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Rhonda taught herself to play the piano when she was in the fifth grade. She always wanted to play the piano and was quite dismayed to be handed her Aunt Judy's old saxophone and find herself in Mr. Short's elementary school band class. She cried. She didn't want to play that dumb old saxophone. She wanted to play the piano.

Her solution was to get on her banana-seat girl's Schwinn bicycle and ride seven miles out to her Grandmother's lima bean farm where there was an old upright piano that her mother had played when she was a girl. In the piano bench was her Mom's old beginning piano book. She'd bike out there any chance she got and her patient Grandmother would holler out when she missed a note. Over time she worked her way through the book until, finally, in the seventh grade her parents bought her a piano and she got to take lessons for the first time.

Rhonda took piano lessons all through high school. She accompanied the school and church choirs and was a founding member of HiTones, an award-winning girl's vocal ensemble.

Once Rhonda graduated from high school, she had to leave her beloved piano at home and went on to San Francisco State University where she earned her degree in International Relations. During college she sang in the Choral Union, took classes in the history of music and found 1/2 price student tickets! This is where Rhonda's love affair with live music really began. She had season tickets to the San Francisco Symphony and soon was also attending the opera and sneaking into nightclubs to see jazz.

While Rhonda took a break from playing the piano while going to college, career and raising a son; she was blessed to find a wonderful teacher and began lessons with Ali Adelman.

She also took classes at The Jazz School in Berkeley. At The Jazz School, she had piano with Jeff Pittson and jazz theory with Mark Levine, author of "The Jazz Piano Book"" and "The Jazz Theory Book."

Aside from enjoying a lifetime of piano playing her current endeavors include the founding of Red Dragonfly Productions.

In October 2005 she produced the Hurricane Katrina Blues Benefit with the Steve Freund Band and special guests Alvon, Pork Pie Phillips, Cathy Lemons, Johnny Ace, Don Bassey, Stef Burns, Tommy Castro and Maria Muldaur. The Rock 'n' Roll Carnivale with the Alameda All Stars, the Detroit Disciples and the Volker Strifler Band. Bill Haley's Original Comets with opener the Fabulous Bud E. Luv Trio, Voena, Craig Horton, Ken Saydak, Mz. Dee, Dave Spector, House of Floyd~A Tribute to Pink Floyd, Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours, The David Thom Band and Wavelength at The Majestic Theatre in Benicia. Red Dragonfly Productions has also provided tickets sales and promotion for George Winston and Paula Poundstone at Rizza Auditorium in Vallejo and has donated production services to the Benicia/Vallejo Humane Society's Fidos and Fighters with Chris Mata, Joe Klocek and D.C. Ervin, the Mexico Mission concert featuring Peppino D'Agostino, the Vallejo Middle School Thunderbird Band fundraiser with Johnny Steele, a director's film screening of Adrian Belic's "Beyond the Call" for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and a benefit for the California Police Activities League with comics Rocky La Porte, Dave Burleigh and D.C. Ervin. Rhonda has also volunteered at her church and was instrumental in bringing in the Jeff Pittson Trio, Fog Trio and Guitarist Peppino D'Agostino to their series. Red Dragonfly Productions donates promotion services to the music series at the Camel Barn for the Benicia Historical Society and other community non-profit music events in the area. Recent events include Bluegrass for Kids and Jazz for Kids at the Camel Barns. Red Dragonfly Productions collaborated with Imagine Talent Development Studio in Benicia on Celebrity Sitdown with Richard Freedman which features such guests as inspirational speaker Michael Pritchard, screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard, author of The Way of the Peaceful Warrior Dan Millman, Grammy winning producer and blues great Roy Rogers, satirist Will Durst and Tommy Castro. Red Dragonfly Productions has a commitment to music in Benicia and Vallejo and promotes music Upstairs at First Street Cafe and the summer jazz at The Shoreline in Benicia.

Rhonda brings her joy and love of music to her teaching. She believes that music theory, technique and understanding of chords can be taught within a context of fun. Rhonda works with all ages and enjoys teaching beginners. Her philosophy is that while all might not go on to a lifetime of playing piano or careers in the music industry, all students will go on with the a love of music and an experience that will allow them to appreciate music more fully and completely all their lives.