What's New
Picture from the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce Lunch on August 12, 2010
Debbie, Wendi, and Terri with former Bay News 9 anchor Jen Holloway at the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce Lunch on August 12, 2010.
Letter from Wendi Pruitt
To the parents and students of Music Showcase,
It is with a bit of excitement and sorrow that I will need to inform you that as of August 19th I will no longer be the director of the Music Showcase Education Center. I have spent the last 14 years here and they have been some of the best years of my life. I am going to always look back on the relationships that I have been built with great fondness and affection but I am excited to take a shift in my career that will allow me to be more hands on with students which is my greatest passion. I will be going back to USF to obtain my degree in Elementary Education, which has been something, that has been on my heart for a long time and now I will get to fulfill that desire. I have a strong Christian faith and I know that this is where God will truly utilize my skills to their fullest.
I will continue to teach some of my students on Monday evenings while I am finishing my degree. I will also have the opportunity to teach a program here based on the hit show Glee. My group will perform throughout the Tampa Bay area and I am so excited to take on this project. We’ll sing and dance to some of the most popular Broadway shows as well as hits from Madonna to Bon Jovi and much more, so if you have a student that has a desire to perform sign them up now! Glee begins on September 13th. For more information please see one of the associates at the ELITE Center. [Glee page at faopa.org]
It is also my privilege to inform you that my replacement is someone who has a strong desire to make great things happen at Music Showcase and truly has a passion for music. Taryn Livingston has been with Music Showcase for 3 years and has a Masters degree in Vocal Performance. Taryn is excited for the opportunity to work for you so please feel free to see her with any issues you may have regarding your instructor, your account, or even a new idea that you may have for Music Showcase.
I hope that you are enjoying your experience at Music Showcase and I look forward to seeing some of you on Mondays. Thank you for allowing me to serve you for all of these years.
Wendi Pruitt
Education Center Director
Wendi, we will miss you!
Music Showcase Students Featured in the Osprey Observer
July 15, 2010. Read the Article
July Newsletter
Want to find out what's going on at Music Showcase?
Read the 2-page July Newsletter
Local Drummer Auctions Off His Talent To Raise Money For The Gulf Oil Spill
13-year-old Gabe Wagner, a drum student at Music Showcase, is auctioning off an original drum solo on Ebay with all the proceeds going to the United Way for the Gulf Oil Spill. Warner shows a video on the Ebay ad of some of his jamming and says that the winner of the auction will get a new original composition. The starting bid is $9.99 and the auction ends June 29, 2010. Warner has been taking drum lessons with teacher Rick Barclay for 5 years. He is also recovering from an accident in September when he fell and broke his femur. If you miss this auction, Warner may auction off his talent again.
Clair Mel Elementary School IOC Spring Concert
On Saturday, May 22nd, the 5th graders of the Clair Mel Elementary School Band performed their Spring Concert at Music Showcase.
The group is sponsored by Instruments of Change with a grant from The Crossing Church.
Win Tickets
Congratulations to:
Melanie Burke of Tampa for winning tickets to the Vans Warped Tour on July 25th in Orlando.
Michael Holton of Riverview for winning tickets to the Vans Warped Tour on July 23rd in St. Petersburg.
Denise Smith of Brandon for winning tickets to the Country Throwdown on May 14th.
Congratulations to the Jazz Contest Winners
First Place: The Professors
Second Place: Saxophonist Noah Bell
The Professors and Noah Bell performed at the Winthrop Art Festival on May 1st.
Congratulations to Angelica Latorre
Congratulations to Music Showcase student Angelica Latorre for winning first place in the Brandon Idol contest on Saturday, April 24th, 2010.
Angelica is a student of Taryn Livingston.
Congratulations to the essay and drawing conest winners
Thank you to everyone who participated in this for Music in Our Schools Month.
Contest winners and their essays
Congratulations to Brittany Hamilton!
Brittany won our Music Madness drawing on March 27th, 2010.
Thanks to everyone who played Music Madness!
Music Showcase Teams Up With Rednek Geer
Music Showcase has teamed up with Rednek Geer in Tampa Bay to customize guitars for country artists. The photo gallery has pictures of the guitar and recording artists Eric Church and Patrick Gibson.
Music Showcase Christmas Festival 2009
Thank you to everyone who came to the Christmas Festival on December 12th, 2009. Also, a very big thanks to all of the vendors and performers. We had a great time!
See the photo gallery and recital pictures
2009-2010 Anthem Performers Selected
Tampa Bay Lightning Press Release:
On September 24th, The Lightning held finalist auditions for this season's National Anthem performer roster at Music Showcase in Brandon. It was a difficult process to boil all the fine performances down to just 10 choices. Our congratulations to all who made it to the Music Showcase live auditions and to the 10 roster selections. Thanks as well to all the many talented individuals and groups who submitted audition materials during the first round of judging.
ADDED TO ROSTER:
- for the 2009-10 Season
- Tom Bronson
- Brad Clark
- Bryan D'Onofrio
- Teresa Foss
- Dawnmarie Hatfield
- King High School Pride Chorale
- Taylyn Fay Olney
- Holly & Trina Rizzo
- Kathleen Rosensweig
- Seffner Christian Academy Chorale
Even though the '09-'10 auditions are completed, we're always on the hunt for new talent. Renditions of the National Anthem are always accepted. Please submit it either as a CD or DVD to:
National Anthem Consideration
Tampa Bay Lightning
401 Channelside Dr.
Tampa, FL 33602
Thank You and Go Bolts!
Music Showcase at the Brandon Fourth of July Parade
Music Showcase staff participated in the Brandon 4th of July Parade, 2009.
See our photo gallery from the event.
Check out some additional pictures on mypapernow.com.
Jr. Showcase Players covered in article by the Brandon News and Tribune
August 20, 2008. Read the article.