WELCOME TO SAMSON MUSIC AND ART STUDIO
Welcome to Samson Music and Art Studio, an Art and Music Studio and School with Accomplished teachers, patient staff and a variety of workshops and 1-on-1 classes in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

OUR STORY
Jeff and Sarah Samson
Jeff began teaching music lessons in Moscow, Idaho while earning his bachelor’s in percussion. He loved the personalization that private lessons offered students. He continued teaching guitar and drums as he and Sarah started a life together. Over time, like-minded friends and teachers came along to join the studio. Our space and teachers reflect our values as educators: mentorship, craftsmanship, and transparency.
MEET THE TEAM

Founder, Acoustic Guitar, Drum Set, Percussion, Music Theory Instructor
Jeff Samson
Jeff Samson offers private lessons on acoustic guitar, drums, percussion and music theory. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music performance at the University of Idaho where he studied percussion. His general interests include folk songwriting, teaching and playing with his two young kids, and road trippin’ with good music. Jeff is passionate about empowering students of all experience levels and believes everyone can learn.

Guitar, Piano, Ukulele, Song Writing, Vocal Instructor
Hannah Rivera
Hannah has been teaching vocal instruction for 16 years, in addition to guitar, piano, ukulele, recorder, composition, and songwriting. She studied Music at North Idaho College and Calvary Chapel School of Worship, where she obtained her certification for worship-leading training in 2009. Hannah is also an instructor of musical theater, where she has produced and directed plays and musicals in local churches and art functions. Hannah has studied anatomy and physiology and is skilled in holistic methods for preventing vocal injury.

Guitar
Matt Prescott
Matt Prescott is a versatile musician with over 35 years of live performance under his belt and over 20 years of experience in teaching guitar, bass, strings, music theory and songwriting. While living in Seattle, Matt played in multiple rock, jazz, blues, and metal groups before moving to the Spokane/CdA area. Matt teaches by playing the music that inspired his students to pick up their instruments in the first place. He helps players learn the nuts and bolts of technique, theory and ear training by playing the songs they love. Matt’s main goal is to inspire new players to become awesome musicians.

Saxophone, Clarinet, and Flute Instructor
Tyler Renninger
Tyler has been teaching private music instruction and middle school instrumental music in the Coeur d’Alene area for over 10 years. He studied music at the University of Idaho (2009-2013) and Eastern Washington University (2019-2021), earning a master’s degree in music education.
In addition to performing solo classical and jazz sets, Tyler plays in local ensembles, Tuxedo Junction Big Band and Gluteus Saximus. In the past, Tyler has performed with North Idaho College Wind and Jazz ensembles, Jazz NW (2015-2016), and Johnny J. and the Flat Foot Floogies (2014-2017).
Other projects include live sound engineering and production. Tyler specializes in ensemble coaching and private flute, clarinet, and saxophone instruction.

Art Teacher
Codi Spodnik
Codi teaches Art to children and adults in private lessons and small groups.
Her bachelor’s in Art and minor in Art History from Southern Oregon University offer broad experience across media, periods, styles and methods.
She emphasizes mastering the fundamentals for beginners, while offering experiments for more capable students in a fun and challenging atmosphere.

Founder, Art Teacher
Sarah Samson
Sarah has enjoyed the solace that art brings from a young age. Her current work is full of movement and moody color. Her lessons are focused on mastering drawing skills and design principles so that they can later be manipulated. She enjoys being outside, preferably barefoot.

Piano Instructor, Art Teacher
Andrew Maurer
Andrew Maurer is pleased to offer individual instruction for beginning to advanced students at Samson Studio. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in piano performance and marketing in 2018, and a master’s degree in piano performance in 2020. He is an award-winning musician with a calm and stable energy that he brings to his students.

Piano, Guitar
Janaeha Dinkel
Janaeha earned her bachelor’s degree in music composition from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She began learning voice, piano, and trumpet around the age of 10 and began studying guitar and composition in high school. Her primary musical interests are Scottish folk music, Gregorian chant and early liturgical music, and 20th-century tonality. Each of these influences her compositional style. Janaeha teaches voice, piano, guitar, and brass.

Art Teacher
Julia Christiansen
Since Julia was a child, she always had a passionate spark for creativity and curiosity. She went to Asbury University to study photography and while she was there, she discovered a deeper passion for color theory and painting.
She graduated from University of Northern Colorado in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and emphasis in painting. Since then she’s used her skill set to paint many spiritually related commissions, self-portraits, murals and pieces inspired from personal life experiences. She is a nature lover, organic eater, has an accepting, fun-loving personality, and aims to inspire and equip people with techniques to nurture their unique creative gifts.


INSTRUMENTS
At Samson Music and Art Studio, we offer instruction in a wide range of instruments including:
-
piano
-
guitar
-
violin
-
drums
-
percussion
-
viola
-
cello
-
voice
-
saxophone
-
clarinet
-
flute
-
trombone
-
ukulele
-
euphonium