whARTon at Home Announces Virtual Performing Arts Classes

Registration is open for Wharton Center's Institute for Arts & Creativity's whARTon at Home Spring Sessions. Join Wharton Institute for Arts & Creativity staff for a variety of classes in performing arts. With courses aimed at all interest levels, you will have the opportunity to learn from and create alongside professionals right from the comfort of your own home. Classes are open to participants of all ability levels from birth through 12th grade.

Early Childhood Music Classes

• For birth-age five
• Weekly 30-minute Music enrichment classes
• Tuesday or Thursday from 11-11:30am
• $35 for a 6-week session (per family/log-in)

Taught from a music learning theory perspective, children and their caregivers will sing songs and chants in various tonalities and meters. Children will also move their bodies to music using a Laban movement approach. At its core, the philosophy of music class is that every child can make music and have fun doing it!

Acting for Teens

• For grades 8-12
• Tuesdays from 4-5 pm
• $35 for a 6-week session

While performing for a live audience isn't possible right now, it's no time to stop creating! Join instructor Aral Gribble as he leads participants through an exciting course on acting for the camera while participants create their very own "Zoom" play!

Introduction to Theatre

• For grades 3-5
• Mondays from 4-5 pm
• $35 for a 6-week session
• In partnership with Michigan State University Office of Extension

Students in grades 3-5 will get a broad look into the many areas that make up theatrical arts, from acting, movement, improv, design, and much more. This highly interactive course will feature a new topic each week with professional teaching artists and education staff from Michigan State University Extension. This course is perfect for beginners and active performers alike!

Middle School Musical Theatre Performance

• For grades 5-8
• Tuesdays from 4-5pm
• $10 per student for a 6-week session

Students in grades 5-8 will participate in a completely virtual musical theatre program, rehearsing and performing "The Show Must Go Online!" - a charming virtual children's musical written specifically for Zoom. Participants will work on the basics of acting, singing, and dancing, with a unique focus on how these skills translate to "on camera" work. Actors will meet once a week for a synchronous lesson, and materials will be shared for practice in between sessions. This will culminate in a performance that combines pre-recorded and live elements for friends and family to attend. No prior experience is needed.