TOM SELLWOOD
Music Instructor: "Sing Out" & "Baby Notes" classes.
Tom has had an extensive career singing and acting in lead roles across the world, including Broadway, London’s West End, National Tours, and throughout the US and the UK. Among his many notable roles, favorites include Raoul in ‘Phantom of the Opera’, Clifford Bradshaw in ‘Cabaret‘, the title role in ‘Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat’, and Frank Sinatra in ‘Sentimental Journey’. He has also created roles in West End premiers and is an award-winning audiobook narrator.
Since moving to Madison, NJ, Tom has led the vocal department at the Madison Area YMCA School of Performing Arts and currently leads the the PeachCraft Studios Vocal Arts Conservatory in Summit. He is also the Director of The Sellwood Studio of Performing Arts where he gives private lessons, teaches group singing classes and runs performing arts camps.
KATHY BYERS
Music Instructor: "Tiny Strummers: Ukulele" class & "Kathy's Musical Jamboree"
Kathy is an accomplished singer-songwriter who has been recording children’s albums and performing throughout the Northeast for more than 15 years, bringing music programs to libraries, schools, festivals, and private events. She has been a Music Teacher for grades Pre-K – 5 in several local private schools and teaches elementary guitar, flute and ukulele.
Kathy’s recording albums, Do You Wish You Could Fly, One Earth So Green and Round, and Round the Campfire have earned national recognition for excellence in children’s recordings. In 2012, she was listed as one of Hudson Valley Magazine’s Best Kids Performers.
As a member of the Children’s Music Network, Folk Alliance, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Kathy’s goal is to share music with children and help them grow their music appreciation. More on Kathy can be found on her website: www.kathybyers.com.
Karin Pilaker von Zelowitz
Cooking Instructor: "Little Chefs"
Karin holds a Master’s Degree in Food Science and Nutrition. A registered Dietician in Sweden, Karin is the former chef for the Swedish Ambassador in Switzerland. Now living in Summit, NJ with her family, she runs her own nutrition consulting business called Nordic Health and Wellness.
Karin has a passion for helping others reach their health objectives through nutrition counseling, food education, and cooking. Growing up on a farm in Sweden, food has always played a central role in Karin’s life. Her mom taught her firsthand about farm-to-table cooking, and Karin continues to cook for her family the same way. She believes that cooking at home with fresh ingredients is the way to live a healthy, sustainable life. Her goal for you: Make meals as often as you can, and most importantly, enjoy them with family!
MELISSA MOONEY
Dance Instructor: "Move 'N Groove" & "Hip, Tap, Toe" classes.
Melissa has been dancing since she was a child and is the Studio Director and Founder of Theatre Next Door & Dancelife Academy in East Hanover, NJ. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Education and certifications in Elementary Education and Middle School Language Arts, and has spent many years in local public schools as a director, choreographer and teacher.
Over the past 15 years, Melissa has performed in numerous dance shows, competitions and musical theater productions all around New Jersey. Recently, she choreographed and danced in a pre-show production number for the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Melissa was also the head of the summer performing arts S.T.A.R. camp at Montclair Kimberley Academy, and is currently the Dance Team Advisor and Coach for the West Essex Middle School Dance Team.
LISA DITURO
Sports Instructor: "A.B.C. (Agility, Balance, Coordination)" class.
Lisa is a proud graduate of Villanova University where she obtained her Master’s in Education. She taught high school English for 7 years in NY and NJ and was a preschool sports instructor at the Madison YMCA. For the last 11 years, Lisa has coached soccer and basketball at the high school and college levels and run camps for elementary students.
Currently, Lisa is a Lead Teacher at Chatham Methodist Preschool, runs basketball clinics for grades K-8, and coaches high school basketball at Millburn High School.
JENN PALMA
Yoga Instructor: "Mommy-Baby Yoga" & "Yoga Adventures" classes
Jenn is dedicated to sharing the Yoga tradition and lifestyle with eager students. Previously a dancer, Jenn trained at the New York School of Ballet, Anne Fattal’s Footnotes in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, and Modern, and The School for Film and Television NY.
Jenn is a RYT 200 and is the Founder and Director of Little Hearts Yoga and Dance in Madison, NJ. With over 17 years of experience teaching children and adults, Jenn has established a unique program that combines creativity of imagination and movement along with breath work.
SUSANNE BAMBERGER
Art Instructor: "Messy-Play Sensory" & "Art Explorers" classes
Susanne holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Communication Design and has more than 17 years of experience in art and design. She worked in NYC as the Art and Design Director for More Magazine, Town & Country Magazine and Health Magazine, and most recently helped to create Clinique’s premier internal education magazine for global distribution.
A Chatham, NJ resident, Susanne now applies her passion and talents to helping others enrich their lives through art. She currently volunteers at One World, One Love, an organization that provides support to local refugees, where she leads art programs for individuals and families, ages 4 – 44.