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KayLynn Ann Weltzien
French horn, piano, selected winds and strings
New teacher beginning mid-January 2026

Kaylynn Weltzien is a music, band, and orchestra teacher at Harambee Elementary in the Roseville School District. She also teaches private lessons to students of all ages and instruments. Kaylynn graduated magna cum laude from Gustavus Adolphus College with a Bachelor of Arts in Music including honors in conducting and French horn performance. In addition to taking lessons on piano, cello, violin, and voice, she primarily studied horn with Melissa Morey and Michael Alexander. Currently, Kaylynn enjoys playing horn in Brio Brass, the River Valley Community Orchestra, and the Shoreview Northern Lights Variety Band. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family and friends, crocheting, snowboarding, and snuggling her cat, Misty. Kaylynn is excited for the opportunity to share her passion and looks forward to collaborating with future students. ​

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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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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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Kaia Sand
Oboe
New teacher beginning August 2025!

​​​Kaia Sand earned her Bachelor of Arts in music from Luther College and her Master of Music in oboe performance from the University of Oklahoma, where she served as the oboe graduate assistant, teaching oboe methods courses to music ed students and oboe lessons to oboe minors and non-major students. While living in Oklahoma, she performed with the Norman Philharmonic, the Cimarron Opera, and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.

Kaia is now an active freelance oboist, church pianist, and oboe teacher throughout the Twin Cities metro area. She joined the Dolce Wind Quintet in 2019 and currently serves as principal oboist with both the Kenwood Symphony Orchestra and the Mississippi Valley Orchestra. She has also subbed with numerous ensembles in the area, including the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, and the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra. Through private lessons and summer camps, she has taught oboe and reed making lessons to students of all ages. In addition to teaching at Blessings Academy, Kaia teaches oboe at Cadenza Music in St. Paul and in several Twin Cities schools, and she is the oboe instructor for the nonprofit Etude for Youth. Her students have been accepted into All-State ensembles, GTCYS and MYS, summer music festivals, and prestigious college music programs, including the Eastman School of Music (University of Rochester) and the Jacobs School of Music (Indiana University Bloomington).

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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, Beginning Piano

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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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.