
Inspiring the joy of music, theater and dance through classes, lessons, residencies, camps, seminars and performances.

Kevin J Kearins, the Music Hall Academy Director, is celebrating his 40th anniversary as Artistic Director of KJK Productions, the nonprofit arts organization he founded in 1982! Since then, Kevin has produced more than 75 Mainstage and over 200 children’s theater productions in the tri-state area and has implemented a successful after school theater program in dozens of districts schools throughout Westchester County. He has had extensive training, both nationally and in Europe, in all aspects of Voice, Theatre and Arts Administration. Mr Kearins holds a Bachelors and Masters in Education/ Theatre and is a member of SSDC (the professional national union of Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers).
The Music Hall Academy is committed to providing children and youth with access to the performing arts.
We consider the arts to be an irreplaceable tool for personal growth, a gift that keeps giving throughout our lives. For us, the journey is the goal, every lesson and rehearsal an exploration and an adventure. The performance is the “cherry on top” at the end of this process. The Academy programs include:
- Free School Residencies: Theater residencies are offered at no cost to the Tarrytown school district.
- Youth Theatre Productions: Musical Theater productions take place several times a year.
- Vacation Camps: Camps are offered during winter, spring and summer breaks.
- Theatre Classes: Theater classes like Mythology Playwriting and Shakespeare classes are taught by theater professional Peter Royston.
- Private Music Lessons: Private instrumental instruction with professional teachers of The Mozartina Conservatory are given to children and adults
- Masterclasses & Seminars: Masterclasses and seminars are offered several times a year.
- School Shows: School children are introduced to live theater through school shows.
We are proud to be able to offer a Pay-What-You-Can scholarship policy for most of our programs, enabling students to participate regardless of financial limitations.
Please consider supporting the Academy with a tax-deductible donation through our Education Fund so that the educational and scholarship programs may be sustainable.
Programs are added on a continual basis. Join the Music Hall Mailing List to stay informed.
Last update: October 27, 2022
ACADEMY MEMBERSHIP
Academy Membership 2023 is free of charge to our 2022 students:
* Free Rush Tickets to Music Hall Concerts & Events
* Early Registration for most Academy Programs
* Invitations to Broadway Show excursions
* Free Group Acting Seminar
* Free Group Audition Seminar
* Free participation in Holiday Festivities & Community Events
* Free participation in the annual Academy Fundraiser Showcase
* Invitation to the annual Academy Garden Party
* Complimentary t-shirt for select programs
* 10% off Music Hall merchandise
Theater

SHAKESPEARE THEATRE CLASSES
SHAKESPEARE CABARET
Instructor: Peter Royston
For grades 4-7
Tuesdays for 7 weeks starting February 28, 6:30pm – 8pm
Welcome to the Shakespeare Cabaret! With colorful costumes, brilliant face paint makeup and safely supervised sword fights, The Shakespeare Cabaret makes Shakespeare accessible and fun. Kids explore, speak, memorize and, most importantly, get up on their feet and act the Bard’s famous monologues and scenes.
Register
SHAKESPEARE IN FOCUS
Instructor: Peter Royston
For grades 8-12
Thursdays for 7 weeks starting March 2, 6:30pm – 8pm
The focus of this class is on Shakespeare’s greatest works from Hamlet and Macbeth to The Tempest and The Winter’s Tale. Older actors work with the instructor on breaking “The Shakespeare Code” and investigating Shakespeare’s rhythms, language and history. In addition to learning and taking ownership of famous Shakespearian works, students will create songs, improvisational scenes and artwork based on Shakespeare’s plays.
Register
ANNIE:
School residency for Washington Irving School and Sleepy Hollow Middle School students
For grades 3-8
March 13-30, 2023
Rehearsals Mondays – Fridays after school until 5:30pm at Washington Irving School and/or The Music Hall
Performance: Thursday, March 30, 7pm
Registration closed

REMEMBER THE MAGIC OF DISNEY
Spring Break Theatre Program
Enjoy the music and dance numbers from your favorite Disney movies!
For grades 3-12
April 3-7, 2023, 9am – 3pm
Register

13: THE MUSICAL – FULL
Youth Theatre Production
Director: Jordan Singer
For grades 6-12
Sundays in March & April 2023
Performances:
Thursday, April 27, 7pm (blue cast)
Saturday, April 29, 1:30pm (pink cast)
Saturday, April 29, 4pm (yellow cast)
Registration closed

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2
Youth Theatre Production
Director: Jordan Singer
For grades 3-12
May 30 – June 15
Performance: Thursday, June 15 at 7pm
Register

MARY POPPINS
Summer Break Theatre Program
Director: Jordan Singer
For grades 3-12
July 24 – August 4, 2023
Mondays – Fridays 9am – 4pm
Performance: Friday, August 4 at 2pm
Register
Circus Arts

AERIAL SILKS CLASSES WITH NICKI MILLER
For ages 6-12 on Mondays, 4:15pm & 5:15pm
Nicki Miller is an interdisciplinary poetic storyteller and educator based in and around NYC. Her work as a movement coach spans 15 years as a NASM certified personal trainer and over a decade of performing and coaching aerial silks and rope throughout the US. Since 2020, Nicki’s teaching has evolved to include an emphasis on the intersections of imagination, somatics, and neuroplasticity with movement rehab and technique. Learn more at movementmissinglinks.com.
As an artist, Nicki is most known for her work as co-founding artistic director of Only Child Aerial Theatre and co-creator of Sticks & Stone with Benjamin E. Oyzon. As a freelance artist, Nicki works with theatre, opera, and dance companies to integrate aerial rigging and choreography into their storytelling in imaginative and dramaturgically informed ways. She also works as an actor, aerial dancer, and movement artist for theatre and film. She is currently an MFA candidate in Theatre at Sarah Lawrence College. Learn more: nickimiller.com
* Class sizes limited to 5 or 6 students
* $400 for 10 classes ($40/class)
* $600 for siblings (10 classes, $30/class)
* $50 for drop ins
* $100 for private class
* 24-hour cancellation policy
Email academy@tarrytownmusichall.org to register

AERIAL SILKS CLASSES WITH JESSE CODY
For ages 6-12 on Tuesdays, 4:15pm & 5:15pm
Jesse Cody was born and raised in Columbus, Georgia. She attended Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania where she double majored in English and Theatre. It was at college that she discovered her love of circus. Her junior year, after returning from studying Commedia dell’Arte and Physical Theater in Arezzo, Italy at the Accademia del’Arte, she decided to take an aerial silk class as an extracurricular credit. Her senior year, she was asked to join Muhlenberg’s student-run circus program to perform an aerial-duet in their main stage production “Atlas.” Upon graduating in 2015, she moved back home to Georgia where she performed for The Up Factory hanging off a billboard for Columbus’ Midnight Run. Jesse moved to the greater New York area in 2016. Here, she continued to train and perform in NYC, broadening her repertoire to include aerial rope, spanish web, circus hammock, and lyra/hoop. She performed aerial rope at The House of Yes in Brooklyn, NY; aerial silks for Street Cirque’s production of “Boudicca” at the Muse in Brooklyn, NY; and has performed aerial, acrobatics, and stilt-walking for numerous private events and festivals/street shows. She has also gone on tour with Westchester Circus Arts show “Circus Ta-Da” performing a spanish web solo.
* Class sizes limited to 5 or 6 students
* $400 for 10 classes ($40/class)
* $600 for siblings (10 classes, $30/class)
* $50 for drop ins
* $100 for private class
* 24-hour cancellation policy
Email academy@tarrytownmusichall.org to register

CIRCUS ARTS CAMP
For ages 6-12
Monday-Friday, August 14-18, 2023, 9am – 3pm
Performance: Friday, August 18, 2pm
Fee: $525 for the one week camp
The Music Hall, in collaboration with Westchester Circus Arts, is thrilled to offer a one-week circus camp at The Music Hall!
Skill-building, Act Creation, Performance & FUN!
Typical Day / Format
Skill Workshops: Campers are divided into small groups to train in specialty skill areas.
Skills include: Tightwire, aerial arts (silks, lyra, cube, spanish web, static trapeze), acrobatics, tumbling, juggling, prop manipulation, physical comedy, gymnastics and dance.
Ensemble/Troupe Time: Ensemble work includes partner acrobatics, group acts, and any activity that requires the full cast to work together. This is the time in which we reinforce teamwork, trust, friendships, and peer-mentoring.
Act Creation: Once campers choose their favorite circus disciplines, they begin the act creation process. This is a fun, creative, and self-expressive exercise. on student input and expert direction by instructors.
Student Show: On the last day of camp (typically 2pm-3pm), parents are invited to see our camp show. This is a fun and exciting showcase of skills. Campers are invited to showcase everything they learned during the week. The showcase is fun and low pressure and everyone is expected to participate.
Enrollment is limited to 35 students on a first come first served basis.
Music Lessons

CELLO LESSONS – PRIVATE, WEEKLY LESSONS WITH TALIA DICKER
For ages 8+
Talia Dicker is a dynamic and versatile cellist with a particular enthusiasm for orchestral and chamber music. She currently resides in New York City, where she is an active performer and teacher throughout the northeast corridor. Past engagements include positions in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Civic Orchestra’s MusiCorps program for comprehensive outreach and music education, the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, and the Colorado College Summer Music Festival Orchestra. Talia received her Bachelor of Music with Honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied with Brandon Vamos of the Pacifica Quartet. She went on to earn a Master of Music in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Steven Doane and Rosemary Elliott.
As a teacher, Talia enjoys working with all ages and levels to help students hone technique and musical expression. Talia has consistently helped students meet specific playing goals, whether preparing for school auditions, college auditions, NYSSMA, recitals, or any other performances. Talia encourages a continuing enjoyment and involvement with music in many forms; she’s committed to the idea that learning to play a musical instrument can positively impact and inform all aspects of an individual’s life.
* Private 45-minute or one-hour lessons
* Performance Classes on 1/21, 3/18, 4/22 and 5/20 at The Mozartina Conservatory free of charge.
* Students are invited to perform in the Mozartina Student Recitals on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at the Music Hall free of charge.
* Lessons are held at The Mozartina Conservatory, 43 Prospect Avenue, Tarrytown
Trial lessons are available and new students may sign up at any time, enrollment is on an ongoing basis
Email academy@tarrytownmusichall.org to register

CELLO LESSONS – PRIVATE, WEEKLY LESSONS WITH HALIE MORRIS
For ages 8+
Halie Morris, well-versed in a variety of musical styles, received a B.M. in Violincello Performance and B.A. in Hispanic Studies from Oberlin College & Conservatory and a M.M. in Violincello Performance from Northwestern University. In recent years, she has performed in various venues, ranging from Joe’s Pub, BAM, and Third Street Music School to the crypts of Greenwood Cemetery. A chamber music enthusiast, she was previously a member of the Bar Hop String Quartet. She has performed with numerous ensembles, including PROTESTRA, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, Orchestra of the Bronx, North Carolina Opera, New Music Raleigh and Wet Ink Ensemble.
* Private 45-minute or one-hour lessons
* Performance Classes on 1/21, 3/18, 4/22 and 5/20 at The Mozartina Conservatory free of charge.
* Students are invited to perform in the Mozartina Student Recitals on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at the Music Hall free of charge.
* Lessons are held at The Mozartina Conservatory, 43 Prospect Avenue, Tarrytown
Trial lessons are available and new students may sign up at any time, enrollment is on an ongoing basis
Email academy@tarrytownmusichall.org to register

GUITAR LESSONS – PRIVATE, WEEKLY LESSONS WITH SEAN SATIN
For ages 5+
Sean Satin began formal training under Jorge Morel. Shortly after, he was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music where he earned a B.M. in Classical Guitar Performance. While there, he studied with Oren Fader and Mark Delpriora and also played in master classes for Eliot Fisk, Eduardo Fernandez, David Starobin, and James Smith. Sean later went on to earn an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University, as well as doing post-graduate work. While at Columbia he taught applied guitar to the undergraduate division. Sean has performed throughout the U.S.A and Europe including a concert at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Sean performs extensively in a wide variety of musical styles from classical to rock. Sean works extensively with the Tilted Axes ensemble and Composers Concordance where he has been involved in countless new music premieres. Mr. Satin has 20 years of teaching experience – all styles and ages, he is currently on faculty at multiple prestigious institutions.
FALL 2022 SEMESTER – 17 lessons
45-minute lessons ($935) or one-hour lessons ($1020)
SPRING 2023 SEMESTER – 15 lessons
45-minute lessons ($825) or one-hour lessons ($900)
* Private 45-minute or one-hour lessons
* Performance Classes on 1/21, 3/18, 4/22 and 5/20 at The Mozartina Conservatory free of charge.
* Students are invited to perform in the Mozartina Student Recitals on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at the Music Hall free of charge.
* Lessons are held at The Music Hall
Trial lessons are available and new students may sign up at any time, enrollment is on an ongoing basis

HARP LESSONS – PRIVATE, WEEKLY LESSONS WITH MIA THEODORATUS
For ages 8+
Mia Theodoratus is a curious and adventurous creator of sound using harps, lyres and electronics. She has degrees from UT, Austin and CALARTS. In addition to the Music Hall Academy and Mozartina Conservatory, she teaches at the Irish Arts Center and Sarah Lawrence College. After moving to NYC, Mia went electric and played legendary venues like CBGB’s, Coney Island High, Jackie 60, Mothers and the Cooler. Her improvising skills coupled with her classical chops led her to play with the Citizen’s Band at Art Basil, Gelatin (music for Bunter Abend-Golden Gate), duo with Adam Dugas (Dueling Harps performed at Disney Hall, Abron Arts Center, NYC) and LifeBall in Vienna. Performance Highlights include Patty’s day concert for President Barak Obama, National Shakespeare’s Oedipus Athens, Greece, Whitney Biennial, Butch Morris’s Skyscrapers. Compositions- Flight of the Conchords and Rubicon on AMC, lyre on TedEd on Sapho. Her newest adventures are Harps in the Age of Enlightment (single action and dital harp salon concerts) and Greek lyre.
* Private 45-minute or one-hour lessons
* Performance Classes on 1/21, 3/18, 4/22 and 5/20 at The Mozartina Conservatory free of charge.
* Students are invited to perform in the Mozartina Student Recitals on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at the Music Hall free of charge.
* Lessons are held at The Mozartina Conservatory, 43 Prospect Avenue, Tarrytown
Trial lessons are available and new students may sign up at any time, enrollment is on an ongoing basis

UKULELE LESSONS – PRIVATE, WEEKLY LESSONS WITH JILL GEDDES
For ages 6+
Jill Geddes has an extensive music background. Upon graduating from high school, she was cast in the role of Peron’s Mistress in Harold Prince’s National Tour of Evita. From there, she went on to star in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into The Woods as Cinderella and then played the lead role of Fantine in the National Tour of Les Miserables and many other shows.
She studied Music at Indiana University School of Music and Boston University and teaches an early childhood program called Music Together in Tarrytown at the JCC. She began studying the ukulele several years ago when her guitar was being fixed and she has never stopped playing it. She loves the versatility of the instrument and the joy it brings to her life and those she teaches. “Ukuleles are like potato chips, you can’t have just one!” She owns several of them and will supply one to anyone who would just like to try before they buy.
Jill works at Strawtown Elementary School in West Nyack. She continues to perform and sing, but her favorite thing to do is teach the ukulele to children and adults.
* Private 45-minute or one-hour lessons
* Performance Classes on 1/21, 3/18, 4/22 and 5/20 at The Mozartina Conservatory free of charge.
* Students are invited to perform in the Mozartina Student Recitals on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at the Music Hall free of charge.
* Lessons are held at The Mozartina Conservatory, 43 Prospect Avenue, Tarrytown
Trial lessons are available and new students may sign up at any time, enrollment is on an ongoing basis

VIOLIN OR MANDOLIN LESSONS – PRIVATE, WEEKLY LESSONS WITH JOYCE BALINT
For ages 6+
Joyce Balint holds a B.M. from Manhattan School of Music and is the mandolin soloist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. She has performed as a violinist and mandolinist with many musical organizations including The Paris Opera, Boston Symphony, New York City Opera, Caramoor Festival Orchestra, the Amore Opera, Dallas Opera and the American Symphony. She studied with Alfred Krips and Einar Hansen (former members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra), Joseph Szegeti and Janos Starker (master classes), Roman Tottenberg (orchestra technique) and Robert Bloom (chamber music ensemble technique). “Joyce Balint shines in string recital” was the headline of The New York Times review of her Carnegie Hall Recital Hall debut.
* Private 45-minute or one-hour lessons
* Performance Classes on 1/21, 3/18, 4/22 and 5/20 at The Mozartina Conservatory free of charge.
* Students are invited to perform in the Mozartina Student Recitals on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at the Music Hall free of charge.
* Lessons are held at The Mozartina Conservatory, 43 Prospect Avenue, Tarrytown
Trial lessons are available and new students may sign up at any time, enrollment is on an ongoing basis
Special Events

A BROADWAY SHOW EXPERIENCE!
For Academy students only
The Music Hall Academy is taking Academy students to see Wicked at the Gershwin Theater and have lunch in the city in May 2023!