On Monday, November 25th 2002, Musical Expressions teaching studios held its first "Rock Ensemble Showcase" at The Cabaret Grill & Bar in Naperville, Ill. Two bands, with performers ranging in age from 13 to 18, played to a packed, cheering audience and absolutely rocked.

"Having never been in a band before, let alone perform publicly at a professional music venue, the students had an unforgettable lifetime experience," said Musical Expressions founder and director, Kevin Reid, who also teaches guitar. "One of the best ways to grow as a musician is to play with other people on a regular basis. After years of teaching, I've seen so many students who wanted to be in a band, but couldn't make it happen on their own. Students who play band and orchestral instruments get to do this regularly through their school music programs, but rock musicians don't. Our Ensemble classes gave students this opportunity, and the Rock Ensemble Showcase ended the classes on a very high note."

The first band to perform, a punk-rock ensemble that chose the name On A Sunday , featured 17-year-old singer Jessica Wilkans, guitarists Cary Lucibello and Bob Borowiecki,also 17 years old; and 18-year-olds Shane Enos on bass and Matt Filippelli, on drums.

Run For The Limo, the second band, was a "hard rock ensemble" that rocked out with 14-year-old guitarists John Wills and Kevin Rach joined by bassist Trevor Hagen, 14 and 13-year-old drummer Spencer Nolle. All study privately at Musical Expressions, although that is not a requirement for class participation. Musical Expressions vocal teacher Alan Hannapel sang for the group.

"Not only were the students who played absolutely thrilled, but the audience loved it, too," Reid said. "After the showcase, several of the students' parents thanked me personally, saying what a great idea it was and how much fun they had. The Cabaret served as the perfect setting for the showcase, and its owner Joe Scumaci was happy to host the event and support young, developing musicians. It just couldn't have gone better, everyone benefited from it. We're really looking forward to doing more showcases in the future."

In preparation for the event, Musical Expressions' two eight-week classes met once a week for 90 minutes to learn and rehearse a set of songs with teacher Jonathan Yandel. The students chose the set list. Yandel and Reid have since decided that future classes will run for 10 weeks.