Certificate Program Faculty
Brian Penkrot, Certificate Program instructor
Brian is currently in the Ph.D. program in Music Composition at the University of Iowa. He
received his B.A. degree in Composition from Columbia College in Chicago and his M.M. degree
from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Debra Helene Hernstrom, Class Piano instructor
Deb received her Bachelor of Music from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois and her Master of Arts
in Musicology from the University of Iowa. She was born in Moline, Illinois. Being blind since her birth,
she is always accompanied by her wonderful dog, Sadie. She became a piano teacher at the Preucil School
of Music in 1982 and is currently co-chair of the piano department. Since March 2000, she has been a
keyboardist for St. Wenceslas Catholic Church in Iowa City. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling,
cross-country skiing, power-walking, cooking, crafts, collecting compact discs, computing, reading and
collecting hymnals.
