Upcoming music auditions

Our music department is busy, busy preparing for our spring season. Whatever your instrument of choice, there’s something for every young musician at the Patel Conservatory in downtown Tampa. 

In addition to Rock School auditions and our free info session on Suzuki violin, next weekend, we’ll also be having auditions for both the Patel Conservatory Youth Orchestra and the Jazz Ensemble.

Auditions for both PCYO and the Jazz Ensemble will be Saturday, January 8th starting at 2 p.m.

The Patel Conservatory Jazz Ensemble is looking for a rhythm section to include saxophones, trumpets and trombones. Learn from working artists in the business and sharpen your improvisation and ensemble skills!

The Jazz Ensemble performs twice a year including at the Jazz at the Straz Side-by-Side concert with the 16-piece Ken Loomer Big Band (April 23, 2011).

For Saturday’s jazz auditions, please prepare a one-minute piece in a jazz style and one prepared scale (an accompanist will not be provided).

For PCYO auditions, please check the audition page on our website for more information.

For questions about any of our upcoming music auditions, please contact Danielle at 222-1273.

What is Suzuki violin?

You've probably heard of Suzuki violin, but perhaps you're not really sure what that means.

The Suzuki method of teaching violin is based on the teaching philosophy of Shinichi Suzuki, a self-taught Japanese violinist and instructor.

Learn more about his philosophy and how it applies to music education in a free orientation: An Introduction to Suzuki – the language of music.

The Suzuki method of teaching violin focuses on training children as young as three to play the instrument.

“The method is based upon the way in which young children learn language. Essentially, a child hears his parents repeating words and eventually imitates them, gradually building his vocabulary.  In a musical context, the child hears music and imitates it, building his repertoire,” said Catherine Michelson, Patel Conservatory Suzuki violin instructor.

The free, informational presentation will be led by Michelson and will include a demonstration from Patel Conservatory Suzuki violin students and a video about the program.

If you've considered violin lessons for your child, this session can answer all your questions.

Join Michelson on Sun., Jan. 9 at 3 p.m. in the TECO Theater at the Patel Conservatory. For more information, call 222-1002.

Don't miss auditions for spring Rock School!

So you got the new guitar or drum set for Christmas...now what?

Learn how to be a pro on stage with Rock School at the Patel Conservatory in downtown Tampa!

Placement auditions are tomorrow, Dec. 28 and Tuesday, Jan. 4 from 6 - 8 p.m. for the spring session of Rock School. No experience necessary. 

You'll be placed into a band according instrument, musical tastes and age. Through weekly band sessions with professional instructors, you'll work toward the goal of performing for an audience at the end-of-session Rock School Blowout. This concert is usually held on the stage of Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center, or outside the Straz Center overlooking the Hillsborough River. It's your chance to rock out like a professional musician.

For the audition, bring your own guitar. Drums and keyboards are provided.

No audition necessary if you've already participated. And, if you already love Rock School, don't forget to register now at www.patelconservatory.org. And please share this with your friends!

For an audition time, please call 222-1002.

Private music lessons are also available. Click here for more info.

Nutcracker sparkles at the Straz Center!

Gymnasts get psyched backstage!

The Next Generation Ballet has put itself on the map as an outstanding ballet company of enormous talent with its debut performance of The Nutcracker.

When Peter Stark joined the Patel Conservatory as chair of our dance department, he had a vision. He’s built our new ballet company (Next Generation Ballet) from the ground up, and put together the Straz Center’s first in-house production of the The Nutcracker. In years past, it was brought to the Straz Center by other companies.

Performers get ready for the opening party scene.

Last night’s show displayed the professional caliber of dancers from Next Generation Ballet and the Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet. 

It was great to see the progression from the rehearsals to the stage, how it all tied together with the costumes and the sets. Exhilarating to see the pay off of all the hours these dancers have put in.

Enormous thanks to the parents and families who have spent an equal amount of time bringing their children to rehearsals and supporting these young dancers, from the tiny Caterpillars and Snowflakes to the exquisite Arabian Leopards, the graceful Flowers and, of course, Clara and her Prince. They'll do it all again today at 2 p.m.!

Do something for yourself in the New Year

When the holidays are over and you're feeling the effects of too much pumpkin pie, your New Year's resolutions will look something like this:

• Get active!
• Schedule time for myself.

Plan to tackle both of those resolutions at the same time with something that's great for your mind and body! Dance classes are a great way stay active and fit. You're keeping your brain fit as well by learning something new and having fun while taking time just for yourself.

Jumpstart your resolutions with a free adult tap dance class at the Patel Conservatory in Tampa. The free class, taught by Susan Downey, will be Friday, Jan. 7 at noon. No experience is necessary. RSVP required.

Or, sign up any of our adult dance classes, from beginning to advanced ballet to Flamenco and everything in between. The cool thing about the adult dance classes is that the instructors truly make everyone feel comfortable, no matter what age or skill level. So whether you've never taken a dance class, or you just want to get back into it, there's something for everyone.

Carving out time for yourself, either from a hectic work week, or away from family obligations, helps you regroup and re-energize. When you walk into the dance studio, the world melts away and for at least an hour anyway, you focus on the music and your body's movements. You'll find that when class is over, you realize you hadn't even thought about cleaning your house or your to-do list the whole time!

Classes resume on January 3, and now you can even register online for most classes!

To RSVP for the free tap class on Jan. 7, or for more information about adult dance classes at the Patel Conservatory, call 222-1002. See you in the New Year!

Visiting a place where every day people are living their dreams

contributed by Leslie Farrell, publicist for the Patel Conservatory


Ah, to see our world through fresh eyes!

Last night during a tour I was giving of the Straz Center to two teenage journalists, I remembered what it was like to experience a place I’ve been exploring for 16 years as if it were new for me.  The senses of wonder and possibility these girls felt when they when they peeked into the Patel Conservatory classrooms were infectious. 

Sometimes when you work in an incredible place like the Straz Center where magic truly happens every night, when you’re behind the scenes day after day, you can take for granted what an amazing place it is.

But when you show off the place you revere to someone new to the experience, it reopens your eyes. There's an immense pride in working here. Most of my coworkers don’t think of their time at the Straz Center as work but as their lifestyle; most of them are living their dreams.

As I walk her to the door, Adrienne, the photographer, tells me she used to play the viola. Her eyes noticeably light up when I describe the Patel Conservatory Youth Orchestra (auditions for the spring session are Jan. 8), how they’ve played twice in Carnegie Hall by invitation to standing ovations and how the Dublin Youth Orchestra is coming in February from Ireland to play with our young musicians. She and her father didn’t know that we have an orchestra.

Mariel, the writer, is interested in dance and I share her excitement when we peek in on Susan Downey’s jazz dance class to watch them rehearse for the showcase. Later, when I take her backstage behind Carol Morsani Hall where “Cirque Dreams Holidaze” is onstage and we peek into Ferguson Hall where “Wonderland” sets are being set up, she describes her own emotion as “ecstatic.”  I share her feeling and look forward to giving my next tour. 


For more information about classes in dance, theater or music, or to learn how you can get a backstage tour of the Straz Center, call 222-1002.

In the news...The Nutcracker

How many performers in The Nutcracker? That’s right, 160 performers in next week’s production, with all new choreography from Next Generation Ballet’s artistic director Peter Stark.

Check out this interview from ABC’s Lissette Campos on Positively Tampa Bay with Education Direction Wendy Leigh and Stark, as they chat about The Nutcracker, as well as upcoming shows at the Patel Conservatory.

Want a sneak peak of the talent you can see on stage next week? Check out Hannah Bettes in her ABC interview, and some of the other Next Generation Ballet performers.