Music and magic draw this artist from her shell

There’s a feeling that lives within our walls. It’s intangible, but very real for the performers and artists - the singers, actors, dancers, musicians - who spend time here at the Patel Conservatory.

Melissa Stewart-Hoffman describes it as magic.

“In life, I’m shy, but when I walk through the music note doors, and up to the third floor studio, I feel like myself,” said Melissa, a voice student at the Conservatory. “I guess singing, it just does something, it’s a certain magic."

A 16-year-old from Mulberry, Fla., Melissa first felt that magic when she was 12 years old and saw La Bohème at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

“It was like a lightbulb going off in my head. I’ve always loved singing, but that’s when I knew I wanted to be an opera singer,” said Melissa.

After a few years of taking local voice lessons, she decided to try the Patel Conservatory in the summer of 2011 with our Vocal Arts Academy.

“When I started at the Conservatory, I think that’s when I felt at home...It was an amazing discovery,” said Melissa.

That fall, she began private voice lessons with instructor and Patel Conservatory music chair, Gregory Ruffer. She auditioned for Opera Tampa Chorus and had the opportunity to perform with them throughout the season.

The experience of performing with the opera company affirmed her love of the art and desire to pursue a classical singing career.

“The last performance I did (with Opera Tampa) was Aida, and I think that was my favorite...it felt easier and reassured me even more,” she said.

This past summer, in addition to attending our Classical Voice Intensive, she earned the honor of attending the prestigious summer program at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio.

She attributes her success to the training she received at the Conservatory.

“(Ruffer) is the best teacher. His experience and his honesty with me in how I need to improve, and just the environment,” helped her grow as an artist, she said.

She loves performing opera because she enjoys singing in different languages and learning about the various operas and their histories. Becoming a different character draws her out of her shell, she said.

“The music transports me to a different era,” said Melissa. "I sing not only to express myself and to be happy, but so other people will enjoy it."

A junior at Polk State Collegiate High School in Lakeland where she’s earning college credit for classes, she takes private voice lessons weekly with Ruffer in preparation for college auditions and hopes to attend Oberlin.

“I’m really thankful for the Conservatory,” said Melissa. “I feel truly like it is my second home.”

Be prepared with upcoming audition workshops

Do you get nervous at the very thought of an audition?

Take the fear out of the auditioning process with our upcoming workshop series.

The Patel Conservatory in Tampa is hosting a series of audition workshops for grades 5 to 8, and grade 9 through adult, designed to help actors develop the skills to present a successful and professional audition.

We got feedback from artistic directors in the Tampa Bay area and around Florida, and they said that three things are consistently lacking in auditions.

“We have devoted our workshops to those three points,” said Ami Sallee, theater department chair. “Actors need to be prepared before they walk into an audition, they must know their monologue backwards and forwards and they should know the basics of passing a music and dance audition.”

The audition series features three different workshops covering different topics. Take one, or take all three! The choice is yours.

This workshop series is perfect for students who are interested in auditioning for one of our Patel Conservatory Youth Theater spring musicals.

Audition workshop series

Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m.

Nov. 30 - Dec. 14, 2012

Friday, Nov. 30, 2012

Part I: Professionalism and Confidence: Resume composition, headshot guidelines, how-to slate, proper audition attire, audition etiquette and seeking out auditions.

Dec. 7, 2012

Part II: Monologues and Cold Readings: Monologue package selection, transitions, how-to do a cold reading, in-the-audition-room tips and tools for post-show interviews and callbacks.

Dec. 14, 2012

Part III: Audition Songs and Dance Combinations: Picking an audition song that suits your voice, learning choreography, assembling an audition book and mock audition.

The cost per workshop is $50 each. Or, purchase the three-week workshop package for only $135.

All participants who purchase the three-week workshop package will also receive a voucher good for one 30-minute private acting lesson! (Private lessons must be individually scheduled through the registrar’s office.)

To register, click here, or call 813-222-1002.

For more audition tips, click here.

Spotlight on Deborah Lynch

You may have seen her at the piano, or accompanying our voice students, or musical theater students in a rehearsal or showcase.

As the staff accompanist at the Patel Conservatory, Deborah Lynch, or Dee, is always there, in the background, providing the music while the students shine.

But you may not know that, in addition to being our in-house accompanist, Dee does a whole lot more.

An avid singer, dancer and actor, Dee knew she wanted a career in the performing arts since she was 14 years old.

She attended a summer dance program in New York put on by Janis Menken, wife of the now infamous Disney composer Alan Menken.

“Alan was the accompanist for the ballet classes. I would leave dance classes and go find a piano and play the music I’d heard him play in class. Some of the pieces he wrote himself. I can still play them, I still remember them,” said Dee.

Inspired by Menken, “I thought, ‘I want to do that.’ I wanted to be in the performing arts, play piano, dance, act, teach.”

Dee went on to start the first Alan Menken fan club that year, and then accomplish all the other things she set out to do.

She studied theater, dance and voice at Stockton State College where she received her Bachelor of Arts, and was active in musical theater in Richmond, Va. for 25 years as a performer, music director and accompanist.

She joined the Patel Conservatory a little more than a year ago, and not only provides accompaniment wherever needed, but also teaches musical theater and Fundamentals of Music and is the co-director of the junior and senior choirs.

“It’s an advantage and a bit of a luxury to have a full-time accompanist on staff,” said Dee.

Many educational institutions have to contract accompanists externally, and then run into schedule conflicts and may struggle to find someone when needed, she said.

“At any given time, if there’s a need, I’m already here.”

Dee has been the music director for many of our youth theater productions, and is presently accompanying for Kiss Me, Kate.

She also helps oversee the vocal arts program and coordinates Rock School, guitar studies and the jazz quartet.

“The Rock School program is moving even further into the educational realm, promoting more music reading as well as performance,” said Dee.

Teaching the newly added Fundamentals of Music class, she’s been able to reach a wide range of current students who want a deeper understanding of music.

“If you only learn how to play a song or two, you’re limited in what you can do with that,” she said. “We want to make sure all our students have the opportunity to understand the process, as well as the enjoyment of the performance opportunity.”

Part of Dee’s job is to help students figure out which class is the best fit for them.

“We have group guitar lessons ranging from beginner to intermediate level, from young children to high school to adults,” said Dee. “If a student has some experience but doesn’t know where he belongs, he can come get a ‘pass to class’ and see if it’s the right fit.”

She notes that sometimes students opt to start with private lessons to help prepare for auditions for the coming season.

Over the summer, Dee was the music director for Avenue Q, performed by M.A.D. Theater at the Shimberg Playhouse.

Being in the music department at the Patel Conservatory has allowed her to fulfill her passion full-time.

“I look forward to coming to work every day. I love the students. I don’t have a word to explain how much I enjoy them,” she said. “It’s a really wonderful place to work.”

Conservatory To-Go! helps schools supplement curriculum

The Patel Conservatory is pleased to announce a new partnership with Most Holy Redeemer (MHR) Catholic School in Tampa.

Students at MHR will take violin
lessons as part of the
Conservatory-To-Go! program.

Through our Conservatory To-Go! program, we’re now offering arts education classes on MHR’s campus as part of the school’s curriculum.

When Thom Laux took over as principal last year at MHR, he knew the school needed to improve their arts programming.

“Although a lot of public schools are taking out arts education, we knew it was important to put it in,” said Laux.

Laux had previously worked at the Metropolitan Ministries partnership school, a school for homeless and at-risk students where the Conservatory holds outreach classes.

“It was a great partnership... the talent of the instructors, they were incredible,” said Laux.

When looking to supplement the curriculum at MHR, he said, “My goal was to get Patel because I wanted the best.”

By utilizing the resources of the Conservatory, which is an accredited arts institution, MHR is able to bring quality arts education to their students during the day on their campus.

“When I introduced the partnership at the end of last year, our community was buzzing,” said Laux.

He says parents, students and faculty have been thrilled with the new classes.

Students in kindergarten through eighth grade participate in age appropriate theater and music classes taught by Patel Conservatory instructors.

For music, students in 3rd through 8th grades receive fundamental music instruction and violin lessons. Older students may also have the opportunity to learn woodwind and percussion instruments with the possibility of a band class.

For theater, students in 5th through 8th grades will have a full year drama class and the opportunity to participate in Patel Conservatory Youth Theater productions at the Conservatory, such as Kiss Me, Kate and Music Man, Jr..

“The drama class is unreal, fantastic. I could see how it will help in the classroom. The activity [the instructor] was doing the other day looked like a game, but it was teaching [students] things like concentration,” said Laux.

Even if kids don't pursue the arts, exposure to the arts helps them build confidence, discipline and creativity, he said.

“But if it excites them, and opens the door for kids who have the talent and want to pursue that, the goal has been accomplished.”

Some music classes will also be offered at Morning Star School, a special needs school on MHR’s campus.

The Conservatory To-Go! program is the perfect solution for schools like MHR who want more arts education, but don’t have the internal resources.

“We’re still that hidden jewel in the community that many people don’t know about,” said Tina James, Education Programs Coordinator at the Conservatory.

“For MHR it gives them the performing arts that they’ve been missing, and for us, it expands our reach into the community and helps fulfill our mission,” which is to help students dream, reach, discover and create through the performing arts.

Laux says, “Having the Patel Conservatory at our school has made our school better.”

For more information about the Conservatory To-Go! program, please call 813.222.1002.

NGB students gear up for YAGP

Hannah Bettes, former NGB student, at a YAGP competition.

Students of Patel Conservatory’s Next Generation Ballet (NGB) will be participating in their first round of Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) auditions this weekend.

On Saturday morning, advanced ballet students will participate in a warm-up class followed by the audition that will decide who will qualify to go to the YAGP regional competition held at the Straz Center in January.

This year, qualifying students will be selected by an outside panel of judges rather than Patel Conservatory faculty.

“This is a new initiative to have outside eyes select they recommend to compete at YAGP,” said Claire Olson, dance manager at the Conservatory.

The judges for the auditions will be Bruce Marks, Andrew Carroll, Robert de Warren and Jack Clark. Judges will use the same judging sheet used at YAGP, so students will have an accurate assessment of how they'll be judged at the competition.

Historically, NGB students have placed well at YAGP competitions, winning scholarships from prestigious ballet schools around the world. Many have gone on to compete at the finals in New York City, where Patel Conservatory received YAGP's Outstanding School Award in 2011.

The YAGP competition in January will include a final gala, featuring the best competitors alongside international ballet stars. The Gala will be filmed and broadcasted through Emerging Pictures Dance and Cinema Series.

Bring your group for a Day at the Straz

Looking for a unique field trip for your class or homeschool group? Registration is now available for the 2012-2013 Day at the Straz.

A Day at the Straz Center is a field trip opportunity that offers a behind-the-scenes experience at the Straz Center and the Patel Conservatory.

Recommended to be held in conjunction with a field trip performance, a Day at the Straz includes a tour and an interactive theater-based workshop.

During the tour, students will explore the five-theater Straz Center for the Performing Arts complex, the largest performing arts venue in the southeast. They’ll learn what it’s like for performers and crew backstage, hear about the Straz Center’s 25-year history and visit the state-of-the-art studios of the Conservatory.

After the tour, students have a brown bag lunch in Maestro’s Café, then continue to the Conservatory to participate in a workshop geared towards their grade level.

Through the workshop, students and teachers get to work with professional artists on staff at the Conservatory. They’ll have fun learning performance tips from the pros and strengthen their overall arts education experience.

Register your group to come enjoy a day in the life of the performing arts!

For more information about A Day at the Straz, call 813.222.1002 or visit www.patelconservatory.org.

Spotlight on Adam Wagner

The Patel Conservatory welcomes musical theater instructor Adam Wagner to our full-time faculty.

Working in conjunction with our music department, the theater department has developed a pre-professional track for acting students who want to pursue a career in musical theater.

To that end, Wagner joined the Conservatory to help oversee the musical theater program.

“I love that this is an educational and extracurricular program, but not something that’s just an after school activity. It really is a high quality performance conservatory,” said Wagner, who is directing the fall PCYT production of Kiss Me, Kate.

Originally from Chesterton, Indiana, Wagner is a graduate of the musical theater program at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He also studied dramatic arts at the British Academy of Dramatic Arts in Oxford, England.

An award-winning artist and self-taught pianist, he’s worn many hats including actor, composer, producer, director and choreographer.

Most recently, he served as the artistic director at the Grandstreet Theatre in Helena, Mont. which combined a community theater company with a theater education program.

“I really felt like I was making a difference in the community,” he said. “To educate is an incredible challenge for me and really exciting. I get to share things I love, and encourage and arm students with confidence, creative expression and the ability to trust themselves.”

With shows like Kiss Me, Kate, he gets to fuse his varied artistic skills. Performed by high school and college aged students enrolled at the Patel Conservatory, the show is treated as a class so they get the educational experience, as well as the experience of being in a professional level production.

“I’m at home at a place that is continually developing new programs and striving the for the best,” he said.