Right, so many of you have queried what the difference is in both Showcase organisations. Well, here goes....

The Percussion Association (SPA) is a community and voluntary run organisation aimed at promoting free performance opportunities for young people through the Arts of Percussion. We deliver an annual Christmas project focussing on providing over 200 local youngsters the opportunity to take part in our free drumming & percussive workshops. Our aim is also to provide independent sponsorship and support to ensembles and other ancilary musical activities within the UK. SPA operate a series of free opportunities for community groups to take part in and one of our principal aims is to promote and inspire youngsters and their families to reflect upon the effects that music may and often has on young people. This is also relevant to the everlasting memories and experiences music will allow children to experience through our musical adventures. We want to encourage a much larger take up in instrumental learners within the UK through our inspirational and second to none services.

*GASP*

The Performance Group (SPG) is a registered company focussing on music educational opportunities for anyone and everyone. This could involve providing music education for schools, colleges, universities, youth groups and much more. The company promote their work through workshops, master-classes, birthday parties, school clubs, holiday clubs. SPG also operate a significant group of function ensembles ranging from string quartetes, brass and wind ensembles, big bands, function orchestras and much more - The perfect professional solution to any event and occasion.
SPG are yet to launch their main projects, but they will sure be worth the wait!

I operate and founded both organisations however each are operated by seperate management teams.
It is my aim to develop the Showcase Franchise further and look forward to sharing this with you all.

I suppose you could call me the new Richard Branson...... (p

In a nutshell, hope this helps :)

See you soon.....

Hey y'all showcase followers
Can't believe I haven't posted since May 1st. Grief!
Well, over the past 4 months the showcase scene has developed and I will be soon announcing several new projects and exciting events to come.
I'm in the middle of the main project that will be operated by the Showcase Performance Group, launching in September 2012, and have we got a treat in store. Not only will we be re-uniting a powerhouse of names to the Southern music scene, we will also be introducing a superb line up of new Artists, forming what aims to become the most innovative and unique project in the South. Exciting eeek!!

Other projects include the new orchestra of which details will be released shortly and also the Showcase Music Festival in June and July 2012.

Keep visiting our websites for more updates on what we are up to. I promise it is worth the wait so spread the Showcase word!

Cheers for n

So 2 weeks has passed since taking the Southampton Youth Wind Band & Supersonic Percussion Ensemble to Italy on tour. We had an awesome time, supported by possibly the 4 most famous men in Devon, more commonly known as our coach drivers from Taw and Torridge in Devon! DJ, Milly, Lurch and Roy proved invaluable to us all, especially having made the effort to travel 40minutes down the mountain in Florence where we had to park to help us set up and perform the concert in Florence. I think possibly the genius support of our drivers was not so complimented by our parents when collecting 49 youngsters with a fluent West Country accent....! Very funny indeed it waas'

2 very successful concerts passed, even though the first was rained off half way through! All members remained in high spirits and assisted with carrying over 80 percussion instruments, including their own instruments, music stands, uniforms, 10 minutes down the road back to the hotel! The general morale and dedication of all was quite touching, moreso than most tours I've ever been lucky to take part in!

The support of our team of staff was top class! A prop'er job indeed it waas *said in an annoyingly reminded west country accent*! Grr!

The final night of the tour, back in the German Hotel in the Black Forest, saw our talent show THE Y FACTOR take place! WOW is all that can be said! The talent in so many youngsters was particularly inspiring..... Barbershop trios, body percussion, a slightly deformed zoo from taw and torridge, and memoires of the Titanic plus more entertained members throughout the evening!
Photos of the tour are available on Facebook and some can be found by clicking here - All photos will be available on the www.southamptonwindband.org.uk very shortly!

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Lot's has been happening in the showcase world including the launch of our workshop scheme gaining contracts with many prestigious names in the entertainment industry which will be announced soon. I am also in talks in conjunction with the beginnings of my 2 new showcase companies which will form the launch of the Official Showcase as a franchise! Happy days. More details will be revealed once everything is confirmed.

Our websites will be fully branded and re-launched in the autumn so keep watching!


Enough from me now, I will be back soon with the Showcase Newsletter!!


Love for now! Ax

Well as I am off on tour with the Southampton Youth Wind Band @ 5.30am tomorrow morning, I thought I would launch the showcase blog before we go.

It has been a good month so far - We finished a series of local percussion recitals in the Southampton area, most popularly known amongst our fans as the 'Tour of the Ghettos!' Very funny.... ! Though the idea of trying to find new audience at the time of organising the venture seemed worthwhile enough. However, joined  by my good companion Simon Wilkins on the ivories and several other soloists including my Divvy Livvy sister on snare, & Carly Wikley on xylamaphone, we came to a positive end with much larger audiences in the latter set of dates!

Then we moved to the launch of CYMBOLIC percussion ensemble on April fools day! Who would have thought we would see a concert with 3 ginger percussionists? What a wonderful world this is turning into! Though one particular & bizarre performance offering the swing band chance to shake Mr. Gosney's worldly fruits during his solo was not something I was expecting, or would ever appreciate to experience again, though the clarinet department did not seem to complain!

The past week has consisted of a multiple number of laughs, including my teacher training day on thursday, trying to associate as many people within the department as characters from Harry Potter, not to mention the thought of ending up with 214+ people in a class next year... This was enough to get us through the morning until a well earned lunch at the bellemoor (you will probably hear alot about the bellemoor in years to come...).

I was very happy to begin rehearsals for our next showcase concert today with our orchestra. They are a talented and really fun group, so much so, the bellemoor seemed the perfect reward having been trapped from the sun for 2 hours, a well deserved beverage in the garden was well received by all!

Looking forward to a week in Italy!

TTFN! :D