LATHAM, NY — After years of growth, community performances, and building one of the Capital Region’s most distinctive music training programs, the founders of Peak Music Studios are taking the next major step.
Crystal Moore and Jeff Moore have partnered with Jillian Ruddy to officially launch Peak Music and Dance, a new multidisciplinary performing arts center in Latham designed to integrate high-level music and dance training under one roof.
The expansion was fueled in part by a deeply personal decision. Crystal Moore invested the bulk of her retirement savings into the project; savings she says began with her very first paycheck as a community college professor at age 23.
“Instead of treating our savings as something to simply protect and grow from a distance, we chose to reinvest it directly into the Capital Region and into a vision we believe can genuinely change lives for the better,” said Crystal Moore, co-founder of Peak Music and Dance. “We wanted to create a place where children, teens, and adults can become the best artists they are capable of becoming while being surrounded by a supportive community that values them for who they are.”
The new center represents the evolution of Peak Music Studios, which has operated since 2018 and built a reputation for structured music training, public performances, and community-centered arts programming.
The vision for expansion accelerated through several converging forces: the rapid growth of Peak Music Studios, the development of the multidisciplinary performance project Dark Ballet, and a growing belief among the Crystal, Jeff, and Jillian that music and dance training could be meaningfully integrated into a single artistic environment.
Joining Crystal and Jeff Moore as co-owner and investor is longtime dance educator Jillian Ruddy, formerly of Spendwood School of Dance and Gymnastics. Ruddy says studio ownership and the opportunity to help build a multidisciplinary arts center has been a long-time professional dream.
“Peak Music and Dance is being built around the idea that the arts should challenge people, support people, and bring people together,” said Ruddy. “Whether someone wants to dance recreationally, sing professionally, perform competitively, or simply grow creatively, they deserve high-quality instruction and a community that believes in them.”
Unlike many traditional arts programs that separate disciplines into isolated silos, Peak Music and Dance was designed around integrated artistic development.
Students train through structured progression systems across disciplines while also participating in collaborative performances that combine music, movement, stage production, and storytelling.
The founders describe the approach as “real artistic development” rather than disconnected lessons or casual participation.
“We believe students thrive when they are surrounded by other people who are genuinely working to improve,” said Jeff Moore. “A recreational dancer deserves quality training just as much as a future professional performer. We’re creating an environment where artistic growth is taken seriously, but where kindness, encouragement, and community matter just as much.”
Peak Music and Dance serves youth and adult students across music and dance disciplines and emphasizes structured progression, performance opportunities, and long-term artistic growth.
In addition to instruction, the organization has become known for community-centered arts initiatives and charitable work, including support for Building on Love and Our Angels Remembered through events such as Finding Christmas. The founders say giving back through the arts has always been part of the studio’s culture.
The founders say the new facility is not simply about expansion, but about building a stronger artistic home for the Capital Region.
“We believe the arts can transform confidence, discipline, emotional expression, and human connection,” said Crystal Moore. “This investment was our way of putting our belief into action.”
Peak Music and Dance is located at 920 Albany Shaker Road in the Town of Colonie and will open on June 8th, 2026.
The new center is being developed in partnership with British American, another locally based business, reinforcing the founders’ commitment to investing in the Capital Region community.
For more information, visit: www.peakmusicanddance.com
Media Contact: Crystal Moore crystal@peakmusicanddance.com; 518-727-3401