TOM  PEDAS ARCHIVES   

“ Mr. Pedas expanded Cranford High School choral program from 72 to more than 200 students including a boys chorus of over 30 boys (a tremendous number of students given the school's total enrollment of 800). The quality of that program is outstanding. For the last several years Cranford has placed among the highest number of students in All-State and Region Chorus, a very visible distinction afforded your high school.” (excerpt from published letter)

• Teacher of Music (1993-2004)
  Vocal music, general music and chorus, Director, musical production
  (Kindergarten through eighth grades)

• High School Vocal Music Director (1988-1993)
  Director of Concert Choir, Boys Choir, Girls Choir and Madrigal Singers
  (Ninth through twelfth grades)

• Vocal Music Director of High School Musicals (1988-1993)

It's a tall order, but Tom Pedas — a Roselle resident and a music teacher in Cranford's public schools — is doing his best to make it a reality.

Pedas is the creator and volunteer musical director of the Celebration Children's Choir, a group of 42 youngsters, ages 9 to 13, hailing from 12 towns in Union and Middlesex counties. Their goal is simple: to fill the air with song and the heart with joy.

"And it gives the kids the opportunity to appreciate and enjoy a wide range of music, from classical to Broadway show tunes," said Pedas.

He began the choir in late October and managed to get 30 youngsters vocally ready for Christmas season performances on Dec. 15 and 16 at the United Methodist Church in Cranford where Handel's Hallelujah Chorus and ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ were among the selections. The choir now has 12 more members and is gearing up for the spring season.

“We held auditions in early March and were really surprised by the amount of children who came out, about twice as many as expected,” said Pedas, an award-winning music teacher in the Linden school system before going to Cranford schools.

In 1979, Pedas founded the Linden Summer Theater, which is still in operation. That same year Pedas was honored by the New Jersey Music Educators Association as Master Music Teacher of the Year for “dedicated service to the education of youth.”

The passage of years apparently hasn't diminished Pedas' enthusiasm for the volunteer work he does.

“We now have 42 talented singers, 22 girls and 20 boys,“ Pedas said. The youngsters come from Cranford, Clark, Linden, Rahway, Union, Roselle, Woodbridge, Edison, Plainfield, Fanwood, Scotch Plains and Westfield.

Both are en route to San Diego to perform with the 150-member American Choral Directors Association National Children's Honors Choir Saturday.

Stacey and Keith are two of only four students from New Jersey selected as members of this year's prestigious group.

Recommended by Hillside Avenue School Music Director Tom Pedas, the students auditioned for their seats through a selection of individual and choir group recordings.

"At any point, to have a student accepted is a thrill. This is the fourth time in my career to have students selected for this honor," Mr. Pedas said.

Stacy and Keith are both members of the Hillside Avenue School Chorus and the Celebration Singers Children's Choir, under the direction of Mr. Pedas. They have also been select members of the ALL STATE CHORUS ...

To prepare for the upcoming event, both students have been rehearsing double time with Mr. Pedas. "Once in San Diego, the students' agenda is tight with rehearsals, preparing for the celebrated event. The choir performs a very difficult repertoire. They will be singing in Slovac, Spanish, Latin and English. It's very high-level music, Mr. Pedas said."

The choir performs two concerts at the 3,000-seat San Diego Performing Arts Center Golden Hall for choral directors around the world. They are under the direction of Dr. Anton Armstrong, choral director of the famed St. Olaf Choir in Minnesota.

If it seems unusual for a teenager to give up sleep in order to get up and squeeze in a choral practice, think again. For 127 students of Tom Pedas, nothing is impossible. Just ask Pedas, who took over two years ago as choral director and not only increased the choral enrollment from 70 to 127, but attracted a wide diversity of students into the program. "I love kids," he says, "and if they have football practice or a job after school and they really want to be in our program, I find a time for them to practice." Pedas admits his job is "around the clock," explaining he is close to all his students and understands the pressures they are under.

Included under Pedas' direction are the concert choir, boys' choir, girl's choir and the madrigal singers. This year Cranford High School had the second highest number of students (13) in over 150 high schools in the entire state chosen for all-state chorus. The average high school, Pedas said, has two to four students chosen and 50 had no one selected. Last year Pedas served as guest conductor of the Region II chorus (made up of the best singers from 35 high schools in central New Jersey) and this year Cranford had the largest number of students (16) chosen for Region II in its nine-year history.

Several weeks ago the concert choir traveled to Orlando to participate in the Florida World International Music Festival and won a silver medal. Pedas proudly explains more than 3,600 choirs, bands and orchestras since 1972 have been judged at international festivals but fewer than 24 percent have earned silver medals. While in Florida the concert choir and the madrigal singers performed for Walt Disney's Magic Music Days and were guests at Epcot Center for a day.

Pedas managed to take the strictly classical program set up by former director Jim Lenney, who retired, and introduce songs from the '50's like ‘The Duke of Earl’ and ‘Where the Boys Are,’ complete with choreography. Pedas says they have "brought the house down" at concerts with the variation in musical direction, and managed to attract more students into the program.

Pedas' easy going, relaxed nature and ability to relate to teenagers have much to do with the success of the choral program. During the interview, we sat on the floor talking with his students in the choral group. The conversation was marked with laughter and joking about the recent trip to Florida, and it was easy to see the camaraderie between student and teacher was a special one.

Pedas spent 15 years as a teacher in the Linden school system, 10 years as a general music teacher to the first through sixth grades, and in 1983 moved into the high school as vocal music director. During his years in Linden, Pedas said he patterned his program after Lenney's here in Cranford. When Lenney retired, Pedas took a cut in pay to assume the position at Cranford High School, claiming, "I thought I went to teacher paradise...Cranford is very supportive of the arts and culturally minded, which paves the way for a teacher."

As the last bell of the day sounded, Pedas quietly said, "Some would say I get too involved, but I love teaching; it's in my blood. My reward is to take a student who has potential for talent and watch him or her develop. The greatest gift a teacher can give is to inspire. A choral director once did that for me when I was in high school." There is little doubt many of his students say the same about him.

This annual event is sponsored by the New Jersey Music Educators Association and the American Choral Directors Association and gives talented students from around the state the opportunity to perform under the direction of nationally recognized choral conductors. This year's Elementary Festival Chorus will be directed by Joan Gregory of Washington, D.C. and the Junior High Chorus will be conducted by Donald Dumpson from Westminister Choir College in Princeton. Students have been learning their music with their individual teachers for the last two months and will rehearse for the first time with their guest conductors 9a.m. on the day of the concert. The concert will feature music by Mozart, Bach, and Handel as well as some Jazz and ethnic music.

Hillside Avenue School students chosen for the elementary chorus are Sarah Gillespie, Allison Kitzhoffer, Stacey McDermott, Katie Meola, Melissa Pparozzi,Mark Seidenstein, Willian Singer, Stephanie Clay, Samantha Dango, Molly Frieri, Nereida Heller, Amanda Procaccino, Keith Shaw and Katie Singer. Hillside students chosen for the Junior High Chorus are Veronica Heller, Melissa Lowe, Becky Turner, Ian Allcock, Mark Subacius, Chris Anders, Patrick McDermott, Brendan Muha and Kevin Tardif...