To contact teachers directly by EMAIL, please click on their names.

Lee Coker
Violin & Viola
New teacher summer 2024!

​Dr. Lee Coker, M.M., D.M.A., The Juilliard School, NYC has lived around the country teaching and performing.  As a violist he has performed in numerous orchestras, chamber music ensembles including solo recitals.  Dr. Lee taught public school in the Talented Music Program in Louisiana for over 20 years.  He has been an adjudicator, string specialist, teacher trainer and orchestra conductor.  He specialized in new 20th century music.  His technique includes the Franco-Belgium bowing method, Sevcik bowing skills and tone production.  He is qualified to teach suzuki method also.  Dr. Lee now lives near St.Paul, MN.

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Amy Nam
Harp

Twin Cities-based harpist Amy Nam is the 2nd Prize winner of the Dutch Harp Festival World Harp Competition 2024. She has appeared as a soloist with the Vanderbilt University Orchestra, the McGill Contemporary Ensemble, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival Orchestra, the St. Croix Valley Orchestra, and the Luther College Symphony Orchestra.

She holds a master’s degree in harp performance from McGill University, where she studied harp with Montreal Symphony Orchestra principal harpist Jennifer Swartz, as well as a master’s degree in composition from the Eastman School of Music. She completed her undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University, where she studied harp with Marian Shaffer and graduated with first honors as the Blair School of Music Founder’s Medalist.

Also active as a composer, Nam’s work has received funding from American Harp Society Grants Program, Harp Column magazine, Chamber Music America’s Classical Commissioning program, and the Lyra Society’s 7th Annual Costello Competition for Composition, among others.

Nam is on faculty teaching harp and composition at Luther College in Decorah, IA, and Lutheran Summer Music Festival & Academy. She also teaches at Blessings Academy at the Hastings Arts Center in Hastings, MN, and maintains a growing private home studio.​

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Dave Carbonara
​Bass & Cello  

Dave Carbonara, cello and bass instructor, received both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Bass Performance from the Juilliard School where he studied with Eugene Levinson and David Walter. His cello background includes over 40 years of playing and 25 years of teaching. He completed Suzuki teacher training in books 1-6 with Dr. Tanya Carey and Jean Dexter. Originally from Long Island, NY, Dave is a freelance bassist in the Twin Cities playing with a variety of orchestras, church jobs, choral groups and jazz and tango groups. He has performed in Thursday Musical, Schubert Club and Summit Music Concerts. He has been a bass section coach for the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies as well as bass instructor at several music festivals. Dave maintains cello and bass teaching studios in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Hastings. He also teaches private lessons at South High School. Prior to his work in MN, Dave performed full time for 20 years with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans and taught at Tulane and Southeastern Universities. His extensive orchestral background also includes Principal Bass with Virginia Symphony and work with Jacksonville Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Mobile Symphony, Gulf Coast Symphony (Principal), Music in the Mountains Festival-Durango, Rochester, Duluth (Principal 2008-09), and Mankato Symphonies (Guest Principal). ​

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Carolyn Campfield-Huth
​Voice

Carolyn Campfield received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Minnesota. As a professional musician, Carolyn has performed with the Minnesota Opera and area Twin Cities orchestras. Her love of art song is fueled by her life experiences and musical collaborations. She is especially drawn to contemporary American works and she is passionate about sharing art song with her community in the south metro. A classically trained voice teacher, Carolyn was awarded her Voice Movement Therapy practitioner credentials in 1999. Since that time, she has prepared and presented lectures and courses that center upon the connections between body, voice and psyche. Carolyn has an active Voice Movement Therapy Practice at the Center for Performing Arts in Minneapolis, and is looking to teach new students at Blessings Academy.

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Rebecca Clark
​Cello & Beginning Piano

Becky Clark has been teaching private cello lessons for over 20 years and has played in orchestras and professional quartets, as well as her local church.  She has experience with children with autism, preschoolers and students between the ages of 4 and 60.  She studied music at St. Mary's University (Winona) and lives south of Hastings with her husband, dog, cats and high school son.  Her daughter recently graduated from Hastings High School.

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Kevin Dewan
​Piano & Voice

"I believe music provides a healthy outlet for emotional expression which is why the idea of teaching people about music energizes me. At Viterbo University, I studied voice and piano and began music education classes.  I also finely tuned my skills in music composition and theory.  My past employment includes the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and the Church of St. Rita in Cottage Grove.  My hobbies include attending live music and theater productions, eating out and going to the movies. My goal this year is to bring wisdom, creativity, sensitivity and expressiveness to each student I encounter.  I am grateful to be in a position to share my passion with others."

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Sarah Lockwood
​Piano, Violin & Viola

Sarah Lockwood received her Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from DePauw University (Greencastle, IN), and her Masters of Music degree in Collaborative Piano at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis). Sarah is also a violinist and violist. In 2013 she accepted a viola position with the Rochester Symphony in Rochester, Minnesota. Sarah has been teaching private piano, violin and viola lessons since 2001. She enjoys working with students of all ages and levels, and encourages adults to study music. Sarah lives in Hastings with her husband and two daughters. She has worked with the Hastings Schools music programs and has been involved with the summer Black Dirt theater productions in Hastings as music director, assistant music director and orchestra musician. In December of 2014 Sarah and her husband, Travis, purchased the former Guardian Angels Catholic Church and began converting it into the new Hastings Arts Center which houses Blessings Academy of Arts and Music.

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David Thompson
Oboe
New teacher summer 2024!

​David Thompson is an oboist, music teacher, band director, and woodwind doubler, based in Chaska, MN. Currently, he teaches middle school band and music classes at Carondelet Catholic School (Minneapolis), while also teaching oboe at St. Cloud State University. Previously, he taught band at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School (Hastings), band and orchestra at Central Lakes College (Brainerd), and music at Sartell Middle School.

As a performer, he regularly plays with the MN Valley Community Band (Chaska), & has previously performed with several groups including the Heartland Symphony Orchestra (Brainerd), St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, Bemidji Symphony Orchestra, Cedar Falls-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, and several community bands. He particularly enjoys performing at area churches and in pit orchestras throughout Central MN and the Twin Cities.

David holds a master's degree in the oboe from the University of Northern Iowa, bachelor's degrees in instrumental music ed and oboe from St. Cloud State University, and has done extra study in piano pedagogy at St. Cloud State University, as well as conducting through MN State University-Mankato.

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John Campfield-Huth
Trumpet

John Huth has been freelancing throughout the Twin Cities area since 1987. John has performed with the Rochester Symphony (MN), the Aurora Brass Quintet, and most recently, the Compass Rose Brass, along with recent performances at the Hastings Arts Center with Carolyn Campfield and Sarah Lockwood.
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John is also an instructor in the Band Instrument Repair program at Minnesota State College Southeast in Redwing, MN, specializing in brass instruments.

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Ryan McCoy
Voice & Beginning Piano

Ryan McCoy received his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Vocal Performance with an emphasis in Vocal Pedagogy from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. A Hastings native, Ryan has directed show choirs, church choir, and musical theater. He taught high school vocal music in southern Wisconsin for five years before returning to Hastings, where he now serves as the director for the Hastings Middle School’s fall musicals and winter & spring plays, teaches voice and beginning piano at the Blessings Academy of Arts and Music, and music directs for the local summer musicals. In his free time, Ryan volunteers as board president for Black Dirt Theater, Hastings’ community theater, and is a commissioner for the Hastings Arts & Culture Commission. Ryan has performed in musicals, operas, choruses, and as a tenor soloist for Handel’s “Messiah” and Bach’s “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland.” He enjoys working with students of all ages and sharing his passion for music with them. When not working or volunteering, Ryan can be found spending time with friends and family members, baking treats, or reading. 

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Trent Tejeda
​Guitar, Composition

Trenton Tejeda is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. He started playing guitar and trombone at age 10 and would go on to study at Berklee College of Music and The University of Minnesota. The ensembles he’s played in vary from rock bands, pit orchestras and jazz bands. In 2016, Trent started teaching at The Hastings Arts Center and since has taught throughout Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Trent specializes in guitar and bass, but also teaches ukulele, piano, and drums, and songwriting.

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Natalie Vanburkleo-Carbonara Violin & Viola
currently on leave 2024-2025

Meet violin/viola teacher Natalie VanBurkleo-Carbonara. Natalie enjoys an active teaching and performing career. A native of the Twin Cities, Natalie maintains private studios in Minneapolis and Bloomington and also teaches at South High School. She freelances throughout the Twin Cities with various theater shows, choral groups, churches, chamber music concerts and also manages Arioso Strings. Natalie is the founder/director of Summit Music Twin Cities and the Twin Cities Violin Choir. She is a frequent GTCYS violin sectional coach and adjudicates for many music organizations. Prior to her work in Minnesota, while living in Lousiana, she performed with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and directed the violin preparatory program at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. She has been a soloist with the Louisiana Sinfonietta and Minnesota Sinfonia and has held positions in orchestras such as Music in the Mountains Festival- Durango, Baton Rouge Symphony, Louisiana Sinfonietta, Gulf Coast Symphony, Duluth Symphony, Rochester Symphony and Acadiana Symphony, among others. She has been featured in commercial jingles and in the string section for the movie soundtrack for Madea’s Family Reunion. Natalie's most influential mentors include Sally O’Reilly, Kevork Mardirossian and Mark Bjork. She received her Performance degree from Louisiana State University as a recipient of the David Chang Memorial Scholarship and also studied violin for several years at the University of Minnesota.

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Jenna Vieths
​Piano & Voice

Jenna is originally from Hastings, Minnesota and lives in Dundas, Minnesota with her fiancé and three kids. She is a Hastings High School alumna where she was actively involved in music with Riverside Company and Vocal Jazz. Jenna has been teaching lessons for about ten years and has been playing piano and singing most of her life. Jenna attended McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota, majoring  in vocal performance with a minor in piano. She has performed at weddings, coffee shops, and competed in a few local competitions including Hastings Sings during Rivertown Days. Jenna's favorite styles of music to sing are jazz, blues, contemporary, and classical. She also enjoys the outdoors, camping, rollerblading, swimming, and most of all being a mother. 

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Jake Meyer
​Clarinet

Jake Meyer is an active freelancer and teacher in the Twin Cities and has been the principal clarinetist of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra since 2016. He has performed with the Round Top Music Festival, the Northern Lights Music Festival, the Lied Society, and was a featured soloist with the St. Olaf Orchestra after winning the Tour Soloist and Senior Soloist competitions. As private instructor, Jake has worked with students of all ages and abilities and maintains a large studio in the Twin Cities. He is a regular clinician with local band programs and has successfully coached students to positions in the Minnesota and Florida All-State Bands, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, and music degrees and scholarships. He also served as a teaching assistant while earning his Master’s degree and wrote a health and wellness guide to help musicians understand the physical and mental challenges they face on a daily basis. Jake holds his Bachelor’s of Music from St. Olaf College and his Master’s of Music from Florida State University. Away from the clarinet, Jake enjoys reading, swimming and exploring sustainable living. For more information about lessons with Jake you can check out his website jakemeyerclarinet.com.

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*Photo credit to Andrew Hill, unless indicated otherwise.