The Bella Body Spa and Beauty Lounge in Queens is where Trinidad and Tobago-born owner and founder Shivaughnette Mendoza has created a unique, one-stop operation through passion, planning, patience, and persistence. And she’s only just begun.
The Alpha Institute, the Jamaican centre that helped grow the talents of Johnny Osbourne, Yellowman, and Leroy Smart, received two welcome upgrades to its music program on April 26 and April 27.
The institute celebrates its 141st anniversary on May 1.
On April 26, the Sandals Foundation unveiled “Alpha Ska,” an art installation by local artist Lisa Lindo. The 20-foot “mild steel” piece is based on a design by the late Michael ‘Freestylee’ Thompson.
The Sandals Foundation also sponsored a $2.6-million upgrade to a performance space at the Alpha Institute.
“Alpha Ska” overlooks the performance space, located at the end of a 100-foot Music Walkway.
The Alpha Institute
Mere days away from marking 141 years of existence, the Alpha Institute credited with influencing the development of Ska and Reggae has received a boost for its music program.
On Monday, Sandals Foundation unveiled a 20-foot ‘Alpha Ska’ installation done by local artist Lisa Lindo and based on the late Michael ‘Freestylee’ Thompson’s design. The “mild steel” art installation is overlooking a performance space at the end of a 100-foot Music Walkway a $2.6-million upgrade sponsored by Sandals Foundation.
Sandals Foundation which is the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International said in a statement on Monday that the upgrade also included multi-core audio mixing equipment for live performances and didactic panels that explain Alpha’s role and approach to music education for visitors and students to enjoy.
Caroline Cooper’s “Mrs Chin Breaks Records in VP’s Shop” (
Jamaica Gleaner) is a commentary honoring Miss Pat (Patricia Chin), who she calls “the formidable P in VP Records.” This commentary doubles as a review of the new book,
Miss Pat: My Reggae Music Journey from Mento, Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae to Dancehall.
Mrs Patricia Chin, affectionately known as Miss Pat, is the formidable P in VP Records. She’s a woman of distinction who has broken many barriers in the music business from those early days when she and her husband Vincent established the legendary Randy’s Record Shop in downtown Kingston. Clive ‘DJ Kool Herc’ Campbell, the Jamaican-born founder of hip-hop, rightfully puts Miss Pat in the league of outstanding pioneers in the music industry: “What Berry Gordy was to Motown Records, what Russell Simmons was to Def Jam Recordings, what Sylvia Robinson was to Sugar Hill Records, what Clive Davis was to Arista Records, Patricia Chin is to the reggae indust