Steve Schneider, master of the hammered dulcimer, is known for his energetic yet relaxed playing, sensitive and thoughtful approach, and innovative style. The dulcimer has been a part of his life since 1984, and he continues to use it for recording, teaching, performing, music therapy, and composing.

Steve's hammered dulcimer credentials include playing on movie sound tracks, radio and tv commercials, and documentaries. He was the first hammered dulcimer player on Broadway, playing in the award-winning musical, The Secret Garden, from 1991 to 1993.

With a Master's degree in music therapy, independent studies in Dalcroze Eurythmics and piano, and an intuitive sense of the process of learning, Steve is both a master performer and a gifted teacher. He has taught at dulcimer festivals from coast to coast, and his classes always reach into the deeper aspects of music, performing, and practice. He teaches hammered dulcimer and piano privately in Bloomfield Hills, MI.

Steve is a regular contributor to Dulcimer Players News where you can read his column, "The Art of Performing."His articles cover topics from preparation for performance, the pleasures and paradoxes of practicing, and the importance of both inhaling and exhaling.

He is the director of the Northern Lights Hammered Dulcimer Retreat, a week-long workshop for advanced students in Ontario, Canada. For students who can't make it to Bloomfield Hills, MI or Ontario, Steve has created Long-Distance-Learning lessons, making it possible for students to have customized private lessons without ever leaving their homes. He has three recordings on his Salient MusicWorks label and has produced one music book, The Music of Tuesday's Child, a companion to his first recording, Tuesday's Child, for the hammered dulcimer.

Steve also plays piano, accordion and guitar and lives happily in Michigan with his family and other animals, his snow blower, and his fond memories of New York.