August, which is almost over, is/was Family Fun Month, which was probably chosen somewhere school doesn’t start the second week of August. The idea, though, is solid, as the waning days of summer provide some time for families to enjoy activities as a whole before the school year tightens up family schedules something fierce. No... Continue Reading →
They aren’t called intensives for nothing. A class of Patel Conservatory theater students is currently immersed in rehearsals for a production of Shakespearean spoof Something Rotten! The rehearsals follow a week of master classes and guest artists, theater professionals with real-world experience. The students are enrolled in Patel’s Broadway Intensive, a four-week program that culminates... Continue Reading →
At Straz, we’re witness to class after class of performing arts students attending Patel Conservatory, learning dance, theater and, of course, music. An organization founded by husband and wife music teachers takes music learning into their community and sponsors events to encourage music education. Every child should have the opportunity to play music: That belief... Continue Reading →
Twenty years since its opening, the Patel Conservatory is going strong and ready to grow. The Straz Master Plan will give the performing arts school a significant increase in space, and planning for its use is being addressed enthusiastically. “We're picking out flooring, special mirrors, special soundproofing. Special features like this will really address the... Continue Reading →
Shinichi Suzuki noticed something so obvious he’d never noticed it before: All Japanese children spoke Japanese. This revelation led to a revolution in music education. At the Patel Conservatory, Suzuki violin has been the entry point to learning music for a great number of students, many of whom continue their progress in Patel programs. It’s... Continue Reading →
Judging from the flow of school-age dancers, musicians and thespians who keep our Patel Conservatory lively, one might surmise that it exclusively serves younger aspiring performers. Patel also has plenty of classes, workshops and lessons for adults in dance, theater and music. “We believe it’s important to offer classes for all ages and all skills... Continue Reading →
A group of young Patel Conservatory performers is ready to transform TECO Theater into one of the most famous swamps on screen or stage. Middle school-aged actors will take the stage as Fiona, Donkey, Farquaad and our favorite ogre to present Shrek the Musical Jr. Based on the Broadway musical (and the film on which... Continue Reading →
There’s only one opportunity to make a first impression. The Patel Conservatory makes an indelible one. Passersby who glance at Patel’s front doors may not know what goes on behind them. But they could probably guess based on the 5-foot tall treble clef that serves as door handles. The frieze that runs across both doors... Continue Reading →
It’s a sound that immediately brings to mind Oktoberfest, or at least Polka Night at the Elks’ Lodge. It’s two sounds, actually – one deep and low, the other notably higher. The latter tone is pah, the response to the former, which is oom. As each yang has its corresponding yen, every pah shares an... Continue Reading →
We at The Straz and the Patel Conservatory know Alice Santana is the best. It’s always nice, though, when others notice as well. Alice, The Straz’s vice president of education and community engagement, has won the Cognia Excellence in Education Award for 2023. Cognia is an independent non-profit organization that accredits primary and secondary schools... Continue Reading →
Houston Ballet Academy graduates and current Corps de Ballet dancers Neal Burks as Basilio and Magnoly Batista as Kitri in Houston Ballet Academy's Ben Stevenson's Don Quixote. Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2019). Courtesy of Houston Ballet. Neal Burks was a promising young dancer in 2013. Ten years on, that promise is being fulfilled. But for... Continue Reading →
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Snow and gloom shouldn’t be issues but rain and heat? Hoo boy. Pictured: a typical summer day in the great state of Florida. The Patel Conservatory staff members (“these couriers”) responsible for couriering summer... Continue Reading →
“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" Groundbreaking playwright Lorraine Hansberry drew the title of her most famous work – A Raisin in the Sun – from the powerful poem Harlem, written by Langston Hughes about the promise of freedom in the Emancipation Proclamation remaining a... Continue Reading →
AN EXCLUSIVE FROM INSIDE, THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE STRAZ CENTER James Lafayette wanted to play the bass – the double bass, to be precise. The instrument, though, was a bit too large for the preteen. The cello’s size, however, was just right. But he wanted to play bass. James Lafayette (pictured above) playing the... Continue Reading →
Patel Conservatory classrooms sometimes play host to Broadway actors, Grammy®-winning musicians and world-renowned dancers. These performers aren’t there to sign autographs. They’re in the classrooms and studios to share their knowledge and experience with Patel students. Guest instructor Beth Gibbs, associate professor of music and director of choral studies at Florida Southern College, leading a... Continue Reading →
When children are given musical instruments for the first time, chances are they will make godawful rackets with them. They will leap about, yell and scream, and make noises those instruments never were meant to make. They will laugh heartily, get bored and move on to the next amusement. Some of those kids, though, will... Continue Reading →
A teenager in a foreign land during a global pandemic, Hector Jain is well beyond his years. The Next Generation Ballet (NGB) alum and Lakeland, Fla., resident has been studying at Les Ballet de Monte Carlo’s Princess Grace Academy since early in 2020 and soaking up all the experience has to offer. Caught in the... Continue Reading →
Recently appointed to the position of interim director of education and community engagement, Straz staffer Alice Santana has a lifelong love of the arts and deep-rooted passion to make an impact in her community. Her journey with the Straz Center began in January 2016 when she was hired to work in the Patel Conservatory as the student affairs and community relations coordinator. As she flourished... Continue Reading →
The French codified ballet under King Louis XIV by defining the five basic positions of the feet and setting a catalog of positions related to the “turn-out” of the legs in the hip sockets (i.e., the legs rotate out of the hips instead of facing forward). Placement, a.k.a. alignment, and lift, a.k.a. pull-up, became fundamentals... Continue Reading →
We are all Zooming so much these days that we’re practically movie stars. The Patel Conservatory Theater Department has turned one of their favorite improv activities into a Zoom theater game to play with family or friends. What You’ll Need: 2 or more players Writing utensil Something to write on Electronic devices with Wi-Fi Roles:... Continue Reading →