About Our Teachers
Miss Thielbar
Hello! I am Miss Brooke, and I am thrilled to be the choir director here at Worthington Middle School. This lets me combine my passion for music, performing, and education. I grew up not too far away, in the small town of Hardwick, MN, and went to Luverne High School. I got my Bachelor of Arts in Music from Northern State University, with a Certificate in Arts Administration. After graduating in 2019, I moved to Maryland! I got to live only 20 minutes from Washington DC, and I loved getting to check out the Smithsonian Museums. Once COVID hit, I decided to move back to Minnesota for the summer before moving back to Aberdeen to be the Graduate Assistant for the Music Department while I got my master’s in music education. In addition to being the Graduate Assistant, I taught pre-discovery (ages 5-6), community art classes, and private music lessons. I also love sports so be sure to invite me to your next home game so I can come cheer you on to victory! In my spare time when I am not practicing music or watching sports, you can find me hanging at the lake or making some sort of art! If you ever want to know more about me, join choir for a quarter and get to know me while I get to know you! Go Trojans!
Mr. Paulsen
My name is Mr. Paulsen. I graduated from Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) on May 1st, 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education. I am currently teaching 5-8 Orchestra in Worthington, MN. My primary instrument is saxophone and secondary is oboe.
Miss Zirbes
Hello! My name is Kaylee Zirbes, and I teach Middle School Band for grades 6-8! I was raised in Kasson, Minnesota where I graduated from Kasson-Mantorville High School. I graduated from Winona State University Spring of 2023. I have a Music Education – Instrumental Emphasis degree with a Jazz Studies minor degree. This is my first teaching job right out of college, and I am super excited to have Worthington as my new home! My primary instrument is Percussion. While I was in college, I found job opportunities as a Percussion Instructor where I taught percussion lessons at multiple schools, and I had worked with Arcadia High School’s drumline for their marching season. Outside of music and teaching, I enjoy playing videogames, spend time with family and friends, and hanging out with my cat, Beef.