Education & Classes in Oldsmar

For the past two decades, Brent Beatty has been singing, songwriting, and performing for fine fans of blues and rock 'n' roll. With two CD releases and more than 100 written and co-written songs under his belt, Brent now turns string slappers into educated strummers after a few short lessons. During each session, students develop technique, theory, and songwriting skills in addition to producing an in-session recording for practical study at home. This tangible reference point promotes an abbreviated learning curve for hardworking students who, if they so chose, may perform in Brent's semi-annual Barn Yard Jam recital. Give the gift of guitar appreciation to a young musician, or reenlist yourself in the nation's guitarmy, where every battle of the bands is fought with honor, discipline, and occasional pyrotechnics.

Software guru Dave Cross, a 2009 inductee in the Photoshop Hall of Fame, has been sharing his picture-manipulating wisdom with thousands of students since 1987, leading seminars on popular computer programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. In just the past 12 years, Cross has traveled to every state in the United States to teach the ins and outs of Photoshop, and he continues to run digital-photography and image-editing workshops at Studio 3 in Oldsmar. He has taught hundreds of students how to get their cameras out of automatic mode and to take better photographs. A man who wears many hats, Cross is also the lead instructor for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals, a co-host of a web-based show called Photoshop User TV, and the voice behind a weekly podcast known as “Ask Dave,” in which he answers user questions about Photoshop and doles out free advice on how to airbrush ghosts out of family portraits.

Small lights blink inside the cockpit as directions from air-traffic controllers roll in over the speakers. A pilot begins taxiing, speeding up until the plane rises off the runway and begins soaring over the water below. At least that's what it looks like to the participant and pilot who perch inside SimCenter Tampa Bay's celebrated Boeing 737 simulator, a realistic apparatus that has garnered mentions on the website of Plane & Pilot. The 737 will soon be joined in the Dunedin showroom by C-172 and Airbus 340 simulators, which will join together into one giant jet with a lion's face to fight the enemies of Earth.

White sand beaches spread out into the distance, running into the cerulean-blue sea, where seaweed and fish can be seen drifting below the surface. Tree-studded islands and winding sandbars pass underneath, and a white suspension bridge stretches across the horizon like a length of thread. Tampa Bay Aviation's visitors take in these elevated, panoramic views of the Florida coastline from the passenger’s seat or behind the controls of an airplane or helicopter.

Its team of certified flight instructors and experienced commercial pilots operates a fleet of Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee planes, Robinson R22 helicopters, and an FAA-approved helicopter simulator. During flight experiences and pilot-training programs, they let clients take the aircraft's controls without having to first duel the ghosts of the Wright brothers. They also take clients skyward for aerial surveys and photography sessions.

The shelves and pillars that fill Luminarie Designs' gallery bear ceramic sculptures, eclectic jewelry, and vibrant oil paintings from local and national artists alongside glass works that only hint at the artistic ability of instructor Sherry Rice. During three-hour workshops, Sherry guides students of all skill levels through her techniques for staining and fusing glass with lead and copper foil. When not creating new works, Sherry joins Luminarie's staff as they maintain and restore antique or modern glass for homes or businesses, brightening colors and scrubbing away any lingering reflections. Within the studio's workshop, the team can craft custom glass works to decorate front doors, windows, or mantels.