan. She has also played as a member of the MSU Symphony Orchestra and as a violinist with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra, Midland Symphony, Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and with orchestras for many visiting artists, including Weird Al Yankovich and Josh Groban. She is concertmaster for the Interlochen Choral Institute Orchestra, the violin coach for the Interlochen Adult String Orchestra Retreat, and has been the violinist for the Interlochen Composers Institute as well.

    Kaylee maintains a violin studio from her home in Traverse City and has taught violin and piano privately for over two decades. In addition to teaching and performing, she was a practicing music therapist at Children's Therapy Corner working mostly with Autism and Traumatic Brain Injury clients. She completed her internship in the Fulton County School System around Atlanta, GA working with pre-K through High School special education students in groups and one-on-one therapy. Since 2015, she has focused solely on teaching and performing. As a teacher, she has adjudicated scholarship and concerto competitions and is frequently sought out as a chamber and orchestral sectional coach for area schools, Gerber Strings, and TC Philharmonic Civic String programs.

    Kaylee enjoys spending time with her husband Joe and their many children and pets. In her spare time, she loves to sail on Elk Lake during the summer, tend her many plants, and curl up with a good book.

  • With over two decades of teaching experience, Bryce is a passionate and patient violin, viola, cello, and bass instructor dedicated to helping children of all ages and skill levels reach their musical potential. Trained in both classical technique and modern pedagogy, Bryce combines a structured approach with personalized guidance to make each lesson engaging, rewarding, and tailored to the student’s goals.

    He believes that teaching strings to the youth of Benzie County is a great way for children to experience music that will help them develop deeper emotional connections to music and the world around them. Music expands horizons and helps people see the world through a different perspective.

    Whether you’re picking up a fiddle for the first time, or preparing for auditions and performances, Bryce creates a supportive environment that builds confidence, discipline, and a lifelong love of music. Lessons include technique development, music theory, ear training, and performance coaching, with a strong emphasis on creativity and expression.

    Bryce holds a degree in music education from Oakland University and has performed with Warren Symphony, Pontiac Oakland Symphony, Macomb Symphony, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Cadillac Area Symphony Orchestra, and numerous chamber groups. Outside the studio, he enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, cycling, and canoeing.

  • Katie Jones is the Executive Director of The Garden Theater and an advocate of the arts. In 2021, she made the transition from working in film and living in Nashville to Frankfort for the position at The Garden. She has helped the nonprofit navigate the path from single screen movie theater to multi-performing arts venue. Katie lives in town with her musician husband and three littles, Ellis, Willie, and Goldie.

  • Jim Bekkering was born and raised in Fremont, Michigan. He earned his BA in Economics from Hope College. Jim’s MA and PhD in Higher Education Administration were awarded by Michigan State University. Most of Jim’s career was spent at Hope College in the areas of admissions and student life. He also had shorter tours of duty with Lake Michigan College and Interlochen Center for the Arts. In retirement Jim currently serves as principal trumpet and member of the Board of Directors for the Benzie Area Symphony Orchestra. He and his wife, Lynne, live most of the year on Big Platte Lake, and reside in the Sarasota, Florida area for several months each year.

  • Rodrigo Zafani Quintana started his career in music in Sorocaba in 2004. He attended Brazil's best institutions, including the Conservatory of Music and Drama, "Dr. Carlos de Campos" in Tatui, and the School of Music of the State of Sao Paulo. His primary teachers and mentors at those schools are Graziella Pagotto and Emmanuelle Baldini. Quintana has recently finished his Master's degree in music performance under the tutelage of Dr. Laura Talbott-Clark at Oklahoma State University. Rodrigo received the Patti Johnson Wilson Foundation Fellowship in String Orchestral Performance in 2021 with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    Rodrigo has actively participated in many masterclasses and lessons with well-known teachers and artists, including Mikhail Kopelman (Eastman School of Music), Igor Petrutchevsky (Wagner Conservatory/ Vienna), Mauricio Fuks (Indiana University), Rüdiger Liebermann (Berlin Philharmonic), Frank Huang (New York Philharmonic), and Paul Kantor (Rice University). He has also been active in the chamber music field, which allowed him to participate in masterclasses and workshops with The Pacifica String Quartet, Ariel String Quartet, American String Quartet, Brentano String Quartet, and Dali String Quartet.

    Rodrigo has played in the main concert halls, including Sao Paulo Hall and the Opera House of Sao Paulo. As a member of the Youth Orchestra of Sao Paulo, he received a fellowship that allowed him to tour with the orchestra in Germany twice in 2012 and 2013, where he played in the main concert halls, including the Konzerthaus Berlin. Rodrigo has been a member of several professional orchestras in the United States since 2014. During his bachelor's and master’s degrees, he mainly was frequently appointed as the concertmaster and principal 2nd violinist in the university orchestras that were part of his education.

    During the summer of 2019, he had the honor to join Ensemble Connect: A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute Summer intensive program, where he, with his former string quartet, developed interactive chamber music concerts for formal concert audiences to elementary students.

    Part of the project focused on reaching out to underrepresented communities in New York City to make music accessible to all social scenarios. Also, in New York City, 2023, Rodrigo was honored to participate in the McKnight Center/ New York Philharmonic residency program, where he and his colleagues performed and collaborated in chamber music concerts with members of the NY Phill. Concerts were hosted on La Guardia Performing Arts School and Queens College.

    Rodrigo has been teaching since 2012 in private studio and music school settings. He has taught students from all ages, from six years to fifty-three years. His teaching philosophy brings the concept of an infinite learning process that connects with personal growth. He is currently in the process of acquiring a comprehensive Suzuki teaching certification. He has recently accepted a violin teaching position in the Dorothy Gerber String Program at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts.

    As part of faculty duties, Rodrigo is the new member of the Cummings String Quartet at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts.