On Saturday, May 21, the Music Industry Recording Arts (MIRA) program at St. Petersburg College hosted Crossover: The Multi-Genre Music Festival, for K-12 students and teachers from around the state.

The festival was a Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) event and was held at SPC’s St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. Participants were students ages 6-18, performing on guitar (electric and acoustic), bass, drums, keyboards and other electronics, vocals, and rap. Each group had to perform one original song and one cover song in front of a panel of judges, who then conducted an educational clinic session with each band.

In all, nearly 30 students in six bands participated. In addition to performance and clinic experiences, festival participants also had the opportunity to attend educational presentations on electronic music composition as well as music sampling and production from MIRA students and faculty.

Crossover Festival to become annual event

The 2016 Crossover Festival was the first of what is to become an annual event. It was a privilege for MIRA and the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus to be selected by FMEA to host the inaugural event.

Festival sponsors included EMIT, the Gasparilla Music Foundation, Sweetwater Sound, Inc., Morrisound Recording, and the Hard Rock Cafe.