Meet The Instructors
Scott Brose: Co-Owner
Email: scott.brose@waconiamusicstudios.com
Scott Brose is the co-owner of Waconia Music Studios. He has given individual music lessons in voice, piano, and guitar for the past ten years for students of all ages and skill levels. He taught at Clearwater Middle School for nine years where he taught vocal and general music to 5th-8th grade students. He also directed the 7th-8th grade show choir as well as the middle school show band. Scott Brose earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and his Masters of Education from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Jay Downie: Co-Owner
Email: jay.downie@waconiamusicstudios.com
Jay Downie teaches 5th and 6th grade band and general music at Dassel-Cokato. At Waconia Music Studios, he teaches woodwind, brass, percussion, and piano lessons. He has been a private music instructor for 23 years teaching students of all ages and skill levels. He motivates his students to perform at personal best levels and fosters a lifelong appreciation of music. Jay holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education from South Dakota State University and a Master of Arts Degree in Education from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Amy Schoen: Private Music Instructor
Amy has been giving music lessons for 8 years, primarily guitar, but also piano. She has played in a Christian band, playing acoustic guitar, lead electric guitar, mandolin and banjo. She has been involved in her church music program, leading worship, leading the children’s music program, and church camp music programming. In her teaching, Amy likes to coordinate different styles of music, music theory and ear training. She emphasizes good technique and skills, and also encourages students to explore alternative ways to present a piece.
Sarah Mathews: Private Music Instructor
Sarah has been playing violin for the past six years. She teaches a variety of music styles, from classical to fiddling. She completed music theory courses at Crown College in St. Bonifacius and performed in the College’s String ensemble. She is also a member of Community Strings in Glencoe.
James Russell: Private Music Instructor
Hello, my name is James Russell and I recently graduated Luther College with a double major in Music Voice/Trumpet and a triple minor in Choral Education, Instrumental Education, and Theatre. I have been performing for 11 years in front of many different types of audiences including twice on the Minnesota State Fair Grand Stand and professionally for the last three summers on the stages of Valleyfair. Throughout my schooling I was involved in many choral and instrumental ensembles including the Luther College Nordic Choir and Jazz Orchestra. I have been singing and playing trumpet for 12 years and I have had the opportunity to teach individual lessons in voice and all concert instruments in places like Waterloo, Belgium, and Vienna, Austria. In my lessons I like to cover the skills of the instrument, but also on the building blocks of music theory and how they come together to create what we perform. I look forward to hearing from you about fostering a love of music in you or your child.
Mari Rathke: Private Music Instructor
Mari is a graduate of Luther College with a B.A. in Music and Music Education with an emphasis on strings. She has been playing the violin for the past 18 years. While studying violin at Luther College, she was a member of the Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. As a member of the Symphony Orchestra, she was principal second violin and has toured throughout the Midwest and Vienna, Austria having the opportunity to play in small venues, Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, and the Vienna Konzerthaus. Mari enjoys collaborating with other musicians and has studied chamber music at the International Music Festival of the Adriatic in Duino, Italy where she performed locally in Duino and in Kropa, Slovenia. She teaches violin, viola, and cello.
Michael Matson: Private Music Instructor
Michael Matson graduated from Waconia High School in 1976. In his junior and senior years at WHS, he received superior ratings for voice, piano and trumpet solos at the State Music Contest. In 2012, Mr. Matson was inducted into the Waconia High School Hall of Fame. He graduated from Luther College in 1980 with a degree in Vocal and Instrumental Music Education and he received his Master of Music degree in vocal performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1987. While in the Bay Area, Mr. Matson performed with West Bay Opera, The Lamplighters (San Francisco’s award winning Gilbert & Sullivan company), the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and The Carmel Bach Festival. He was tenor soloist for the Sing-It-Yourself Messiah at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. Mr. Matson taught vocal and instrumental music at Mount Tamalpais School and was music director at Calvary/Unity Lutheran Church for over 30 years. Mr. Matson recently moved to Waconia to be near his parents and he is happy to be back in his hometown. He continues to enjoy teaching voice, piano and trumpet and looks forward to meeting and working with new students.
Michelle Downie: Private Music Instructor
Michelle Downie teaches choir and general music at Dassel-Cokato Middle School. She earned her Bachelor of Music Education Degree from South Dakota State University and a Master of Music Education Degree from Northern State University. While she has been a music educator since 2003, Michelle has just recently begun teaching piano, ukulele, beginning guitar and instrumental lessons at Waconia Music Studios. Michelle lives in Chaska with her husband, Jay, children Kevin, Stella and Kyle and spends most of her free time attending various activities involving her kids!
Katelyn Siebert: Private Music Instructor
Katelyn Siebert graduated from Waconia High School in 2019. She was a member of the Select Chamber Choir, Wind Ensemble, Power Company, and the Marching Band. Since then she has also graduated from Luther College with degrees in Music Education and French. She has experience teaching voice lessons at both the middle school and high school level. Katelyn was a member of the Luther College Nordic Choir for three years. She also has experience teaching ukulele and flute lessons.
Elli Ess: Private Music Instructor
Elli is a student at Luther College majoring in Music Education. At Luther, she enjoys studying classical singing, practicing piano, and singing in choir. She has received over eight years of vocal coaching, the first three of which were at Waconia Music Studios under the coaching of Mandy Marek, a dearly missed former teacher. She has been playing piano for the past twelve years. Additionally, she has been involved in numerous auditioned choirs, including Minnesota’s All-State Choirs, and received several solo awards during her time in Waconia High School’s varsity show choir, “Power Company.” She is incredibly excited to be teaching piano and voice lessons at the very same place where she began to grow in her skills and passion for music. She aims to inspire her students to love music, be more confident in their abilities, and improve as musicians.
Jake Colson: Private Music Instructor
Jake Colson is currently a student at Berklee College of Music. He has been primarily playing guitar for 11 years, but he also plays electric bass, double bass, saxophone, and drums. In high school, Jake was a dedicated member of jazz band, show choir band, marching band, and the musical pit orchestra. Additionally, he has also played with numerous local bands. Jake’s main genres include funk, jazz, and rock, but he is comfortable playing and teaching most styles of music. He likes to approach his lessons with an emphasis on technique and theory while encouraging creativity and developing your own voice.
Elyse Doeden: Private Music Instructor
Elyse Doeden is a 2023 graduate from Gustavus Adolphus College where she graduated with a B.A. in Vocal Music Education with a Minor in Dance. During her time at Gustavus, Elyse was a member of two choirs: the Lucia Singers and the Choir of Christ Chapel, and was a member of Campus Band. Elyse graduated from Waconia High School in 2019 and was involved in the show choir program for many years. When she was at Waconia, Elyse was a member of all four curricular choirs and bands. She has also taken private voice lessons for 8 years and piano lessons for 12 years. Elyse’s goals as a teacher are to inspire her students to find their love for music, help them grow as musicians, and assist in building confidence in the students’ own abilities. She has worked with teachers and students of all different ages, voice types, and skill level, and cannot wait to teach voice lessons and beginner piano lessons at the studio!
Ella Schluck: Private Music Instructor
Ella Schluck is currently a junior at Waconia High School. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, Conservation Club, and Unified Leadership Group. Additionally, she has served as a two-year captain of the Waconia Girls Hockey team. Recently, Ella was honored with the 2024 MSHSL ExCEL (Excellence in Community, Education, and Leadership) Award, a recognition given to only 40 finalists out of approximately 70,000 students in the state. Alongside her extracurricular activities, Ella has excelled in playing the piano for 10 years, with 8 of those years spent at Waconia Studios. She also has experience as a percussionist in the Waconia Band for 4 years and plays the harmonica and ukulele. She looks forward to using her positive teaching style to motivate her students to feel like rock stars!
Tanner Larson: Private Music Instructor
Bio to come very soon!