Music / Vocal Instructors
Music and Voice Department
Our Music Department, headed by Michael Ross, is proud of its highly skilled professional teachers. Many of whom are working artist. Our teachers enjoy coaching, inspiring and enriching the musical talents of each student. The students get to perform at least twice a year at the Arts Academy Spring and Winter Music Concerts.
Instructors
Michael Ross – Music Director, Voice & Piano
Michael Ross is a native of upstate NY and has both a BFA in opera performance and an MA in music education. His musical experience has ranged from arts administration to performing, as well as, teaching. In an administrative role, Mr. Ross was the Rehearsal Administrator at New York City Opera for 6 years after working various positions at Glimmerglass Opera and The Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse. He has sung as a member of the chorus at New York City Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Opera Orchestra of NY and currently sings with the Florida Grand Opera, as well as, Palm Beach Opera. After moving to South Florida 3 years ago, he is now the Director of Music at the Arts Academy of Hollywood, where he teaches private voice and piano. Mr. Ross is also a freelance composer/arranger and accompanies various groups throughout the South Florida area. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James “Tate” Earle - Guitar
James “Tate” Earle has been performing and creating music for the last fifteen years. In 2002 he graduated from Bennington College, earning a BA in Music and Performance. At Bennington, James studied under the reknowned freejazz drummer Milford Graves, notable composer Allan Shawn, and Broadway pianist/horn player Bruce Williamson. His guitar teacher was the well-known classical composer and performer Frederick Hand. Shortly after graduating, James joined SafeArt, a group whose primary goal is to educate children about abuse, racism, homophobia, and drugs, among other issues, through art and performance. James moved to Florida in 2004 to teach guitar and pursue music in an urban environment. During the last year Tate has been performing with his original funk/rock band, Sweetleaf Syndicate, at bars and clubs around South Florida.
Luis Gorfinkel – Drums
A staple in the South Florida Music scene having been a drummer and percussionist for various artists over the past 10 years. His studies began with private lessons at the age of 15 and continuing studies at Miami Dade College including clinics at Louisiana State University and the University of Miami. Luis quickly excelled in his playing learning every aspect of drum technique from popular to more classical music genres. Luis also spent several years working as an apprentice at Resurrection Drums – a drum specialty store – learning to refurbish, build, tune, and work on varying drum equipment. To attain his specialized sound, Luis spent time playing jazz, rock, metal, hip-hop, gospel, Latin, Afro-Cuban, etc. Luis describes his style as urban-fusion. Following the ideology that the strength of music is in simplicity, Luis will focus his teaching on the importance of pocket groove for immediate results.
Nick Deysher
In 2000, Nick started teaching preschoolers at the LEAP School in Lexington, MA, eventually becoming music director for all LEAP school locations. Through this work with young children, Nick developed a great catalog of his own children’s music and a curriculum for teaching music to toddlers and preschoolers. In 2001, Nick released his first children’s album, “One Man Band“. Blending a variety of musical styles and genres with themes that spark children’s interest, “One Man Band” became an instant success. The title tells all — Nick wrote and sang all the original music, played every single instrument track, singularly produced, mixed and mastered the entire album and also designed the cover art. By 2002 Nick had formed Li’l Nemo Records, his own label dedicated to promoting and distributing his music. One Man Band quickly sold out and his fans, parents and kids, thirsted for more great music, which encouraged him to keep on recording. In 2003, Nick produced “Nick of Time“, which won lots of new fans and sparked his success playing at parties, fairs and on children’s radio. He toured the Northeast with “Nick of Time” and built a large fan base. Nick is currently working on his Masters degree in Media Writing and Studio Music Production at the University of Miami, focusing on music composition and production. In 2005, his new production company “In the Nick of Time Music” utilizes his skills as a record producer that creates music for web applications and film/TV scores. Nick was honored to receive the 2006 (2nd Annual) Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. With their mentorship, Nick plans to take his music worldwide and hopes to achieve his dream of writing for children’s television and movies. He is currently finishing his latest album, “Coconut Groove“, set to release this year (2007) and is working on an illustrated book version of “The Dinosaur Song“, one of his more popular songs.
Marisa Sillner - Voice and Acting
Marisa has had a lifelong affinity for music. She trained at the New York Conservatory for the Arts where she began intensively studying voice, acting, and dance at the age of 6. Since her childhood, she has been performing professionally, touring internationally and nationally in countless musicals, as well as Song-N-Dance Theme Park Revues. She is fortunate to have studied voice privately for 15 years under a repertoire of reputable instructors including NY musical composer, Stephen Kitsakos, Douglas Farrell of Carnegie-Mellon, and Elisabeth Bell of the English Nat’l Opera. She continued her training abroad, where she began her undergraduate studies at Kingston-Upon-Thames University just outside of London where she also performed and sang musical gigs. She graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from Florida Atlantic University and has been steadily working as both a performer and teacher in South Florida for over 5 years. She has also directed, written, and adapted many children’s musicals. She plays both the piano and guitar and has experience in songwriting and performing in rock bands based in Woodstock, NY and London. She can be found performing weekly in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Musical-Dinner-Theatre, “LAFFING MATTERZ” - an original member of their resident Comedy Troupe.
April Jana Johnson-Bynes - Voice & Piano
April J. Johnson-Bynes, a native Floridian, graduated from the performing arts program at Dillard High School. She continued her education at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in music. While there, she studied voice, trained to be a classical vocalist and gained experience by singing with the University Choir where she served as lead vocalist for the University Jazz Band. In April 2006, in what was touted as her major recital debut, Ms. Johnson-Bynes, performed at the prestigious Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, Virginia. Later that year she debut in the Broadway musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ and in May 2007 she performed a three night recital series entitled “Expressions From the Heart” at The Live Arts Theater in Charlottesville, Virginia. April has performed professionally for six years as a soloist and member of choral and chamber societies and is now focusing on teaching music and establishing a performance career independently.