St. John’s Summer Music Program is a free program which offers music lessons to any child or adult in our community. A college student who is majoring in music is hired to give these lessons. Piano is the most popular and a great introduction to music-making. Voice lessons and most band instruments are also available. We even have a handful of instruments on hand that a student can use for the summer. At the end of the summer students will have the opportunity to participate in a recital, showcasing their summer progress.

This is a good, no risk, way for your child to keep the rust off during the summer months (if they have lessons during the school year) or to dip a toe into the musical world (if they have never tried an instrument before). More importantly it is an avenue into the great world of music and God’s connection to this wonderful art. What better way to enjoy God’s beauty than music and his Word?

2026 Music Teachers

Elsa Johansson is a Sophomore at Bethany Lutheran College double majoring in Psychology and Music. Before moving to Minnesota, she lived in Columbus, WI where she attended Zion Lutheran Grade School. She then attended Lakeside Lutheran High School in Lake Mills, WI, where she was heavily involved in both choir and band. At Bethany, she has become involved in the women's choir, concert band, jazz band, pep band, and has performed in various recitals. At her home church, she participated in worship with piano accompaniment, handbell choir, and trumpet performance. Her primary instruments are trumpet, voice, and piano, but is proficient in others. Currently, she also teaches private piano lessons for grade school students in Mankato, MN, and hopes to grow and teach more in the future.

Daryan Rosenthal is entering his second year as Band Director at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church and School in Mankato, MN. He also conducts the Minnesota Over 60 Band and is the stage crew for the Mankato Symphony Orchestra. Daryan was born and raised in Wisconsin before his father took a call to Great Plains Lutheran High School in Watertown, SD. Daryan graduated from Bethany Lutheran College in May 2025, with a BA in Music. After graduating, Daryan moved and currently lives in North Mankato.

This summer lessons in Wood Lake will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays. Lessons will be available in Marshall on Wednesdays.

Fill out the registration form today to get started.

2026 Registration

Why Study Music?

1. Music is a gift of God (MUSICA DONUM DEI).

Music is a special means of communication created by God for our benefit and enjoyment. It delights in times of joy and comforts in times of sorrow. God combines music with the Word throughout the Bible to proclaim His love, mercy, and grace. After the Word of God, music is God’s greatest gift. (Luther)

2. Music is art and beauty.

As the crown of His creation, God gave mankind the ability to create. Some are given the gifts of drawing or painting, some eloquence in prose or poetry, some gracefulness in movement or dance, and others the ability to compose and perform music. These are the Fine Arts distinguishing them from the Applied or Technical Arts. The best of the Fine Arts allows us to glimpse the beauty and wonder of God and His creation. They not only enrich us but also point us back to Him, the Creator of all things.

3. Music is math and science.

Music is mathematics in time (Boethius) and therefore part of the Quadrivium in Classical Education. Math is required for reading, understanding, analyzing, and composing music. Similarly, math and science play fundamental roles in acoustics and the design and construction of musical instruments. “There is geometry in the humming of the strings.” (Pythagoras)

4. Music is language.

Singing songs and reading music facilitates language acquisition and complements and enhances the development of literacy skills.

5. Music promotes physical and emotional health.

Good music promotes physical, emotional, and social health. Musical activities stimulate the mind, facilitate brain development, develop fine motor skills, promote well-being, and improve long-term memory.

6. Music is life and culture.

Cultures worldwide express their struggles, triumphs, joys, and sorrows through music. The best music of a culture nurtures, builds, and strengthens it.

7. Music develops community.

Music develops community through shared experiences and collaborative activities while at the same time fostering and establishing mutual values and beliefs.

8. Music is history.

Throughout time people have expressed themselves through music. Studying music within its historical and cultural context provides valuable insight into the history of the world and its development.

9. Music is theology (VIVA VOX EVANGELII).

By singing the songs that God gave to us in Holy Scripture we learn how much He loves us and what He has done for us. By singing these songs and those of faithful Christian poets past and present, we proclaim the Good News becoming “the living voice of the Gospel” (VIVA VOX EVANGELII). (Luther)

10. Music is for all ages and for all eternity.

While on earth people of all ages benefit in many ways from good music. As they worship and when they die, the faithful join the Eternal Song “with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven.”

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“MUsic is God’s Greatest Gift.”

–Martin Luther

Every Sunday at St. John’s, kids have the opportunity to play music at two spots in the Divine Service. Below are some great resources for hymn-based piano music for young music students. We have copies of all these at church to be borrowed, but links are provided here if you wish to have copies of your own.