Teen goes far with classical guitar

Benjamin Pila, who has performed on the Today show and at the Kennedy Center, is considered the No. 2 classical guitar student in the nation.

By TIM GRANT, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 30, 2002

Benjamin Pila says he started playing the guitar to impress girls.

But soon he will be strumming his way through college on scholarships.

Pila's academic achievement allowed him to meet Vice President Dick Cheney this summer in Washington, D.C. His musical talent earned him a spot on NBC's Today show and an opportunity to play solo at the Kennedy Center.

"It's been an exciting summer," said the teen, a recent Blake High School graduate.

As the only Hillsborough County student this year to be designated a Presidential Scholar, Pila appeared before the Hillsborough County School Board last week, honoring the board with a classical guitar performance.

Board member Carolyn Bricklemyer was still celebrating Pila's television performance, which aired Aug. 1. "I was just watching and there he was, a young man from Tampa on the Today show," she said. "It was really awesome. I was just bursting with pride."

Pila, 18, finished Blake with a 5.6 grade point average. His grades, musical talent and community involvement earned him one of 141 spots as a Presidential Scholar.

As the second place winner of the American String Teachers Association Competition, Pila is considered the No. 2 classical guitar student in the nation.

His music teacher, John Parris, said Pila had no training in classical guitar when he began lessons four years ago.

"It's very rewarding for a teacher," Parris said. "This is why most teachers do what they do. To help create success in young people."

Pila will start at Florida State University this fall on full academic and music scholarships. He plans to major in classical guitar performance, hoping someday to teach classical guitar at a college.

"I'd really like to be a performer, but there's no money in that," said Pila, who lives in Carrollwood. "You have to be a teacher if you are a classical guitarist."

Pila picked up his first toy guitar as a 2-year-old and received his first real one at 12.

"He always wanted to be a rock star," said his mother, Judith Sachs. His earliest sources of inspiration were idols Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica. But he turned his back on Ozzy, and Metallica lost its luster, a development that pleased his mother greatly.

"We started off with Ozzy and Metallica and I'm very happy with where we are now," she said.

-- Tim Grant can be reached 269-5311 or at grant@sptimes.com.

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