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Home News Lessons Kindermusik Special Needs Group Classes Birthdays Staff Schedule Registration Cost and Discounts Testimonials Links Contact		MJ MJ Puskas is a professional musician and music instructor who has enriched the lives of countless individuals through his performance and teaching.     MJ first began playing music at the age of three when he was introduced to the piano. At the age of 10 he received his first drum, and in his early teens he picked up the guitar and took his first legitimate steps on the long and winding road of music which had become his life’s true calling, love and passion. Throughout his teens and early twenties MJ formed and played in and with countless bands. During this time he began expanding upon his musical knowledge through experience, his study of music theory and by embarking on a career as an audio engineer for numerous musical acts, including Noel Redding of The Jimi Hendrix Experience. MJ built a solid reputation for himself as an audio engineer, all the while absorbing every bit of experience and knowledge about music that was presented to him. By MJ’s late 20s he was ready to come out from behind the soundboard and resume his career as a full time playing musician. During the 1980s, MJ co-founded the Village Idiots, a NEPA based jam band, which would become the primary avenue for his public musical expression. With the formation of the Village Idiots, MJ focused his playing skills primarily on the bass and improving upon the range and depth of the voice as an instrument. During this time, MJ played and recorded with various other bands and musicians on a wide range of instruments including bass, drums, guitar, flute and percussion. In the 1990s MJ began teaching music to eager students of all ages and abilities as a way of sharing his love of music with others, fostering the musical desire of these students and honing his own skills, talents, knowledge and abilities. To date, MJ plays over a dozen instruments and focuses his teaching on bass, guitar, drums and banjo. Currently, MJ continues to play music professionally with the Village Idiots and other bands, teach music and run sound. He has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Scranton, license and certification through Kindermusik International, is married and has two young sons who are already displaying their father’s love and talent for music. top Robyn Music With MJ co-owner, instructor and all around go-to gal is Robyn Rabinovitch -- known to most Music With MJ students as the voice on the telephone.     Robyn has a background laden with performing arts experience. As a child growing up in Connecticut she was always making costumes out of paper plates, grocery bags, pieces of Halloween costumes and anything else she could get her hands on, and entertaining her family in performance pieces devised solely of her own creation. At the age of 6 she began a 7+ year relationship with former Radio City Rockette, Louise Neistat, as a student of tap dance and voice. The show business memorabilia covering Mrs. Neistat’s dance studio sparked a desire in Robyn to expand her interest in the performing arts beyond the realm of dance. Robyn delved into music by playing the flute, piano and hand bells, and was a member of the choir for St. Joseph’s Church in New London, CT. As she got older, Robyn attended a New England boarding school where she studied jazz and modern dance, continued her vocal training and delved into acting. Robyn took her love of the stage and performing to a Pennsylvania college where she pursued a degree in theatre. She has performed in countless theatrical productions in the dramatic, comedic and musical genres. While in college, Robyn implemented a reading program for children at the day care center located on campus and organized a twice-weekly story time where college students and faculty would read books to the children and lead them in activities corresponding to the book selections. Robyn took this story time with her to a local NEPA book store and created a weekly story and activity time for their children’s department. Her success with the story time programs allowed Robyn to gain employ as a story teller for hire, and she was often found at weddings, birthdays and other events entertaining children with stories, music and costumes while the adults engaged in more grown up activities. To supplement her income as story teller Robyn would participate in meet and greet events at children’s bookstores, toy stores and libraries portraying characters from Amelia Bedelia to Mama Bear of the Berenstain Bears. During the holiday season she could often be found at local malls playing the part of Santa’s elf. In addition to her involvement in the performing arts, Robyn spent much of her time writing, and parlayed her time as an award winning high school and college journalism student into a job as a reporter for a local NEPA newspaper before packing her bags and returning to New England to continue her dramatics studies at a Massachusetts college. Robyn’s desire to return to PA, and the ever increasing cost of tuition, had her back in NEPA looking for something new to do with her time and talents. She opened a successful boutique catering to a bohemian and musical clientele, and spent most of her evenings out and about taking in the local music scene. She left her shop to start a family and begin a career in music education and entertainment for children; Music With MJ. Robyn has a A.A. from Keystone College, license and certification as an instructor through Kindermusik International, and spends most of her time running the business end of Music With MJ, while enjoying her time as full time Mom to the two beautiful and talented boys she shares with MJ. top © 2008 Music With MJ