Hudson - Litchfield News 8 - June 18, 2010


Rosita Lee Music Center: 50 Years of Keeping Music Alive staff photos by Doug Robinson by Doug Robinson


Rosita Lee Music Center, Hudson, has been “keeping music alive” for over 50 years. Rosita (Dede) and Roger Latulippe have instructed thousands of musicians who have entertained hundreds of thousands throughout the United States, Canada, and around the world. Rosita Lee Music Centers were established in 1938 by the Lee family. It has continued as a family music school for more than three quarters of a century. Since 1960, Rosita Lee Music Centers have been specializing in both private and group music education, offering students a “well- balanced program designed to strengthen music theory and technique while developing creativity and performance skills,” states Dede. For the past 40 years, young people have been


given the opportunity to travel, perform, and meet people of all cultures from across the globe through music who also enjoy accordion, acoustic guitar, classical guitar, electric guitar, drums and percussion, piano and keyboard, voice, music theory, and the writing of music. “It has been a lot of hard work,” commented


Roger. “While this looks easy and just happened, we both put in many hours of hard work over our 50 years. I remember returning home from serving in the Army, spending hours trying to


procure students to teach. I played the saxophone for the US Army Band. When we first started to teach, we were teaching in the basement of our house. From there, we opened up a small studio in Nashua and another in Dracut. While I concentrated on getting us more students and setting up the business, Dede handled all the instruction end of the business, as well as handled the different bands.”


As the Latulippes continued to grow their business from three students a day, to enough students to fill one day, to teaching three full days of students, they eventually outgrew their present studio and needed to find a larger studio. In the mid-1980s, the Latulippes purchased land in Hudson and opened their music center, which they designed and built, and which is still located at 136 Lowell Road in Hudson. In their new facility, they were now positioned to teach more students the lessons of guitar, drums, piano, voice, accordion, and music theory. Rosita Lee Music Center formed the world- famous Showstoppers Orchestra in 1970. For the past 40 years, the Showstoppers have given the students of the Rosita Lee Music Center the opportunity to travel and perform, meeting people of all cultures through the music, the Universal Language. Under the direction of Dede, the


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Dede Latulippe directs the 50-member Showstopper Band as they play for over 300 guests at the 50th Reunion of the Rosita Lee Music Center


Showstoppers have performed in Italy, Ireland, Canada, and throughout the United States. U.S. tours include six times in Disney World, FL; California; Pennsylvania; Washington, DC; Lake George, NY; Nashville, TN; on a cruise ship to Bermuda; and in Frankenmuth, MI. In addition, they have performed for the Lions Club, Boston’s Good Day television show, and in Madawaska, ME, for the 31st Maine Arcadian Festival. The Showstoppers


have taken top honors the New England Music Competition and the American Accordionists Association competitions. During the 40 years of Showstoppers, they have traveled 35 years. The Showstoppers have been performed annually at Greeley Park in Nashua for the past 35 years, as well as performed annually at the Hampton Beach Shell in Hampton, MA, for the past 40-45 years. In celebration of the music center’s 50 years of instruction, as well as celebrating 40 years of the Showstoppers, the Rosita Lee Music Center hosted a 50th year reunion at the Alpine Grove Banquet Hall in Hollis. “We located thousands of previous students and invited them all to attend our 50th anniversary,”


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salternursing.com Manchester, NH Y DEN Long-time piano and accordion teacher of the Rosita Lee


Music Center, Great Pettey, plays the electric piano for the Showstoppers Reunion band


Some of the Music Center students not only


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met while taking lessons, they also continued to date and eventually marry. Today, their children are being taught the same lessons – hard work, be goal-oriented, be your best that you can be, and you can do whatever you choose to do – by the professionals who have been teaching at Rosita Lee Music Center for many years. “Our teachers stay with us. We are more than a family. We all share the common values of hard work. We believe that these kids can be whatever they choose to be. And we believe that with hard work, these kids can be their best,” continued Roger. Roger and Dede are members of the Accordion Teacher’s Association of Massachusetts, which sponsors the New England Music Competition & Festival that has been held annually for the past 46 years. Rosita Lee has held all offices in that association, and Roger has been the president three times and the contest co- chairman for 40 years. In asking Roger what has made both their long marriage and their 50 years of teaching music successful, he stated, “We each have a job. She runs the bands and the Showstoppers. I do the administration and the office. Not many businesses last 50 years, especially those who are married and work together, too.”


In asking Dede what has made both their long marriage and their 50 years of teaching music successful, she simply stated with a smile, “He listens to me. I direct the show.” For more information, visit the Rosita Lee Music Center’s website at www.rositalee.com, or call 882-8940.


Travelling the longest distance to attend the reunion (San Francisco), Dan Rivard joins his brother, David, and Dede and Roger Latulippe to celebrate the day. Te Rivards studied at the Music Center from 1973-1984


stated Roger. “With Facebook and computers, we were totally amazed at how many responses we received. As a result, we have over 270 reservations for our celebration and we have a former student traveling from San Francisco to share in the celebration. We will be providing entertainment for the event with 50 former students who wish to perform in our reunion band.” Former students of the Rosita Lee Music Center have moved on to professions both inside and outside of the music world. “One of our former students is a record producer for Sony and another student has worked at the Las Vegas Hotel, Excalibur. We have a former student who has


a Ph.D. in molecular biology, another who is an engineer in Alaska, another who designed the roadways for the Winter Olympics, dentist, school principal, drummers in major bands, as well as many more students who entered into the teaching profession.”


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