Music Creativity Lab

10/10/2024

As we brace ourselves for the impact of Hurricane Milton, a storm that is making history with its strength and path, I can't help but think about beauty of our beloved Florida. In my musical, Florida Christmas, the song "Florida, My Florida" plays a magical role—it’s the anthem that unites the creatures of the land, sky, and sea to save Florida from a devastating snowstorm (a little fiction that holds a lot of hope). Trying to keep some sanity during that challenging time I’ve created a new arrangement of "Florida, My Florida," with the wish that it brings some extra energy to protect our state. The song’s history and melody, originally set to the tune of "O Christmas Tree," are now intertwined with a hope that might help us weather the storm.
Music has the power to heal, to connect, and to energize us when we need it most.
Stay safe, Florida, and let’s stand strong through this hurricane.

Arrangement for Florida Christmas, The Musical. In the musical, this song saves Florida from a catastrophic disaster ( snowstorm). Florida, My Florida was a...

08/17/2024

Friends , if possible please support Tamara’ s fundraising campaign to support her tour with Lumina Youth Choirs to Germany and Denmark! It means the world to her! Thank you 🙏
https://www.facebook.com/share/GRZypQp2wVz6J7yH/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Click here to buy ultra-premium popcorn and 50% of your purchase benefits this fundraiser.

08/17/2024

"Magic Door" - An Imaginative Children's Musical!
I’m thrilled to share the culmination of a truly special project, "Magic Door," that we just completed at the UW-Whitewater Rock County Summer Camp with our incredible campers, ages 6-11. It is not just an original musical—it's a journey into children's limitless imagination and creativity! Our young artists wrote lyrics, developed musical ideas, and even crafted some of the arrangements using Soundtrap. They didn’t stop there—they also directed the magical movements and acting for their imaginative land songs! Watching children bringing their ideas to life has been nothing short but INSPIRING. Their energy, creativity, and boundless imagination are proof that this project truly works!
Check out the video of our camp’s final performance and visit our website to learn more. I’m excited to share that I’m preparing a package that includes lesson plans, pre-production tracks, and guidelines for music educators. I hope that "Magic Door" will soon find its way into schools and summer camps everywhere, inspiring more young minds to create magic of their own!
Love to ALL

Magic Door: Imaginative Children Musical. Campers created new songs under the direction of Professor Alena Holmes during a 5-day Summer Camp at the Universi...

08/17/2024

Video Reel from our final performance of Magic Door: Imaginative Children's Musical. University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Rock County. The Musical is created by children under the guidance of Professor Alena Holmes and UWW students. Students created lyrics, musical ideas, and movements. The finale song is created by UW-Whitewater Rock Band Camp camper Tamara Yasin. More information about musical at : https://www.musiccreativitylab.com/magic-door

08/11/2024

UWW - Rock County Music Theater Magic Summer Camp! We created a new MUSICAL! Super proud of our young songwriters!

07/25/2024

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FknmX2Cm8vK4%3Fsi%3DxYIdBrsjSfUVFsFD&h=AT1n_u8A_xk4BNkv0q3s4owtmnS7wNemfYK0EegbD7lUxDfNluKOdbkrm0VK2gzknAtrT9SiNDZMVjI59puzwXw2sAS3jJBkkUJc-OwDWdJPcWA2XTIe6fxeEOJc0WxC6ozobA&s=1

07/24/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/cZVxDCsEKy5JBHp3/?mibextid=WC7FNe

07/24/2024

I am really proud of creating that character and my musical idea and arrangement. Believe or not but I created arrangement on small midi keyboard during my cruise in Europe. I really appreciate amazing talented actor/ singer Isabelle Barton that brought a really cool personality into the role of Sharlene the Shark. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/m1qdayr11jPMu755/?mibextid=WC7FNe

07/23/2024

One of my favourite song! “Take a moment and just breathe…” I really need it. 😊 This song is professionally recorded and will be on all streaming platforms pretty soon. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/nnotawyhVbKKYKDq/?mibextid=WC7FNe

07/22/2024

Friends, please LIKE our new official FB page of "Florida Christmas: The Musical". Lots on news, videos, photos are coming. Incredible journey from Page to Stage and hopefully song into way bigger theater and stage :)
https://fb.watch/tuvOxDw63L/

04/18/2024

https://firehouseculturalcenter.org/events/florida-christmas-the-musical-auditions-are-april-21/

Florida Christmas: The Musical – Auditions are April 21 April 21, 2024/in att-class-start-date Kids Page, Workshops & Classes /by Elaine Simmons Sunday, April 21, 2024, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Location: Firehouse Cultural Center Event type: Kids Page Firehouse Cultural Center AUDITIONS April 21, 2:00 ...

04/16/2024

https://wix.to/FV8wEkx

04/07/2024

Fragments from our short concert production of "Florida Christmas: The Musical"

First performances of the musical in Tamp Bay area. December 2023. "Florida Christmas" is a heartwarming musical comedy written and composed by Alena Holmes....

12/07/2023

Getting ready for World Premiere of Florida Christmas: The Musical!