Meet Our Teaching Team!
Deb Shurtz
Studio Owner | Master Instructor
Deb is the founder of Strings & Keys Studio. She has been playing both piano and guitar for 40+ years—and brings more than a decade of musical-instruction experience to you and your family. Deb teaches students of all ages and skill levels.
Deb’s style of instruction—and that of our studio—strikes a nice balance between gentle joy and age-appropriate challenge. Her friendliness and warmth help students feel confident as they expand their piano, guitar, or ukulele skills. It gives her great joy to help them fall in love with making music and guide their progress as they develop a music habit that lasts a lifetime.
Deb opened Strings & Keys Studio in January 2025 to offer musical instruction to families in her Leander/Georgetown community. Within three months, her studio was filled to capacity with a waitlist. These days, she’s enjoying the challenge of expanding the studio to bring the signature Strings & Keys Studio blend of warmth and musical excellence to more families in the years to come.
Katelyn Harrelson
Instructor | Early Childhood & Elementary Beginners
Katelyn Harrelson joins our Strings & Keys teaching team as an Early Childhood & Elementary Specialist. Her musical journey began with piano lessons at age eight, and has included piano, guitar, ukulele, and vocal training; performance experience, and coaching young music performers. With several years of early-childhood experience in both educational and extracurricular settings, she a specific passion for nurturing the growing skills of young learners. Katelyn is dedicated to making music a fun, accessible experience for children of all ages.
Katelyn’s approach to teaching piano, ukulele, guitar, and voice combines creativity, patience, and an unwavering commitment to fostering a positive, supportive learning environment. She understands the unique needs of young learners and tailors her lessons to meet each student’s individual learning style, ensuring that they enjoy developing the foundational skills they need to make progress on their musical journey.
Whether she’s guiding students through their first melodies or helping them discover their musical voices, Katelyn’s contagious enthusiasm inspires our younger students to build a lifelong love of music.