Debbie Mello
Founding and Artistic Director of The Children’s Chorus of Sussex County, Deborah Mello is the recipient of the Master Teacher Award from the New Jersey Music Educators Association, The New Jersey 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 is former National Chair of the American Choral Director’s Association National Committee on Children & Youth Choirs and has served on state and divisional choral music boards for the American Choral Directors Association and the National Association for Music Education. Debbie has conducted honor choirs and presented numerous workshops on the child voice throughout the United States. As an Artist/Teacher for the Choral Music Education courses, founded by Doreen Rao, Deborah has taught choral conductors in the United States as well as throughout the British Isles and Sweden. Deborah and her husband Joseph were inaugural recipients of the Distinguished Music Educator Award from Yale University. Composer, Jill Gallina and Debbie collaborated on 2 songbook collections for young singers Songs America Likes to Sing and Where the Boys Are (songs that boys love to sing) that are geared for school, church and community choral programs. She has written numerous articles published in Tempo, the Music Education Journal and the Choral Journal. A music educator in the New Jersey public school system for 32 years Deborah taught choral music to students in pre-school through seniors in high school. Deborah is currently on the choral music education faculty at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. A member of the Senior Choir, Christ Church, Newton, she also serves as Director of the Junior Choir and soprano soloist.