They Were Jamming In The Rain

It is Thursday, July 18th, Greg Koss and Kids are scheduled to appear on stage at the Wiregrass Mall in Wesley Chapel, Florida at 7:00pm. Suddenly, the skies turned dark, and the rain started falling - pouring. Damper! Most of us would think, this is it - but not the Koss kids. They were eager to get on stage and neither rain, wind, or inclement weather was going to stop them from performing.

I arrived just in time to hear the young, talented Michaela belting out one of her own songs. Michaela is already a recording artist at 16 and has her fan base. Her talent precedes her.

As she sang and played the piano, her proud parents in the audience as well as her many classmates were singing along, chanting, and smiling in approval. It is that type of support and encouragement that allows these kids to succeed and, no one is more passionate about that than Greg Koss. Koss holds class every afternoon without fail. He is determined that by bringing out the talent in the kids under his tutorledge, he can save a generation.

In his acknowledgement and appreciation of the audience as they stood in the rain, Koss told them, "Thanks so much to the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay and especially Ann Berg for their continued support. I would like you all you to know that I could not teach these kids without organizations like this providing support."  The Koss Music and Cultural Arts Institute depends on financial donations and the professional time of many supporters. Grants, donations and the commitment of professional support is crucial to the survival of the Institute.

Many of the kids performed their own solos while others cheered them on. The kids displayed great camaraderie and admiration for each others talents. This is an attribute that Koss instills in his students. All the students display a high level of confidence and pride in his or her own ability.  It was evident that the parents of the students who were present were overly proud as they watched their kids confidently sing, perform solos, and jam with their colleagues. Take Tylor who is 10years old. He dresses the part and plays the violin like he is enjoying his favorite meal. Other instrumentalists were equally showing their talent.

The band wrapped up their set for the evening with "America The Beautiful" but not before jamming around the stage with "Tequila."

Other kids performing were: Sylvana 12yrs-piano/guitar, Matt  12 yrs - violin,  Tony 14 yrs-guitar/vocals, Johnathan 12 yrs-  guitar, Jennifer 13yrs -guitar/piano, James 16 yrs -piano, Jennifer 13yrs -guitar/piano, Katherine 14yrs-vocal, Dencie 17yrs-vocal, Gus 9yrs-trombone, Arianna11yrs- cello, Dante 12 yrs- trumpet,  Timothy 10 yrs- trumpet, Sidney 17 yrs. -trumpet, Christopher 16 yrs-guitar, and Lannie 17yrs-drums.

Koss Music and Cultural Arts Institute became a 501 C-3 organization in 2010  and since then been providing opportunities for youth who want to have music in their lives. The Institute is located at 1922 Oak Grove Blvd, Lutz. If you would like to support the Institute, please contact Greg Koss at telephone number 813.949.6881. You may also email Koss at kmcaigreg@gmail.