Melissa Malvar-Keylock conducts the Semi-Tones and Grace Notes choirs of the Princeton Girlchoir.  She is the Director of Choral Music at Moorestown Friends School, where she conducts five upper and middle school choirs, and teaches Advanced Placement Music Theory.  She serves on the board of the New Jersey Choral Director’s Association as the Repertoire and Standards Chair for Children and Youth Choirs.  Her 5^th grade school chorus was selected to perform for the 2008 South Jersey Elementary Choral Festival, and her Concert Choir, Women’s Choir, and A Cappella school choirs took gold medals in an Orlando choral festival (2008). 

Previously, Mrs. Malvar-Keylock worked with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir as the Director of the Satellite Programs/Assistant Education Director, and worked with the Lawrence (Kansas) Children’s Choir.  She holds a master of music in conducting from Butler University where she conducted the BU Women’s Glee Club, and studied with Henry Leck and Ruth Dwyer.  She holds an undergraduate degree in music education from Wheaton College, completed her coursework for Kodaly certification from Capital University, and is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, Music Educators National Conference, Organization of Kodaly Educators, and Pi Kappa Lambda.  She is listed in “Who’s Who in American Women.” 

Mrs. Malvar-Keylock is a successful choral clinician and published composer/arranger with Colla Voce and Ha Leonard Publishing.  Over 10,000 copies of her music have been sold.  Her pieces are performed at honor choirs, state music festivals and by children’s choirs throughout the country, including the Appleton Boychoir, Maryland State Boychoir, Indianapolis Children’s Choir, Columbus (IN) Children’s Choir, and the Evansville (IL) Children’s Choir.  Recent engagements for the 2010 Spring season include serving as the guest clinician for the 2010 South Jersey Elementary Choral Festival in March, guest conducting for the Badger State Girlchoir and a high school choir in Virginia during May 2010.  Her husband, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, is the Music Director of The American Boychoir, and the couple resides in Lawrenceville, NJ.