If you weren’t convinced of his talent by James Blake’s debut album, his sophomore release, “Overgrown,” will do the trick.

Hard rocker Tom Keifer would be among the first to say that life doesn’t go as planned. The long-time musician, best known for his lead role in the band Cinderella, released his first solo album – ”The Way Life Goes” – April 30 after a 10-year process and a long struggle with partial vocal chord paralysis — the ruination of many music careers.

Seniors at Mountain Park Senior Living in Ahwatukee are taking up a new activity once a week: singing and dancing.

Ahwatukee Music Maker Workshops has summer camps for all levels to get kids rocking, moving and mastering music.

This summer “Cinderella,” “High School Musical” and “Legally Blonde” will all be making their way to the main stage at Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre (ACT).

Performing popular music through different eras and decades, all six choirs at Desert Vista High School will be hosting a concert Friday afternoon and evening.

The Phoenix Symphony Association appointed interim chorus master Dr. Thomas Bookhout to a two-year term as chorus master. He was chosen as interim chorus master in August of 2012.

This time of year, we rack up chances to get outside as if we’re keeping score; we know we’ll be dying for such opportunities come summertime.

Ahwatukee Foothills resident Elizabeth Whitesell was honored at the Tempe Martin Luther King brunch on Jan. 21, where she received the MLK Diversity Education Award.

“I just poured Gatorade all over my plants.”

A local singer-songwriter, pianist and regular performer at Ruffino’s in Ahwatukee Foothills is taking the next big step in her career and heading to Nashville to record an album at the RCA Studio A.

Cheeky and snarky but with an infectious energy, “Pitch Perfect,” a comedy set in the cutthroat world of competing college a cappella groups, makes us fall in love with the very thing it’s making fun of. It’s ridiculous and predictable but also just a ton of fun, so you may as well give up and give in to your inner musical theater geek.

The Ahwatukee Children’s Theater is hosting a workshop tomorrow for kids interested in auditioning for the theater’s two show choirs.

Working day jobs can be long and, as Ahwatukee Foothills resident Alex Clauss admits, a little boring at times. But he funnels that boredom into an outlet he shares with three friends. Together they are a band, Rough Tough Dynamite, the music of which could be described any numbers of ways, including “pop, or rock ‘n’ roll, or belly button two-step,” Clauss said.

Pop-country band Firefly is comprised of three Gilbert sisters from a musically inclined family of nine.

Ahwatukee Children’s Theater offers several camps for children ages 3 to 18. Camps include: Flat Stanley, A Musical Traveling Adventure Jr for grades K-6; Fairy Tale Theater for ages 3 to 5; Vocal Camp for all ages; and Auditioning Like a Pro for kids 8 through 18 years old.

Where were you in ’99? If you were a news junkie, you watched Texas governor George W. Bush emerge as the front-runner for President in a crowded field of Republican hopefuls. If you subscribed to HBO, you were hooked to a new series called “The Sopranos.” If movies were your thing, you were mesmerized by the special effects in “The Matrix.” And if you were listening to the radio, there was no escaping Collective Soul’s “Dosage.”

Where were you in ’99? If you were a news junkie, you watched Texas governor George W. Bush emerge as the front-runner for President in a crowded field of Republican hopefuls. If you subscribed to HBO, you were hooked to a new series called “The Sopranos.” If movies were your thing, you were mesmerized by the special effects in “The Matrix.” And if you were listening to the radio, there was no escaping Collective Soul’s “Dosage.”

Snow White has been mesmerizing moviegoers and TV watchers with a smile and a song -- and, now, a sword -- since 1937, when Disney released its first full-length animated feature.

Where were you in ’99?

There are many soccer and hockey moms out there. In our family it is basketball; we spend a lot of time running to games and practices. However, first and foremost I am a theater mom. No, not one of those scary stage moms portrayed on shows like “Toddlers and Tiaras,” but I am a huge advocate for children’s theater. In fact, for the past five years our second home has been Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre (ACT). We spend a lot of time volunteering and helping raise awareness of the theater because we value it so much. There are so many benefits to the performing arts that I try to share with others, but there are also some myths that need to be dispelled.

There are many soccer and hockey moms out there. In our family it is basketball; we spend a lot of time running to games and practices. However, first and foremost I am a theater mom. No, not one of those scary stage moms portrayed on shows like “Toddlers and Tiaras,” but I am a huge advocate for children’s theater. In fact, for the past five years our second home has been Ahwatukee Children’s Theatre (ACT). We spend a lot of time volunteering and helping raise awareness of the theater because we value it so much. There are so many benefits to the performing arts that I try to share with others, but there are also some myths that need to be dispelled.

Valley rock maven Stephanie Muscat pounds away on her drums in an Ahwatukee Foothills nightspot then cuts into the soaring vocals of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” as the dance floor fills.

Valley rock maven Stephanie Muscat pounds away on her drums in an Ahwatukee Foothills nightspot then cuts into the soaring vocals of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” as the dance floor fills.

With the temperatures rising and the school year quickly coming to a close, it’s never too early to start thinking about summer activities for kids. The Ahwatukee Children’s Theater offers the perfect solution for summertime fun with a variety of camps that are a great way to beat the heat while developing invaluable skills.