Ms. Jodie Adessa is an enthusiastic performer educator who began her career as a musician working in opera and musical theatre.  After graduating from The College of New Jersey with a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice and Music Education, Ms. Adessa began pounding the pavement in New York City. She has performed in regional theater, light opera, and Off-Broadway shows, including “Vincent” (national premier), “A My Name is Alice,” “Nuncrackers,” “Pirates of Penzance,” and “Children of Children” and is a member of the Actor’s Equity Association. In addition to operas and musicals, Ms. Adessa has also performed in regional plays such as “Kindertransport” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” been seen in films such as “Last Rites,” “Hot Tomatoes,” and “The Chorus Girl” and played Donna Leonte in a season finale episode of “Law and Order: SVU.”   

Ms. Adessa earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the College of New Jersey, her Kodaly Certification from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, and has been teaching music for thirteen years. In addition to teaching in the classroom, Ms. Adessa is an accomplished choral director, having conducted Primo Coro, the training choir for the New Jersey Youth Chorus, for three years. The ensemble grew and blossomed under her direction performing all over the tri-state area, including at the New Jersey Music Educators Eastern Conference, Shea Stadium, and the Mayo Performing Arts Center. Ms. Adessa also teaches private vocal and piano lessons with students who have placed in All-State, Region, and County Choruses and continues to perform as a soloist and with her band, The Two Ukes. She is an active member of the National Association for Music Education, the New Jersey School Music Association, and the American Choral Directors Association. She is thrilled to continue the tradition of vocal excellence at the Performing Arts Academy and is grateful for the opportunity to work with such talented and enthusiastic singers!

Meeting great acclaim as a musician, Brett Izsa is regarded as a versatile and dynamic musical artist. ​In his present role, Mr. Izsa serves as the Director of Orchestral activities for the Morris Hills Regional School District. As such, he is the proud director of the Morris Hills Regional Symphony, Chamber Orchestra, and String Ensemble. Mr. Izsa can often be seen conducting pit orchestras and as an accompanist in his role at both Morris Knolls and Morris Hills High Schools. A teacher to over 200 students, Mr. Izsa also co-teaches the Advanced Band. Further, Mr. Izsa is an instructor within the Academy for Performing Arts at Morris Knolls, where he teaches piano and music theory courses. The Morris Hills Regional School District ensembles are consistently featured at conferences, public performances, and community events; the district is a proud recipient of the NAMM Foundation "Best Communities in Music Education" award.

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When he is not in the classroom, Mr. Izsa enjoys a performing career of his own. As a multi-faceted artist, he performs at weddings, private parties, festivals, and public events. Mr. Izsa is proudly a vocalist, guitarist, and keys player with From Jersey With Love, an eight-piece band serving the New York Metropolitan area. On Sunday mornings, Brett can be seen, behind the organ and piano, as the Director of Music Ministries at Denville Community Church.

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A strong advocate for the advancement of the arts worldwide, Mr. Izsa has played key roles in several organizations, all of which strive to make the arts more accessible and promote arts education. Namely, Mr. Izsa has worked closely with the Cultural Fusion Initiative and is a founding member of the Morris Regional Performing Arts Company.

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Mr. Izsa earned his Master of Music Degree from the University of Delaware, studying Orchestral Conducting, and holds his Bachelors of Music in Music Education from the University of Delaware. In his studies Brett has worked with notable instructors including: Maestros, James Allen Anderson, Ted Sperling, Duane Cottrell, Richard Bjella, and Edith Copely; Soprano, Melanie DeMent; Tenor, Kenneth Bryson; and Pianists, Carol and Gustave Ferri. Active across all of these fields, Brett works as a conductor, collaborative pianist, and singer. As such, Brett has seen many concert stages in North America, Europe and Asia.

Mr. Keith Kasper begins his 12th year at MHRD, first as a teacher of English, now as a teacher of Television Production. He has a BA in English and a Master’s Degree in Teaching from Montclair State University. In addition to many filmmaking and film studies classes, he is also certified by the state of NJ to teach the Technology of Television Production.

Before becoming a teacher, Mr. Kasper was a freelance camera operator and audio technician. He worked for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, FX Network, Good Morning America, MTV, Major League Baseball, Dan Rather and Rachel Ray. He has also worked on movie sets and on music videos, shot behind the scenes for films and TV, and spent three years as the NFL Network crew at Giants Stadium covering the Giants and the Jets. 

Outside of school, Mr. Kasper is a musician and live sound engineer for a private event band. He also is an independent filmmaker working on short films. Mr. Kasper is looking forward to bringing his field experience of film sets and music performances to help enhance the Technical Theatre aspect of the Academy for the Performing Arts.