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QJHS & QHS Staff
MR. MATT BUHR, QHS BAND DIRECTOR
Matt Buhr is a proud graduate of the University of Iowa, he holds degrees in Trumpet Performance and Music Education.
Mr. Buhr’s teaching responsibilities include directing high school and junior high concert bands, as well as marching band, pep band, jazz lab band, and show choir band. He also teaches fundamentals of music theory. Beyond the classroom, he maintains an active private lesson studio with over 20 students, many of whom have been selected for District, All-State, and Honors festivals in Illinois, Missouri and Iowa. His students have also earned membership in prestigious Drum Corps International ensembles, including the Colts (Dubuque, IA) and Blue Stars (La Crosse, WI). In addition to teaching, Mr. Buhr is an active adjudicator and clinician, having worked with several high school band programs across the Midwest. He has also contributed extensively to show choir as a choreographer, clinician, and judge at both the junior high and high school levels. His groups have earned accolades such as Best Choreography and Grand Champion awards. Since 2014, he has collaborated with choreographer Nancy Bocek on numerous show choir and musical theater productions. Outside of his school responsibilities, Mr. Buhr performs as a freelance trumpet player, including with the Big River Swing Machine (Quincy’s community big band) and the Quincy Community Concert Band. When he’s not tootin’ his own horn, Matt enjoys playing disc golf and riding his motorcycle.
MR. BEN KESSLER, QHS ASSOCIATE BAND DIRECTOR/QJHS 7th GRADE BAND
MS. COURTNEY JOHNSON, QHS ASSOCIATE BAND DIRECTOR/QJHS 8th GRADE BAND
Courtney Johnson is a native of Quincy, Illinois, and a recent graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree. During her time at Drake, she served as principal flute in the Wind Symphony, sang alto in the Borealis choir, and held numerous leadership roles, including Borealis council member, flute section leader and drum major of the Drake University Marching Band, and student director of Bulldog Brass. She also served as NAfME President and represented students on the Student Music Advisory Council. In addition to her collegiate involvement, Courtney worked as a marching band technician for the Southeast Polk Marching Rams and directed Urbandale High School’s Affinity treble show choir. She has also worked professionally as a flute clinician and performer, served a two-year term as the South Central Iowa Bandmasters Association Student Affairs Representative, and participated as a Muse in the inaugural Iowa Athena Summit, a leadership and empowerment camp for young female musicians. During summers in Quincy, Courtney taught dance camps for grades K–8 through John Wood Community College’s JDub Academy, assisted with Bonansinga Camps, and worked as a technician for the Quincy Senior High School Marching Blue Devils. Courtney earned President’s or Dean’s List honors every semester at Drake and received several prestigious awards, including the Presser Scholar Award, the Outstanding Senior Award from the music department, and the Sigma Alpha Iota Academic Award. Additional honors include the 2023 Des Moines Civic Music Association Second Prize College Division Young Artist Scholarship, the 2025 James Cox Memorial Scholarship, and honorable mention for the 2025 Edward C. Truman Award for Outstanding Student in Humanities. She completed her student teaching placements at Summit Middle School in Johnston, Iowa, and Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, where she taught lessons and worked with concert and jazz ensembles. At Valley, she helped prepare the Symphony Band for its performance at the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference as the featured ensemble for the Young Conductors Symposium. Courtney is excited to return home and join the Quincy Public Schools Music Department community. She is looking forward to working with the students and families of QPS.
MRS. BETHANY OTTE – QHS ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR/QJHS ASSOCIATE ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR
Mrs. Otte is QHS director of Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Strings. She also assists the 6th, 7th and 8th grade orchestras at Quincy Junior High School.
Mrs. Otte is a second-generation music educator. She grew up in a home that valued music as part of life, and at six years old, Bethany began to play the violin continuing to play through college. She earned her B.S. in Music Education with an emphasis in String Pedagogy from Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, WI. Bethany spent several years as a private teacher before transitioning to teaching orchestra full time. She loves the personal interaction she gets with each of her students and taking advantage of the opportunities that are available for her students to excel as musicians and citizens. Outside of the classroom, Bethany is involved in her church, and also loves spending time and exploring new places with her husband and son Michael.
CHAD ENSINGER – QHS ASSOCIATE ORCHESTRA DIRECTOR/QJHS 6-8 ORCHESTRAS
Mr. Ensinger is the QHS Associate Orchestra Director and the QJHS 6-8 Orchestra Director. Chad attended Wheaton College, in the Western Suburbs of Chicago, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and went back to school closer to home at Western Illinois University where he simultaneously acquired his teacher’s certification in music education, earned a Master’s of Arts degree in music education, and started a family.
As a string teacher, he has learned to play all string instruments (Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass) but his main instrument is Viola. Chad has been playing the Viola for about 30 years now and has had the pleasure of performing in a variety of different Symphony Orchestras, String Quartets, and orchestras for Operas, Operettas, Musicals and Oratorios. Mr. Ensinger enjoys spending time with his family of 6. His wife, Stephanie, serves as para-educator at Rooney Elementary. We enjoy going out of town on little adventures such as an occasional trip to Branson, camping in the Smoky Mountains and hiking in the woods
MEGAN MASTERMAN – DIRECTOR OF QHS CONCERT CHOIR, QHS CONCERT CHORALE, QHS FRESHMEN CHORALE & QHS VARISTY CHORALE
Megan Masterman is a Quincy native and proud alumnus of Quincy Senior High School. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Illinois State University in 2010, where she majored in Music Education and Acting. She is also certified in Orff, First Steps in Music, and Conversational Solfege pedagogies. Mrs. Masterman taught K-12 general music, chorus, and theatre in the classroom for five years before taking on a new role as the Education Program Manager for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. At the ISO she was responsible for designing concert experiences, curriculum, and outreach experiences for the greater Indianapolis area. She also helped to develop a performance-based outreach program for young children and their families called the Teddy Bear Series, which has been featured in numerous national venues including the League of American Orchestras National Conference and the Kennedy Center’s SHIFT Festival. Her favorite part of her work with the Teddy Bear Series was publishing three children’s books with interactive music. In addition to teaching and directing, Ms. Masterman also enjoys performing. She has been in numerous honors, community, and professional choirs over the years including local productions with the Muddy River Opera Company and Quincy Community Theatre. She spent many years participating in the student theatre department at QCT and now loves to serve as a guest instructor there as well. Most recently, Ms. Masterman has been teaching Applied Voice at John Wood Community College and serving as Conductor of the QAYC Kinderchor. She is very excited about her new role at QHS, and ready to have new A Building adventures!
MRS. MONICA SCHOLZ – ASSISTANT QHS CHOIR DIRECTOR/ASSISTANT QJHS CHOIR DIRECTOR
MRS. ADAIR SPENCER – QJHS CHOIR DIRECTOR
Adair Spencer is an accomplished music educator with over 30 years of experience shaping the talents of students across Illinois. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Music Education from the VanderCook College of Music.
Mrs. Spencer’s extensive classroom and ensemble experience includes teaching choral and general music programs in Huntley, IL, and directing grades 6–8 choral and general music at Highland Middle School in Libertyville, IL. At the collegiate level, she served as an Adjunct Faculty member at both the College of Lake County and John Wood Community College. Mrs. Spencer has also operated a successful private teaching studio since 2004, first in Northern Illinois and later expanding her practice in Quincy. As President of both the local chapter of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and the Quincy Conservatory of Music, she has guided her studio to participate in the Achievement in Music (AIM) Exam, the Annual Ensemble Festival, and seasonal recitals. A passionate advocate for private music education, she has spent years mentoring her own advanced piano students to step into the role of teaching others. Throughout her career, she has strived for excellence in instructional design and choral direction, remaining dedicated to helping students decode the language of music to empower them as confident, independent musicians.
In her personal life, Mrs. Spencer is married to Brian—who has always playfully wished his wife taught the flute, given that pianos are notoriously difficult to move. She is the proud mother of four children, all of whom she taught piano through high school and who attended Quincy Public Schools, as well as a joyful new grandmother. She retains a particular heart for middle school students, thriving on the vibrant energy of these emerging teens and finding immense joy in guiding them through such a transformative, fun stage of life. Having admired the district’s dedication to the arts for many years, she is most excited to officially become a part of Quincy Public Schools.
