Singing Onstage was founded by Richard and Heidi Biever in 2003 in the same studio where Heidi’s mother, Betty Jane Dittmar, taught dance for many years. Leah Mueller and her husband Jared Yarnall-Schane bought Singing Onstage in 2022. Singing Onstage provides musical theatre training and performance experiences to students in Central Pennsylvania.

Leah grew up in State College and was a Singing Onstage student when she was in middle and high school. When FUSE was formed, Leah was frequently seen on stage in productions. She has over ten years of teaching experience, from Pre-K through collegiate levels. Leah was the Performing Arts teacher at the Delta Program Middle School for six years where she directed, choreographed, and music-directed their musicals and plays. She holds a B.M.E. in Music Education (choral/ voice emphasis) from Penn State, an M.A. in Theatre Studies from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, and will graduate from Indiana University with her M.F.A. in Acting in May 2023.

Growing up, Jared attended a summer camp in the Pocono Mountains where he fell in love with the outdoors and team-building activities. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University. Jared is an experienced entrepreneur and program director and is currently the Director of Innovation at the Biomimicry Institute where he helps scientists and entrepreneurs tackle systemic sustainability challenges through nature-inspired design. At Singing Onstage Jared will be working behind the scenes to manage financials and operations.

Leah and Jared worked with the Penn State Small Business Development Center for assistance with purchasing the business. Will Hooten and John Peterson were the consultants who advised on the process of the acquisition. Will and John helped them build a business plan and financial projections that were required by the bank for the loan. They provided Jared and Leah with market research from Vertical IQ to include in the business plan.