Introducing: STAC's conservatory

The Stafford Township Arts Center's new conservatory was buzzing with live workshops and performances of dance, music, visual arts and theater on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 15, during its free open house tour. The enactments introduced the public to the school’s newest professional instructors, while also giving them a first-hand look into the types of classes they can enroll in. 

Photo by Kelley Anne Essinger

“This is the big opening to bring all of this out into the community, which is really, really exciting,” said Kelly Harris, STAC's manager and conservatory director. “There are classes for people from 3 years old to seniors in every discipline of performing and visual arts, everything from photography to creative dance to violin and piano. So there’s pretty much something here for everybody,” she added.

After growing up around parents who were in show business and running many successful conservatories in Europe and the United States, Harris helped initiate the theater’s programs and classes. She surveyed the community, starting in January, about what types of curricula they would be interested in and set to work making it happen. In the interim, she spoke with many local dance trainers, music instructors, school teachers, parents, drama clubs and college professors to gain a better understanding of how the conservatory could benefit the local area.

“It’s very much in cooperation with the local studios and local school programs, with the idea that these students would get an education that they can get into colleges with, like the Berklee College ofMusic and Juilliard. I actually even spoke with professors from Berklee, and I asked them what kinds of things students would need when they audition. So I got all that feedback and compiled it altogether to design these courses and then find the right teachers to teach them,” she added.

Of the 106 contenders who applied for a teaching position at the theater, only 30 were interviewed and eleven were hired. All eleven of the school’s newest instructors, who will begin their teaching term on October 1, performed on stage or gave a demonstration in one of the surrounding classrooms at STAC last weekend. Although unsure of where the year will bring them, their eager demeanor was an obvious expression of their excitement to be part of something so culturally and communally beneficial.

“I hope to pass on my musical knowledge to the younger generation and put real musicians out into the world,” said Christina Skleros, STAC's newest vocal instructor.

Photo by Halley Feaster

Like many of the instructors at STAC, Skleros, 24, who grew up in Barnegat, has been practicing her special talent since she was a young child. She began taking private singing lessons from local instructors at the age of three before making her way to New York City, where she studied Classical Vocal Performance at the Manhattan School of Music and later, Jazz Vocal Performance at William Patterson University. She is most notably recognized for singing at The White House for President Clinton during the ’96 election and as the Yankees’ “good luck charm” when she sang at Game Six of the 1996 World Series. She also owns a professional music studio in Manahawkin called Musicology Studios, where she teaches professional voice, piano, flute, violin and guitar lessons on the side.

Gregory Foote, 7, from Manahawkin, showed up with his parents Karen and Greg and his younger brother Andrew, 5, to look into piano lessons and also see STAC's piano instructor Michael Engesser, a world-renowned music composer, producer and engineer who grew up playing piano in Munich, Germany.

“I like the piano because you get to make crazy music,” exclaimed Foote.

Foote received a keyboard for his birthday and has always been musically inclined, according to his parents. They said he is always singing and can really carry a tune. He even whistles like a champ.

“His favorite music comes from video games like the Mario Brothers and Star Wars,” said his mother. “He'll download the music onto his iPod and let it play in the background when he plays with his toys. He's even picking up on some of his mom's favorite music like Pearl Jam,” she added with a laugh.

Foote's parents decided they would look into the conservatory's classes after receiving an email about the open house tour. They were interested in the idea of sending their kids to a visual and performing arts school that offers affordable lessons in one convenient location. Whether or not Foote decides to stick with piano, his parents believe learning how to read music will help prepare him for other musical instruments he might like to try learning, including guitar. And that, of course, is STAC's mission exactly.

Drama instructor Nicole Mayer, 24, of Barnegat said she wishes a similar local program existed a few years ago when she was in search of professional acting and modeling classes.

Photo by Kelley Anne Essinger

“In 10th grade I went to John Casablancas (Modeling and Career Centers) in Pennsylvania every Saturday for six months, and that was a couple of thousand dollars for commercial acting lessons,” said Mayer. “I also did Barbizon (Modeling and Acting Centers) in ninth grade. It was expensive. You got pictures and a few modeling lessons, but it’s still not affordable for parents who have kids who are interested in this stuff.

“If I could have gone to a conservatory, I would definitely have done that,” she added. “The conservatory is strictly for community, but it’s not limited to just Stafford or Manahawkin. I had people calling from Lacey, and I said, ‘Bring everybody down here.’ It’s supposed to be affordable for all of us, and if you’ve talked to Kelly (Harris), you know her passion for this place is remarkable,” she added.

Classes at STAC’s conservatory run from Oct. 1 to June 30. Registration is ongoing. For more information, visit njstac.com, or dial 609-489-8600.