28
Youth
March 2016
www.GilbertSunNews.com
‘Idol’ vet confident in his ability Top spellers win prizes from to be recording artist Assistance League BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Mesquite High School senior Thomas Muglia wants to be seen as an artist—not the 17-year-old musician who was born with hearing loss. “I am hearing impaired and I’ve had to learn to sing and play while I’m hearing impaired,” said Thomas, who recently wrapped up a stint on FOX-TV’s “American Idol.” “It’s normal to me because I do not have anything to compare it to. At the same time, I did go there [to ‘Idol’] to sing—not to be the hearing-impaired kid.” Whether it was his story on which “American Idol” focused or his talent, Thomas made it to the Top 75 after auditioning in Denver. It’s not a bad showing when thousands upon thousands of musicians try out. “I was pretty confident that I would be able to go at least through most of ‘Hollywood Week,’” Thomas said. “But you never really knew what was going to happen. I perform very often. Maybe at least one night out of the week I’m singing at a bar or coffee shop. I do have the endurance for the surprises that they threw at us.” Among those surprises were the “Idol” producers dictating which song the contestants are going to sing—with little notice. “They’ll keep you up all night, stuff like that,” he said. “That’s something I’m definitely used to.” One of the hardest parts of being on the show was keeping his outcome quiet. Thomas said his classmates initially hounded him for his results, but soon backed down. With influences like John Mayer and Ed Sheeran, Thomas called being on the last season of “American Idol” a learning experience. “The most important thing I’ve learned was definitely to perform in that setting,”
Thomas Muglia. Submitted photo
he said. “I’ve never been in that setting before, with the cameras and all that. “I’m used to playing on stage and singing and playing on stage. I learned how to move and interact with the audience and such. It was difficult at first. There were cameras everywhere but we got used to it.” Thomas, whose favorite judge on the show is Harry Connick Jr., enjoyed playing “Don’t” by Ed Sheeran. However, he hopes music listeners see him as more than a cover artist. “I want to be an artist and write my own music and perform it,” he said. “Now that I’m back here, I can work on perfecting my music and writing my own music and making it exactly the way I want it.”
After 22 rounds, only three students remained on the stage for the Gilbert School District Spelling Bee on Jan. 19 at Mesquite Junior High School Auditorium. After a few more tense rounds, Neo Pyon, a fifth grader at Playa Del Rey Elementary School, emerged as the top speller. During the final rounds, Lauren Christensen, fifth grader at Quartz Hill Elementary, misspelled “embarcadero.” This left Eugenia Trakal, seventh grader at Gilbert Classical Academy, to misspell “russet.” Neo spelled “russet” correctly, followed by the word “turbot.” Thirty-four Gilbert elementary and junior high schools were represented at the contest. All eight finalists received trophies and bookstore gift cards from Assistance League of East Valley, which sponsored the event along with the Arizona Education Foundation. The other winners were Fiona Sauve, eighth grader at Greenfield Junior High, fourth place; Emmitt Eastmond, fifth
grader at Superstition Springs Elementary, fifth place; Arianna Labertew, sixth grader at Houston Elementary, sixth place; Amber Kassisieh, eighth grader at South Valley Junior High, seventh place; and Caitlin Kelleher, sixth grader at Val Vista Lakes Elementary, eighth place. The eight winners were slated to compete in the Regional Bee Feb. 19 at Mesquite Junior High School Auditorium. The results were not available at deadline. The two trophies for this upcoming event will be provided by the Assistance League of East Valley. Assistance League of East Valley is an all-volunteer group which provided school clothing and uniforms to more than 7,000 children in East Valley school districts last year. The group raises funds through their thrift shop at 1950 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler, and through community donations, grants and fundraising events.
caf
airbase arizona presents Our Swingin’ Annual Fundraiser!
Thomas Muglia will perform from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at SoZo Coffee, 1982 N. Alma School Rd., Chandler. Call (480) 726-7696 for admission charge. For more information, visit www.sozocoffee.org. He also performs at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28, at St. Xavier University, 92 W. Vaughn, Gilbert. Visit thomasmuglia.com for more information.
DANCE TO
THE SONORAN SWING ORCHESTRA
Featuring the ARIZONA BALLROOM CHAMPIONS
Beginners Welcome
MARCH 12, 2016 caf
ShopSubaru.com
$ 40
airbase arizona MuseuM
2017 N. Greenfield Rd. Mesa, AZ
5
$
Early Bird discount*
Visit BigBandDance.com for additional pricing
Tickets Available Online or at Museum
(480) 924-1940 www.BigBandDance.com