Melissa Keylock
Melissa Keylock is the Artistic Director of the San Diego North Coast Singers. Previously, she served eleven years as Associate Director of the Princeton Girlchoir, conducting the Semi-Tones and Grace Notes choirs. She is the Founder of the Children Making a Difference benefit concert, which in nine years has raised over $30,000 for non-profit organizations. For several years, Ms. Keylock served as as Adjunct Professor at Rider University, supervising graduate music education student teachers. She previously worked as Director of Admissions and Recruitment at the American Boychoir School, where she conducted the community afterschool boychoir program. Prior to that, she worked at the Indianapolis Children's Choir, and taught public and private school, including K-12 vocal music and AP Music Theory. Melissa has spent her career in volunteer leadership in the American Choral Directors Association, where she served as Eastern Division Repertoire and Resources Chair for Youth Choirs. Her choirs have performed by audition at regional conferences of ACDA and OAKE (Organization of American Kodály Educators).
Melissa Keylock holds an undergraduate degree in music education from Wheaton College and a master of music in conducting from Butler University, where she directed the collegiate Women's Glee Club. Melissa completed her Kodály studies at Capital University, Orff Level One at Kansas State University. She is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Emerging Leaders, and Who's Who in American Women.
She enjoys traveling as a guest clinician and presenter at choral conferences and festivals. Engagements include Music in the Parks, the Piedmont Invitational Choral Festival (NC), BCMEA MS Honor Choir (PA), Let Freedom Sing! National Girlchoir Festival in Philadelphia, Fellowship of American Baptist Musicians (WI), Kentucky Music Educator’s Conference Children’s Choir, North Carolina Sings! Women's Choir, First Coast Honor Choir in Florida, Westminster Choir College Fall Reading Session, Bucks County Music Educators Association MS, New Jersey Children's Honor Choir, Appleton (WI) Boychoir, Pennsylvania Elementary Song Fest, Philadelphia Festival of Young Musicians, New Jersey Intermediate Chorus, seven Circle the State With Song festivals in Indiana, and serving as Artist in Residence at the Peck School. She regularly leads teacher workshops, including the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools, New Jersey Music Educators Association, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (SongFest and Teacher Professional Development Inservice Training), and New Jersey chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, and the New School for Music Study. She is a Yoga Alliance certified yoga instructor, who infuses yoga breathing, strength, balance, and posture into her choral rehearsals. She teaches at several local yoga studios. Melissa Keylock was honored to conduct the National Girlchoir singing our National Anthem and an a cappella song prior to Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen at the final Hilary Clinton rally in Philadelphia, live in front of 40,000 attendees. Ms. Keylock and co-writer Jill Friedersdorf have published over twenty-five songs with Colla Voce, Chorister's Guild, Galaxy Music, and Hal Leonard Publishing.
