About the Academy
Our Mission
It is our goal to make music lessons fun!
Our well-planned activities will encourage students to develop relationships with their peers; discover commonalities, strengths, and weaknesses; support each other while discovering their talents; and build confidence in their new-found musical abilities.
Meet the Director
Leah Grace Knight
ABOUT LEAH
Leah Grace Knight is a lyric coloratura soprano celebrated for her uniquely beautiful tone and her rich, full voice. She is known for her elegant musical interpretation and charming stage presence. Leah has an incredibly versatile mechanism which allows her to master many genres of music with ease, but none as effortlessly as her first love - oratorio.
EXPERIENCE
Leah has performed in a variety of operas, operettas, oratorios and musical theater productions. These performances include her debut with the Fargo Moorhead Opera as Barbarina from Le Nozze di Figaro, Olympia from Les Contes D’Hoffman, Merry Widow from The Merry Widow, Lisa from Pique Dame and countless others. Leah has enjoyed singing in the chorus for Dialogue of the Carmelites and La Traviata as well as performing the soprano solos for Carmina Burana and the Messiah.
Leah established the Merry Melody Music Academy in Lake Park, MN in 2020 and has enjoyed enormous success and growth over the past three years.
EDUCATION
Dickinson State University - Undergraduate in Vocal Performance
North Dakota State University - Graduate Studies vocal performance
Johanna Meier Opera Theater Institute - opera performance
Miami Frost school of Music in Salzburg, Austria - opera, oratorio & song cycle Performance with German language immersion
AWARDS & HONORS
Finalist, Shirley Winston Rabb Scholarship, NATS
Winner, Market Place Talent Search, Market Place of Ideas
Winner, Summer Opera Program Scholarship, Johanna Meier Opera Theater Institute
Winner, First Place, North Dakota State Women’s Division, NATS (Four Consecutive Years)
Winner, Encouragement Award, District MET Auditions (Two Conservative Years)
Recipient of Music Performance and Language Study Abroad Scholarship, Salzburg College, Miami Frost School of Music
Winner, North Dakota State Young Artist Competition, MTNA
Winner, West Central Division Young Artist Competition, MTNA
Finalist, National Young Artist Competition, MTNA
Meet our Team
Deanna Bachmann
Graduated from Pillsbury Baptist Bible College with a bachelor degree in piano performance. Been teaching piano lessons part time for 26 years. Homeschool mom for 23 years & church pianist for almost 30 years.
Deanna Teaches
Piano
Julianna Carlson
Anna started her career with a degree in Architectural Drafting from MSCTC in Detroit Lakes. She worked as a civil CAD drafter for Compass and KLJ before deciding to stay home and become a homeschool teacher. She taught herself the Ukulele starting in 2018 and has been teaching Ukulele and introductory music lessons for over 2 years through the Academy. She also serves on the leadership council in her home congregation in Detroit Lakes, MN and enjoys spending her free time reading and painting.
Julianna Teaches
Ukulele
Bells
Jacob Woody
Jacob Woody graduated from LPA high school in 2018 before enrolling in the Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls. He earned an Associate’s of Fine Arts Degree in 2020 and finished his Bachelor of Science for Music Education at Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2023. Throughout his college career, Jacob has refined his trumpet performance skills while also learning to teach and inspire students through music. Jacob is pleased to announce his acceptance with the teaching team at Merry Melody Music Academy.
Jacob Teaches
Brass
Guitar
Percussion
Woodwinds
General Music
Ann Schluter
Ann Schluter, known as “Miss Ann” to her students, taught Suzuki Method violin and piano in Fargo-Moorhead for 34 years and concurrently taught beginning fiddle on the Turtle Mountain Reservation for over 11 years. She teaches the student, rather than a method, and developed a fiddle book with CD for her group classes with Moorhead Community Education. Ann most recently taught beginning fiddle workshops at the International Music Camp fiddle camp and was inducted into the North Dakota Fiddlers Hall of Fame in 2016. She has organized fiddle workshops, jams, and contests in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Melissa Jay
I am a homeschooling mom with 3 kids. Our family lives near Frazee, MN with our 4 dogs and 2 cats.
While my kid's activities keep me busy, I enjoy scrapbooking, crafting, and reading. Our daughter has been attending lessons at the studio for 5 years and our son for 2.5 years.
Stacey Cable
Stacey Cable graduated from MSUM in 2014 with an Elementary Education Major. She has taught elementary/preschool aged children for the last 9 years. She has also been a co-director of an elementary drama club from 2015-2017 in Fargo, ND.
Shaun Carlson
Shaun Carlson serves the academy as a technology consultant. He has been in telecommuncations for 22 years and currently works for Arvig in Perham, MN. He is also retired from the North Dakota Air National Guard after 25 years of service. Overall, Shaun is a technology enthusiast and is always looking for the next new thing!