Carol S. Meiseles

Over the past ten years, Carol has conducted the Senior, Junior and Prelude Orchestras at Lakeland. Carol is a full time music teacher at West Morris Central High School in Chester, where she conducts the orchestra, and teaches piano and music theory classes. Carol has served on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Chapter of the American String Teacher Association. Currently, she serves on the Boards of the NJ All State Orchestra Procedures Committee and as publicity chair for the North Jersey School Music Association. Carol has also coached chamber music at the Summer String Conference held at Rowan University.

Michelle Sedlak

Michelle is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of William Paterson University with a degree in Music Education. She received the 2004 - 2005 Music Scholar Award from the Department of Music and was also named an E*TRADE Music Scholar. Michelle maintains a very successful private studio, as a piano and violin instructor at the Music Shop! She has also served as the Director of Morris Conservatory’s Primary Chorus and accompanist for many youth choruses. Michelle has previously worked with the Baroque Orchestra of Boonton, William Paterson University’s String and Percussion Ensembles, the Little Falls Community Chorale, and Morris Conservatory’s Symphonic Chorus and Baroque Orchestra. Michelle began her violin studies at the age of four in Debra Seftel’s Suzuki class and was a member of Lakeland’s orchestras until she was eighteen. She is absolutely delighted to be back as the Junior Orchestra Director!

Gordon J. Tedeschi

Mr. Gordon J. Tedeschi has been active on all levels of string education throughout New Jersey. Since his graduation from Northern Illinois University he has been employed by the East Brunswick Public School District where he is presently the Director of the High School String and Symphony Orchestras. Under the direction of Mr. Tedeschi the orchestra consistently earns first Place and Superior/Excellent ratings at every music competition they attend.

In addition to his public school responsibilities, Mr. Tedeschi is a Part-Time Lecturer at Rutgers University where he teaches String Techniques and is the Director of the Rutgers Philharmonia, an orchestra of undergraduate students and talented players from the Rutgers community. Philharmonia programs have included the Fifth and Eighth Symphonies of Beethoven, the Unfinished Symphony of Schubert, Barber's Adagio and the Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol. He was recently appointed Master Teacher for the Rutgers String Project.

Active as a guest conductor, Mr. Tedeschi has been the Principal Guest conductor for the String Ensemble of the All American Youth in Concert on their tours of Germany, Austria, the US National Parks and England. He has conducted the Region I High School Orchestra, has twice conducted the Region 2 High School Orchestra, he has been on the podium for the Region 2 Intermediate Orchestra three times, and in 1998, Mr. Tedeschi directed the New Jersey All-State Orchestra. Mr. Tedeschi also continues to perform as a violinist with the Brookwood String Quartet and Monmouth Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Tedeschi has served the members of the Region 2 / Central Jersey Music Educators Association as a Region Representative to the State Board of Directors, Treasurer and President. Additionally, Mr. Tedeschi has managed the Region 2 Intermediate, High School and All-State Orchestras, is currently the Chair of the Region 2 High School Orchestra Division, and is a member of the State Board of Directors as the All-State Orchestra procedures chair. Mr. Tedeschi was enthusiastically involved with the NJ-ASTA Summer Conference for over 30 years. First attending as a student, he began working as a Counselor, and also served as Administrative Assistant and Assistant Conference Director.

Mr. Tedeschi resides in Piscataway with his wife Carleen and their daughter.