Deborah Mello is the recipient of the Master Teacher Award from the New Jersey Music Educators Association, the Governor's Award for Arts in Education, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Master Teacher Collaborative Award, sponsored by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. She serves as the Eastern Division Chair for the American Choral Directors Association National Committee for Children's Choirs. Mrs. Mello has conducted honors choirs in several states including New Jersey, New York, Louisiana, and Maine. She has taught numerous workshops on elementary music education and choral singing with children in the United States, England, Sweden, Scotland, and this summer, she will teach at the University of Ireland at Maynooth. Last year, Mello, in collaboration with composer Jill Gallina, wrote "All-American Sing Along Songs", a collection of patriotic songs with companion lesson plans and accompanying compact disc published by Shawnee Press. For the past twenty years, she has taught classroom and choral music at the Marion E. McKeown School in Hampton Township, New Jersey and is also director of youth choirs at Christ Episcopal Church in Newton, New Jersey.
Nathan L. Parker is currently in his 12th year teaching vocal music at Boynton Middle School in Ithaca, NY. His teaching duties include sixth grade general music and conducting the 200 voice, 7-8th grade chorus. His extra-curricular responsibilities include a treble ensemble, a young men’s ensemble, as well as vocal direction for both the Middle School and High School Musicals. He holds both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Music Education from Ithaca College where he studied conducting with Lawrence Doebler and Dr. Janet Galvan. Mr. Parker, and his ensembles, have performed and presented workshops at Ithaca College for music education majors. His choirs have performed at Music Showcase Festivals where they have received highest honors and first place awards for each of the past nine years. As an active member of both the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), he has served as All-County chairperson for the Seneca-Tompkins Music Educators Association and has presented repertoire workshops at the New York State Summer Music Conference. He has formerly served as Treasurer for the New York State Chapter of ACDA. Nathan has had many students selected to both the ACDA Eastern Division Honor Choirs and the ACDA National Division Honor Choirs. He also has regularly sent many singers to NYSSMA festivals, All-County choruses, and All-State choruses. In addition to his teaching duties, Nathan maintains a private voice studio, has sung professionally as a member of the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble, and has performed under the baton of conductors such as Moses Hogan, Andre Thomas, Anton Armstrong, Peter Bagley, Rodney Eichenberger, and Doreen Rao.