By: Sabrina Kreiss ’21
Originally from Vineland, New Jersey, Pine Crest School Choral Director Mr. Michael Testa moved to Florida in 2001 to work with the Florida Grand Opera.
During that time, a former faculty member introduced him to Pine Crest where he became a member of the Fine Arts faculty in 2005. Now, almost 20 years later, Mr. Testa oversees and teaches chorus for students in the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools on Pine Crest’s Fort Lauderdale campus, in addition to Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory.
After graduating from Rowan University with his bachelor of arts in music education, Mr. Testa began performing all over the United States as an opera singer.
Mr. Testa began graduate school at West Chester University shortly after earning his bachelor’s degree. There, he studied music performance. Feeling drawn to education, he began teaching extracurricular classes in music throughout his collegiate studies. He landed his first teaching job at a K-8 public school while studying for his master’s degree.
I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Testa to learn more about his career at Pine Crest and his passion for music and singing.
Soundtrack of an Educator: A Q&A with Choral Director Mr. Michael Testa
Topics: Student Life, Faculty, Fine Arts, Music, 2021
Pine Crest Band Director Takes His Talents to New York City
Pine Crest School Band Director, Dr. Dannel Espinoza, was invited by The Academy of Arts and Letters to New York City to record with his saxophone quartet Project Fusion.
Dr. Dannel Espinoza, or Dr. E. as he is known by many of his students, can be found on the Pine Crest School Boca Raton campus. Dr. Espinoza joined the Pine Crest Fine Arts Department as the Band Director during the 2018-19 school year.
Topics: Faculty, Fine Arts, Pine Crest School, Music
Pine Crest Summer: A Great Place for Middle School Aged Campers
Topics: Student Life, Middle School, 2019, Robotics, Campus Safety, Pine Crest School, Computer Science, Music, Entrepreneurship, Science, STEM, Pine Crest Summer
Why Parents and Campers Choose Pine Crest Summer
Topics: Lower School, Fine Arts, Middle School, Robotics, Campus Safety, Pine Crest School, Computer Science, Music, Science, STEM, Digital Media Production, Pine Crest Summer
Four Reasons to Attend Pine Crest Fine Arts Camp this Summer
Do you have a budding artist at home? Does your child sing into a hairbrush, put on shows in the living room, or spend hours editing footage he or she filmed on a cell phone?
Topics: Lower School, Fine Arts, Middle School, 2019, Pine Crest School, Music, Digital Media Production, Pine Crest Summer
The Evolution of Music Education: 14 Years of Musical Growth
Topics: Lower School, Upper School, Faculty, Admission, Middle School, 2019, Pine Crest Fund, Pine Crest School, Music, Pine Crest Summer
The Fine Arts play a pivotal role in Pine Crest School tradition. Each year, Pine Crest student-artists on both campuses and in all three Divisions — Lower, Middle, and Upper School — present a musical theater production. Last week, Pine Crest Upper School Panthers will transform into the East High School Wildcats in their production of Disney’s "High School Musical."
Topics: 2018, Upper School, Fine Arts, Music