John Stagmeier

 

Education:
John Stagmeier began taking private lessons in 6th grade shortly before transferring to Taylor
Road MS, where he studied under Nicole Thompson. After studying under Lori Buonamici, he
graduated from Chattahoochee HS in 2021. After graduation, he was accepted into the Berklee
College of Music in Boston, where he studied Jazz Performance and Music Education. John then
transferred to Kennesaw State University in the spring of 2023 to further pursue music education
closer to home. He is currently a Junior Music Education major at KSU where he studies under
Adelaide Federici, an outstanding violinist and educator who currently performs with the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, he currently studies viola under Yinzi Kong, an exceptional
violist, soloist, and chamber musician.

Experience:
Throughout his middle and high school years, John attended and volunteered at a variety of
string summer camps and orchestras including UpBeat!, Florida State University’s summer
camps, the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Georgia Piedmont Youth Orchestra. In
high school, he played violin in various musical theater productions including Mamma Mia!, The
Follies, and Cabaret. Likewise, he participated in the Chamber Orchestra at Chattahoochee for
all 4 years of high school while also performing in various recitals and gigs with his quartet.
Additionally, John studied abroad in Japan in 2019 where he played violin in various recitals and
performances. At Berklee, he performed in the Berklee Motion Picture Orchestra while studying
jazz violin under Rob Thomas. At KSU, John plays violin in the Symphony Orchestra and viola
in the Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also currently a member of a KSU Cooke Scholarship
Quartet as a violist.

Objective:
John’s goal when teaching is to create a comfortable setting where his students feel engaged and
encouraged to be the best musicians they can be. He hopes to provide a strong foundation, a
sense of musicality, and a passion for music, which he aims to cultivate through clear
expectations and lessons individually tailored to the needs of his students. Lessons will include
technical instruction in addition to music history, music theory, and performance skills. John
wants his students to not only love their instrument but also love to play and listen to the music
that inspires them.