Michelle Wallick
Founder/Director

Michelle Wallick  founded Cyprus School of Music and the Arts to provide exceptional offerings and instruction in the fine arts and sciences to the general community and to provide a place that offers excellence in instruction to train up-and-coming, talented musicians and artists. She envisions a place where students of all ages can learn fundamentals and enhance their learning, but also where highly talented individuals can receive proper instruction in the arts at their individual ability level and pace.  Michelle is certified through the University of Minnesota in Talent Development and Gifted Education and has guided gifted and talented students to reach their full potential, with excellent results  for over twelve years.   She is the Owner and Director of Cyprus Classical Montessori preschool, Founder and CEO of Cyprus Classical Academy, an ability-based, not-for-profit school for gifted and talented elementary students, and  Owner/Director of  Cyprus School of Music and the Arts.

CSMA offers private instrument lessons, art classes, drama, and STEM classes.  Cyprus also offers Crescendo, a program for musician development of students 5-14 and Mini-Crescendo for ages 5-8.

Cyprus School of Music Faculty

Garret Ross
Piano Instructor, Ensemble Coach, Music Theory

Pianist Garret Ross enjoys an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. With a perpetual interest in chamber music, Ross is the Founder and Artistic Director of The Apollo Chamber Music Festival in Houston MN, now in its fifth year. Most recently Ross has appeared on concert series and stages across the USA including Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, The Roerich Museum in NYC, the Courtroom Concert Series in Saint Paul MN, Music Northwest in Seattle WA, and the Young Masters Recital Series in Valley Cottage NY. Ross performs often as the “Artu Duo” with cellist Ruth Marshall across the United States, as well as in Canada and the UK.
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As a soloist, Ross gave the World Premiere of Gregory Vajda’s Csardas Obstine with the Texas Festival Orchestra and the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra. Other solo appearances with large ensemble include repertoire by Rachmaninoff, Grieg, and Hindemith. Ross was the winner of competitions including the Bruce Carlson Memorial Scholarship Competition and First Prizes in the Bethel University Concerto and Solo Performance Competitions. Ross has attended numerous festivals including the Aldeburgh Festival, Banff Centre, International Festival-Institute at Round Top, International Keyboard Institute and Festival, PianoSummer at New Paltz, and AmerKlavier Institute at Steinway Hall. He has also performed in masterclasses with pianists Menahem Pressler, Robert McDonald, Vladimir Feltsman, Thomas Sauer, Jerome Rose, Pavlina Dokovska, and Alexander Slobodyanik, among others.

Ross attended NYU’s Steinhardt School, the University of Minnesota, and Bethel University in Saint Paul, MN. His principal teachers were Eteri Andjaparidze and Alexander Braginsky. Both Andjaparidze and Braginsky studied at the Moscow Conservatory where their teachers, Vera Gornostayeva and Teodor Gutmann, respectively, were students of Heinrich Neuhaus.

Steven Zubich
Piano Instructor, Ensemble Coach, Music Theory

Steven Zubich received his Master's in Piano Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under Elena Abend and Judit Jaimes.  He earned his B.A in music and a minor in art history from the University of MN-Duluth where he was featured as the winner of UMD's 12th Annual Concerto and Aria competition.  

Steven encourages students to pursue their own musical interests throughout their progression in order for them to find their individual voice through music. As a piano teacher, Steven provides beginners with a strong musical and technical foundation and guides and refines their playing as they progress to intermediate and advanced levels. 

Amanda Godin
Piano, Violin

Amanda has worked for CSMA since 2012 as a piano and violin instructor.  Amanda began playing piano when she was three years old in the YAMAHA music program. She started private lessons at age seven and continued under various instructors, including Dr. Paul Wirth. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with a piano emphasis in May of 2016.  

​Hayley Nelson
Cello, Violin, Viola, Guitar, Orchestra,
​Music Listening, Ensemble Coach

Hayley has been with Cyprus School of Music  since 2011, and she is a favorite among our students  for her engaging lessons and expertise!

​Hayley graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire with a degree in cello performance. In 2010, she earned her Masters degree in cello performance at the University of Minnesota under the instruction of Tanya Remenikova. Hayley is an active freelance musician and teacher in the Twin Cities. She currently serves as principal cellist of the Lirica Chamber Ensemble, and associate principal cellist of the Kenwood Symphony Orchestra. Hayley also plays and teaches violin (with a particular interest in Appalachian and Irish fiddle). She has over eight years of experience teaching cello, violin and viola, and adapts to each student's unique learning style and interests.  She also teaches beginning guitar. ​

Mike Salow
Classical, Acoustic, Electric & Bass Guitar, Drums, Piano

Mike Salow is a versatile guitarist with over a decade of playing experience and several years of teaching experience. He graduated with honors from McNally Smith College of Music receiving a B.M. in guitar performance with a music business minor. He has a well-rounded background, having worked with multiple fusion, funk, jazz, blues, metal, pop, hip-hop, and rock bands/ensembles. On occasion, Mike has also done classical work for weddings.

Currently Mike is lead guitarist & backing vocalist for Minneapolis based rock band, Chester Bay. After joining the band in September of 2009, Chester Bay toured throughout the upper Midwest, was featured in Rolling Stone magazine, and also opened for national acts such as Candlebox, Eric Church, The Bodeans, Los Lobos, Fitz and the Tantrums, and The Avett Brothers. Besides Chester Bay, Mike also plays with local indie/hip-hop group Munqs, as well as the hip-hop artist known as CeeWhy!

Mike has been featured on truthinshredding.com , received an Outstanding Solo award at the Elmhurst Jazz festival, in Chicago, with the Kirkwood Community College Jazz Big Band, and has also had success in select international guitar competitions via YouTube,  placing 1st in one, and also being a top 5 finalist and top 12 finalist in two others.  

​Mike is a quality instructor and has worked with CSMA since 2010, with lots of fans within our CSMA community!  

John Bruno
Drums, Pop/Rock Bands, Guitar, Keyboard

John is an accomplished drummer with  a passion for education and the contemporary music scene.  John began teaching at Cyprus School of Music in September of 2016, and works with private students as well as assisting with our pop/rock bands for kids.  He has a strong knowledge of teaching methods and strong technical skills that he is able to pass on to his students.  is a creative, patient teacher who clearly loves working with and developing the abilities of young musicians.  John currently attends McNally Smith College of Music and has an expected December '17 graduation.

Kate Wallick
Pop/Rock Band Director, Piano, Bass, Vocal 

Kate Wallick has taught at CSMA for over four years.  She is the director of our pop/rock bands for kids, and brought  iKids, and Electrik bands to performance venues such as The Garage in Burnsville, and Hard Rock Cafe in the Mall of America. Kate teaches piano, voice, and bass guitar to beginning music students.  Her strengths are relating to kids of all ages , challenging students to use their talent as musicians, and guiding them to develop their individual style and musicianship.

Kate  has played guitar, piano, bass, and has been a vocalist in various bands.  She also has led the children's and teen music worship program at Trinity Church in Lakeville.  Kate currently is pursuing a major in Math in the honors program at St. Catherine's University and will be presenting research in graph theory and topology around the country over the next year.  In addition to teaching at CSMA and attending college, Kate works as a math tutor at St. Catherine's University and at Cyprus Schools for beginning to advanced levels of math.

Reed Grimm
Percussion, Vocals

Born to a musical family, Reed Grimm has been performing on the stage since the remarkable age of 2 years old. Reed studied music and philosophy at UW-La Crosse where he co-founded the band Shoeless Revolution in which he is both lead singer and drummer. Through Shoeless Revolution, as well as performing with family members, friends and others, Reed has toured extensively around the country.  

Reed is well known as a semi-finalist on American Idol, and is well loved by his students at Cyprus.  He brings joy and passion to his work, inspiring all.

Debra G. 
Vocal/Bands

​Debra G has been a professional musician for over 20 years. She has a degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Oshkosh, WI and extensive background in Opera and Recital music performance. After college she walked away from Classical performance for a minute to use these studies to improve her songwriting and vocal skills in the world of pop and rock music. The goal was to be able to sing anything healthily from Mozart to Janis Joplin to Aretha Franklin. 

In the last 8 years, she has stepped back from the life of touring professionally and started coaching young bands on how to write original music and teaches voice, guitar, piano and songwriting. 

Debra G has toured with Nicholas David, a finalist from NBC's hit show "The Voice", opened for The Avett Bros, and has performed overseas for the U.S. Air Force stationed in Doha, Qatar. Currently, Debra G performs in the annual "Happy Birthday Janis, a Tribute to Janis Joplin" show at First Ave in the main room downtown Minneapolis.

Debra G is excited to create with and be apart of the CSMA family!

CSMA Faculty & Staff

Dr. Michael Vogt
STEM Instructor

STEM is the buzz word made popular the past several years as America began to recognize the shortcomings typical American students were facing in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education. Government agencies and educational institutions across the nation have stepped up to provide more engaging and more challenging STEM education in the classrooms at both public & private schools such as Cyprus. 

Dr. Vogt is a career professional research scientist from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories. He and colleagues from Western Kentucky University (WKU) are testing out new curriculum approaches to reveal STEM’s role in the surrounding world.  These are being implemented by Dr. Vogt at Cyprus to develop our students' appreciation of and skills in these areas at a younger age, and to encourage their study and potential STEM career paths.

Dr. Vogt  shares his laboratory of modern professional instruments & electronic equipment, to give our students an introduction to “real” science from microscopy and plant pathology to astrophysics and rocket engineering, all combined with real-world problem-solving mathematics.  

Karen Gainor
Drama Instructor

Jacob Hofherr
Summer Program Manager & Activity Leader

​Mr. Jacob Hofherr has worked with children in educational settings for over the past nine years. During that time he graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education specializing in kindergarten through third grade education and teaching English as a second language. He has worked in schools as a substitute teacher, paraprofessional, and has volunteered in many elementary as well as preschool classrooms. It is his pleasure to have the opportunity to work with Cyprus families to provide their children with the best learning experience possible.

Mr. Hofherr became Cyprus Classical Academy's Super K teacher in the 2015-2016 school year, helping to refine and define the program.  He also led CSMA's summer program in 2016.  He is a truly dedicated teacher who spends the time getting to know each and every one of his students and sets academic, emotional, and social goals for each, ensuring their progress every step of the way.  He takes his responsibility for each child's progress and development extremely seriously, knowing that it is the foundation that he provides that will set his students up for success.

Cora Spear
Summer Program Activity Leader 

Cora has worked with Cyprus Schools since 2012.  She began as an assistant in the afternoon preschool program at Cyprus Classical Montessori while still in high school and has worked full-time every summer since as both an assistant and lead in our Montessori programs.  In the summer of 2016, she was co-leader of the CSMA summer program, working with older students.  One of Cora's many talents is her artistic ability, and she offers her knowledge and talent in this area to her students.  She is extremely creative with her lesson plans, bringing out the best in each student.   She takes our mission very seriously and makes sure that each child is using their daily structured time to keep up on their academics.  She also is committed to providing quality programming for our camps and themes that she is leading.

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Anton Melnichenko
​Accompanist

Anton Melnichenko graduated with honors from the Moscow T. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Piano Performance and Pedagogy. From there, he earned an Artist’s Diploma from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, and then earned his Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota. Currently, he is finishing a Doctoral of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota under Professor Alexander Braginsky, who states, "I recommend Anton highly. As talented as he is nice...  Everybody likes Anton."   This comment has proven very true as a teacher at CSMA!  

Anton has been teaching all ages since 1999. He held a teaching assistant position at Hamline University for two years, where he taught students piano and theory. Most recently he held a teacher’s assistant position at the University of Minnesota as a collaborative pianist, where he accompanied singers and other instrumentalists. He has performed as a soloist with many orchestras around the world.

Anton has been working on the University of Minnesota Centennial Showboat for the past three seasons, where he arranges and performs the music for the shows. He also worked as the Musical Director, Conductor, and Pianist for the musical Cabaret.