Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Lee Ahlin to be recognized at this weekend's Rock School Blowout

by Paige Strott, Patel Conservatory Marketing Intern

Rock School founder Lee Ahlin, left, plays at last year's Rock School Blowout.
The Patel Conservatory would like to thank Lee Ahlin for his years of service.

Ahlin founded the Conservatory’s popular Rock School program. After eight years of teaching and inspiring students, he retired this past year.

We’ll honor his years of dedication and service with a tribute at this weekend’s Rock School Blowout.

A professional composer, musician, and educator, Ahlin has worked professionally on numerous musicals and compositions, including Crossing the Bay and Snow Queen, which were produced nationally. He founded Rock School along with Paragon Music in 2004, and it was one of the first education programs held here at the Straz Center.

The Rock School program provides student bands with instruction to advance their skills and collaborate together. Students are grouped into bands based on their instrument, age and musical taste. They come together at the end of every year and perform in a fully produced rock concert, the Rock School Blowout! 

Our spring Rock School Blowout will be held in conjunction with the annual Summer Splash summer camp fair this Saturday, April 6 at the Glazer Children’s Museum.

The show will include a tribute to Ahlin and a performance by all the Rock School instructors and former Rock School student Alex Shames.

Shames is a musician from the Sarasota area who drove to Tampa throughout his high school years to participate in Rock School. He now plays in several bands in the Tallahassee area and will graduate in May from Florida State University with a degree in music.

He credits the start of his music career to his Rock School experience.

“Lee and my private drum instructor really gave me the idea that I could make a living out of being a musician. They said I have the ability and the drive,” said Shames.

At the Blowout, Shames will perform with his former instructor Ahlin and Conservatory instructors Dee Lynch, Paul Stoddart and Dean Tidey. They’ll play the hit song “Sunshine of Your Love,” by Cream.

Ahlin has truly inspired many students at the Patel Conservatory. Help us pay tribute to Ahlin and all our talented Rock School students and instructors at the Summer Splash summer camp fair this weekend: 

Summer Splash! Summer Camp Fair
Glazer Children’s Museum
110 West Gasparilla Plaza
Tampa, FL 33602
Saturday, April 6th
Rock School Performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Tribute to Lee Ahlin at the 2 p.m. show

No comments:

Post a Comment