FACULTY & STAFF

Hannah Bessette - Owner - voice-piano-ukulele INSTRUCTOR

Hannah owns Musical Arts and has experience as a Soprano soloist with various NH choirs, opening performer at local open mics, gives private solo recitals for non-profit organizations, was Music Director at Newmarket Community Church, and has sung with NH Master Chorale. Hannah attended the Vocal Pedagogy Professional Workshop at Boston Conservatory at Berklee June 2019, participating as a soloist in Masterclasses, learning techniques and tools for vocal training from industry masters, especially in music theater and contemporary genres. She continued her teaching and singing training through study of Somatic Voicework™, the LoVetri Method, completing Level I in July 2021, and January 2022, and Levels II and III in July 2022.

Hannah received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education for K-12 at Plymouth State University in 2000. Her concentration was in Vocal and Choral training, under the instruction of the late Dr. Kathleen Arecchi and choral director Dr. Daniel Perkins. Working in a range of genres and with multiple age groups, she has been teaching voice and piano privately since 2001 at Portsmouth Christian Academy and at her studio in Durham, and is passionate about bringing more confidence and joy to your singing and playing!

Hannah built a private music studio in Durham since 2009 teaching voice, piano, and ukulele. She purchased Musical Arts of Dover in October 2019, with a desire to expand to a larger format of collaboration in the arts through music, dance, and more with other musicians, artists, and teachers looking to help grow the arts community here in Dover and the Seacoast.

Alexis Brown - dance instructor - Aerial, Lyrical, ballet

Alexis has taught and performed both locally and internationally. Originally from the Greater Boston area, she received her early training at the Centre for Performing Arts in Acton, MA and the International Dance Project in Concord, MA under the tutelage of Stephania Mavrides and David Drummond studying ballet, modern, and jazz as well as benefiting from master classes taught by many internationally renowned dance educators.

At Marlboro College in Vermont she focused her education on Cultural History and Dance Education expanding her pedagogical, anatomical, historical, and philosophical training as well as technique. After college she performed for many years with the internationally diverse Bermuda Civic Ballet, BalletRox in Boston (now City Ballet of Boston), and Ballet New England (formerly of Portsmouth, NH), as well as in various community theatre and concert performances throughout the Boston area. Her teaching returned her to Bermuda where she taught at the Bermuda School of Russian Ballet, as well as at the International Dance Project, Deborah Mason School of Dance in Cambridge, Brattleboro School of Dance in Vermont, Ballet New England, Alexander Children’s Theatre in Concord, MA, and numerous independent lessons throughout New England.

She is instructs a variety of dance classes at Musical Arts of Dover, including Aerial Silks, and Lyrical/ Contemporary. She is the ballet director at MusicalArts of Exeter, NH teaching a variety of classes beyond ballet including creative dance, contemporary, jazz, dance for figure skaters, aerial silks, and conditioning for dancers. An adamant proponent of body positivity, Alexis believes that every body can and should dance.

Olivia VanBuskirk - Dance instructor - Jazz, Tap, Creative Movement, Hip Hop, Pre-Ballet

Teacher Olivia VanBuskirk grew up dancing and teaching in the Midcoast Maine area. She has been dancing since she was three years old as well as taken master classes and dance intensives throughout to further her experience. She is nowa junior at the University of New Hampshire and is a part of the UNH Dance Company! Olivia has been leading dance classes in different techniques for 7 years. She has taught ballet, jazz, hip hop, tap, and acrobatics, and worked with age groups ranging from three years old to teens. Her teaching approach combines clear technique instruction with a strong focus on having fun, developing dance skills through varied teaching techniques, self-expression, and building confidence. She loves being a teacher at Musical Arts of Dover and seeing the growth of each student over the past year!

Tamara Rozek - Piano

Tamara loves bringing the joy of music to beginning and intermediate piano students of all ages. She has had a private piano and organ studio for 40 years, and has served churches in NH, MA, and Sydney Australia as organist and music director leading adult, children's and handbell choirs. She is Director of Music Ministry & Organist at Middle Street Baptist Church in Portsmouth and Organist at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Mission Church in Seabrook.

Tamara holds a Bachelor of Music in organ and a Master of Arts in Music in harpsichord from the University of New Hampshire. Her teachers included John Skelton, Peter Watchorn, Peter Sykes, Amy Johansen, Nancy Armstrong, and Janice Light. She has given solo organ recitals on the Seacoast, Boston, and Sydney Australia, vintage theatre organ concerts for the Theatre Organ Society of Australia, and has been harpsichordist with several Boston early music ensembles. She serves on the Orgelkids Task Force of the NH Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and is an instructor with the Young Organist Collaborative. She is a past Artistic Director of the Sandpipers Seacoast Children's Chorus, and has sung with Seacoast Community Chorus, Boston Bach, and Seraphim Singers.

Tamara and her husband, Owen Watkins, enjoy playing wind and keyboard music together and being part of the vibrant musical community here in Dover.

Libby Bessette - Aerial silks assistant teacher

Libby Bessette first started learning Aerial Silks at the age of 9, and now eight years later loves being able to assist her Teacher Alexis, helping younger students grow in their confidence and skills on the Silks!