WWU Western Arts Preparatory Academy offers quality programs for kids in violin, dance and ballet

Western Washington University’s College of Fine and Performing Arts will hold a winter session of classes for youth through Western Arts Preparatory Academy including classes in violin, creative dance and ballet.

The WAPA program supplements the art education that many school programs often leave underdeveloped. With the guidance of two high quality instructors, children will be encouraged to have fun and develop skills, which transfer to other areas of life.

Lisa Humphrey, instructor for the WAPA violin courses, holds a master’s degree in Viola Performance from Indiana University. With over three years experience as a violin and viola teacher, she has taught traditional and Suzuki violin and viola as faculty for the Hartt School Community Division in Hartford, Conn. She is a registered Suzuki instructor and has extensive experience as a teacher of young children, and a particular interest in providing Violin lessons for youth. Originally from Bellingham, Humphrey has performed solo, chamber, and orchestral music around the country and throughout Russia and Armenia.

Rachel Narhi, instructor of the ballet and creative dance courses, has a bachelor’s degree in Dance from Cornish College of the Arts and a passion for child development through dance. She has taught at several dance institutions around the Pacific Northwest including Western’s Dance Academy for Youth and at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center. Narhi specializes in ballet, modern and creative dance and past pupils have gone on to study or perform with the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Cornish College of the Arts and the International Ballet Theatre.

The WAPA program provides an opportunity for youth ages 2-12 to experience the rewarding process of learning the formal elements of music and dance performance. Striving to create a nurturing atmosphere, the violin program employs the Suzuki method, breaking lessons into achievable chunks that give children a sense of pride and accomplishment. Similarly, the dance programs are broken up into various age and skill levels, adding new achievements and challenges to each solid foundation of form and technique.

Classes will take place on the WWU campus and in the community. Space is limited and prompt enrollment is encouraged to reserve your space in the classes, which begin the first week in January.

Details are on the web at http://www.wwu.edu/wapa or call (360) 650-3308.