Looking for an activity that builds confidence and keeps your child engaged?
Welcome to Grow Music Missoula!
Grow Music classes are joyful, hands-on, and designed to help kids succeed—whether they’re brand new or already playing.
At Grow Music Missoula, kids don’t just learn music—they grow through it. Our classes combine creativity, structure, and play to help young musicians build real skills while having a great time. Our experienced, friendly teaching artists meet each learner where they are and equip them with the tools they need to thrive and flourish.
Welcome to Grow Music Missoula!
Grow Music classes are joyful, hands-on, and designed to help kids succeed—whether they’re brand new or already playing.
At Grow Music Missoula, kids don’t just learn music—they grow through it. Our classes combine creativity, structure, and play to help young musicians build real skills while having a great time. Our experienced, friendly teaching artists meet each learner where they are and equip them with the tools they need to thrive and flourish.
Mission
Our mission is to foster personal growth and belonging through youth-centered music education.
Culture
We empower young people through music, nurturing a welcoming community where individuals can learn, create, and perform. We celebrate differences, encourage collaboration and shared experiences.
Vision
We envision a future where music education is universally accessible, fostering self-worth and community values.
Our mission is to foster personal growth and belonging through youth-centered music education.
Culture
We empower young people through music, nurturing a welcoming community where individuals can learn, create, and perform. We celebrate differences, encourage collaboration and shared experiences.
Vision
We envision a future where music education is universally accessible, fostering self-worth and community values.
About Us
Grow Music, established in 2014, has been cultivating musical growth through both individual lessons and group classes in violin, viola, cello, and early childhood music. Our classes are tailored to accommodate the pace of each learner, ensuring that both beginners and advanced students thrive.
Our teaching approach centers on expanding access to music-making beyond traditional ensembles and practices. Both Jessica and Anna were Suzuki-raised, classically trained, and love a good fiddle jam. With a wide array of experience and music styles to draw from, our goal is never to detract from historically important methods, but instead aim to deepen student engagement, broaden participation, and allow more students the agency to view themselves as creative beings.
We often work in tandem with the Missoula Crescendo Club, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to high-quality music education for all youth. Grow Music presents two annual studio-wide recitals and other engaging performance opportunities for our students throughout the year. The Crescendo Club community music series, "Crescendo Concerts," fosters personal growth through student-centered performances and collaboration with professional artists.
Our events are always free for the public to enjoy.
Grow Music, established in 2014, has been cultivating musical growth through both individual lessons and group classes in violin, viola, cello, and early childhood music. Our classes are tailored to accommodate the pace of each learner, ensuring that both beginners and advanced students thrive.
Our teaching approach centers on expanding access to music-making beyond traditional ensembles and practices. Both Jessica and Anna were Suzuki-raised, classically trained, and love a good fiddle jam. With a wide array of experience and music styles to draw from, our goal is never to detract from historically important methods, but instead aim to deepen student engagement, broaden participation, and allow more students the agency to view themselves as creative beings.
We often work in tandem with the Missoula Crescendo Club, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to high-quality music education for all youth. Grow Music presents two annual studio-wide recitals and other engaging performance opportunities for our students throughout the year. The Crescendo Club community music series, "Crescendo Concerts," fosters personal growth through student-centered performances and collaboration with professional artists.
Our events are always free for the public to enjoy.
Grow Music Teaching Artists:
Photo: KC Lostetter
Founder, Director & Teaching Artist
I help build communities through creativity. I am Jessica Catron (she/hers) and I play the roles of executive leader, community builder, strategic partnership & program developer, and an arts-based innovator for positive youth development. Twenty years ago, I thought my life's work would be performing. I discovered it was actually building programs that help others thrive.
I am Founding Director of Grow Music Missoula, a community music school, and Founding Executive Director of Missoula Crescendo Club, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to music education, mentorship, and creative opportunities for young people.
Before moving to Montana in 2013, I spent 13 years in Los Angeles. First, as a freelance cellist performing with a diverse range of acclaimed artists including Nels Cline, DeVotchKa, FUN., Trevor Hall, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dave Matthews, Linda Ronstadt, Spiritualized, Steve Vai, Vitamin String Quartet, Scott Weiland, Wilco, and many others. I had fun opportunities performing on The Tonight Show, NBC Music Video Awards, the Coachella Music Festival, and in numerous film and commercial soundtracks. Los Angeles is an inspiring place to be an artist.
My passion for education began as the first Lead Cello Teaching Artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) program. Since then, I’ve led an array of workshops throughout the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Colombia, and now I dedicate my career to using music as a tool for positive youth development, community connection, and creative empowerment and well-being.
Still a performer, I particularly enjoy creating sound art installations and working in collaborative projects. I’ve served as Artist-in-Residence at the UCLA Hammer Museum and have cultivated sound pieces through Missoula Open AIR, the Clark Chateau in Butte, and through the Montana Cultural Trust. I sit in with the String Orchestra of the Rockies and, in the summer months, I love playing cello at outdoor weddings with The Receptionists Music, surrounded by the exquisite beauty of Montana.
Over the past decade, I’ve cultivated Grow Music into a thriving, inclusive music school serving students of all ages and abilities. Through the Missoula Crescendo Club, I have secured multi-year partnerships with national institutions like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall to bring innovative, accessible programming—like the Montana Well-Being Concerts—to the regional community. In addition to director duties, I serve as an innovative facilitator, creative advisor, and program visionary for non-profits, artists, and educators, offering guidance in mission alignment, sustainability, and community-centered leadership.
My personal time is enjoyed by sitting around campfires, attending primitive skills gatherings, learning about plants, finding ways to reuse everything, and exploring new and wild places with my wonderful family.
Learn More
I help build communities through creativity. I am Jessica Catron (she/hers) and I play the roles of executive leader, community builder, strategic partnership & program developer, and an arts-based innovator for positive youth development. Twenty years ago, I thought my life's work would be performing. I discovered it was actually building programs that help others thrive.
I am Founding Director of Grow Music Missoula, a community music school, and Founding Executive Director of Missoula Crescendo Club, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to music education, mentorship, and creative opportunities for young people.
Before moving to Montana in 2013, I spent 13 years in Los Angeles. First, as a freelance cellist performing with a diverse range of acclaimed artists including Nels Cline, DeVotchKa, FUN., Trevor Hall, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Dave Matthews, Linda Ronstadt, Spiritualized, Steve Vai, Vitamin String Quartet, Scott Weiland, Wilco, and many others. I had fun opportunities performing on The Tonight Show, NBC Music Video Awards, the Coachella Music Festival, and in numerous film and commercial soundtracks. Los Angeles is an inspiring place to be an artist.
My passion for education began as the first Lead Cello Teaching Artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic's YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) program. Since then, I’ve led an array of workshops throughout the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Colombia, and now I dedicate my career to using music as a tool for positive youth development, community connection, and creative empowerment and well-being.
Still a performer, I particularly enjoy creating sound art installations and working in collaborative projects. I’ve served as Artist-in-Residence at the UCLA Hammer Museum and have cultivated sound pieces through Missoula Open AIR, the Clark Chateau in Butte, and through the Montana Cultural Trust. I sit in with the String Orchestra of the Rockies and, in the summer months, I love playing cello at outdoor weddings with The Receptionists Music, surrounded by the exquisite beauty of Montana.
Over the past decade, I’ve cultivated Grow Music into a thriving, inclusive music school serving students of all ages and abilities. Through the Missoula Crescendo Club, I have secured multi-year partnerships with national institutions like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall to bring innovative, accessible programming—like the Montana Well-Being Concerts—to the regional community. In addition to director duties, I serve as an innovative facilitator, creative advisor, and program visionary for non-profits, artists, and educators, offering guidance in mission alignment, sustainability, and community-centered leadership.
My personal time is enjoyed by sitting around campfires, attending primitive skills gatherings, learning about plants, finding ways to reuse everything, and exploring new and wild places with my wonderful family.
Learn More
Anna Walter-Grussling (Education Manager/Lead Teaching Artist) has been studying the violin and piano since she was 5 years old. She continued with her violin studies at the University of Montana under Margaret Baldridge, and graduated with a degree in Elementary and Special Education. She has been an active substitute in the Missoula Symphony since her junior year in High School. Anna was a participant in the Suzuki Institute for 13 consecutive years and has studied under Missoula violin teachers Heidi Martin, Beth Youngblood, Madeleine McKelvey, and Molly Morrison on piano. She currently has a home violin studio with students ages 5 to 15.
In addition to music, Anna is a Special Education Specialist and Consultant and works as a dance instructor with the Carroll-Henderson School of Irish Dance. Anna strives to make learning fun, while also maintaining an atmosphere that facilitates learning and reaching goals. Anna is Grow Music's lead teacher for all things violin. She currently runs all group fiddle classes, as well as directing Viol Conspiracy and assisting with String Mafia.
In addition to music, Anna is a Special Education Specialist and Consultant and works as a dance instructor with the Carroll-Henderson School of Irish Dance. Anna strives to make learning fun, while also maintaining an atmosphere that facilitates learning and reaching goals. Anna is Grow Music's lead teacher for all things violin. She currently runs all group fiddle classes, as well as directing Viol Conspiracy and assisting with String Mafia.
Additional Teaching Artists:
Hayley Bouchard (Teaching Artist - Cello) is a third year music education and cello performance major at the University of Montana. She has participated in groups like the UM Symphony Orchestra, the Missoula Symphony, String Orchestra of the Rockies, and plays in her string quartet, the Heart Strings. Along with school and teaching through Grow Music, she works as a teacher for ASUM Child Care. In her free time, she enjoys getting outside, doing crafts, and spending time with family and friends.
Marian Kale (Teaching Artist - Violin) is originally from Billings, MT. She is a graduate of UM with degrees in music education and violin performance, and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Music Education from Boston University. She has performed as a soloist with the UM Symphony Orchestra, received the prestigious Presser Scholarship, and is a member of the Phi Kappa Lambda Honors Society. Many of her students have received superior ratings at District and State Music Festival, and she regularly serves as an adjudicator at festivals across the state. Marian began teaching with Grow Music in the fall of 2022, and is fortunate to now serve as the director of orchestras at Helena Middle School. When she is not teaching or performing, Marian enjoys reading, spending time with family, and doing spin cycle classes.
Neveah Killsnight (Teaching Artist - Viola) is currently studying viola performance at the University of Montana in Missoula. She has been playing viola for 9 years. In her career, she has performed with ensembles throughout Montana and the Northwest region, including the Billings Symphony and Missoula Symphony. She is an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe and is currently honored as "Miss Northern Cheyenne," serving as a goodwill ambassador and representative of the Northern Cheyenne Nation. She engages with communities across the region, promoting cultural awareness, preserving traditions, and enhancing the visibility of Indigenous people. In her free time, she enjoys beading, hiking, and spending time with family and friends.
Bayley Ginnaty Mickolio (Teaching Artist - Viola) was born and raised in Great Falls, Montana. It was through the public school system where Mickolio found the viola and fell in love. Bayley received a Bachelors degree in Viola Performance from the University of Montana, studying with Dr. Margaret Baldridge. She then completed her graduate studies at the Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, NY, where she graduated with a Masters of Music in Viola Performance and Literature, under the tutelage of George Taylor, and a Masters of Music in Music Education. Mickolio began her teaching career in 2021 with Grow Music Missoula and quickly found her passion in private instruction. While living in New York, Bayley was a teaching artist at Fret & Bow Music Academy where she taught both private viola and violin lessons. Outside of music, Bayley enjoys cooking, gardening, cross stitching, and moseying through farmers markets.
Jayla Mitchell (Teaching Artist - Cello) is a versatile performer whose work spans popular and classical music. Her latest appearances include Azure Larkwood’s album The Reason We Fall and Matthew Jones’ single “Save Me.” She has recently performed in the pit orchestra of Matilda (MCT) and She Loves Me (UM). As a classical musician, Jayla won UM's Concerto-Aria Competition and the Young Artist division of Montana’s MTNA competition. She has also been a finalist in the MT Association of Symphony Orchestras competition and performed Haydn’s Cello Concerto as a soloist with the Great Falls Symphony. Jayla is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee where she studies with Professor Patrice Jackson. She completed her undergraduate studies with Dr. Adam Collins at UM where she earned the Presser Foundation Award and Cook Family Scholarship.
Jeremy Drake (Teaching Artist - Guitar) holds a degree in Studio/Jazz Guitar from the University of Southern California. He has toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia performing pop, rock, jazz, experimental, and live music for theater. He has played guitar on several film soundtracks including the remake of horror classic “The Hills Have Eyes” and albums for artists including Nels Cline, Eleni Mandell, The Living Sisters, and Vinny Golia. In his free time he enjoys carving kitchen utensils, building soil, and learning about native plants.