Rhonda and Lee Kram own the Stone Cottage Band Instrument Shoppe on South Main in Waynesville, a store familiar to everyone who drives by. There’s a lot going on inside. The shop is a lifesaver for all of the instrumentalists in the area, especially those in public-school music programs. As you enter, it’s hard to navigate the floor because of the many instrument cases waiting to be picked up by customers. Since its founding in 2001, the Stone Cottage Shoppe continues to be a popular spot for quality repair service, rentals and sales.

Rhonda grew up in a military family and began organ class lessons at the age of six in San Jose, California. Later, in Japan she continued with lessons from an elderly native Japanese man who rode a bicycle to their home every week to teach Rhonda and her brother. In seventh grade in San Antonio, Texas she began to play tenor saxophone in the school band and continued through high school after moving to Wilmington NC. College took Rhonda to Appalachian State where she studied music industry business, wind instruments and industrial technology.

In 2002, Rhonda was a founding member and first president of the Haywood Community Band and served as the band president about 15 years sprinkled throughout its history. She is now serving as the band’s vice president. Her primary instrument in the HCB is alto saxophone, but she subs on tenor saxophone as needed.

“Playing and performing music changed the trajectory of my life,” said Rhonda. “My college and career path came out of my desire to help others experience the joy of playing music too. What you experience when you play music with others can be magical. Science says music enhances your brain, but when you create music, you quickly realize it actually connects with your soul. You may set out to share your feelings through your music, but sometimes the music turns back to transform the way you feel.”

Rhonda’s positive experience in music was a motivating factor when partnering with others to start the Haywood Community Band. “It’s been a constant in my life. I met most of my friends through music because it’s a real family. Sharing music in a community group and supporting young people with the money we collect at our concerts is a great example of what Aristotle meant when he said, ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.’” 

Rhonda and her husband, Lee who plays drums, continued with contributions to the local music scene in November of 2022 when they established a music school that currently offers private instruction in a variety of instruments and voice at the Folkmoot Center For The Arts in Waynesville.

“While running the store for over 20 years, we’d always wanted to share our love of playing music with the community,” she said. “Many people want good instruction to learn a new instrument, revisit an instrument they used to play, or improve on an instrument they are currently playing. We match our teachers with the needs of the students to make it happen. Our goal is to make learning music fun in a supportive, community environment.”

“I have a passion for the community music experience and all the behind-the-scenes support that goes into it.  Yes, it’s a shared experience among the individual musicians playing and those they play with, but that energy also extends to and bounces back from the audiences that gather to observe them.  The results for the whole community of participants is a spirit-lifting, shared experience and connection not easily found other places.”