By Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University enriches Clarksville in many ways, one of which is through classes at the Community School for the Arts (CSA). Through this program, members of the Clarksville community – both adults and youths – can take an array of classes at the university.
There are four week-long camps designed for students from 4 to 14 years of age in which lessons are taught in either piano, music, reading, art or theatre.
The CSA coordinator, Matthew Burns, noted that many camps outside of APSU are geared toward involvement in sports.
“So it’s nice that we can offer something for the more creative type child,” Burns said.
The “Reading Readiness” camp is for any child entering kindergarten this fall and is unusual, because in it an APSU dance instructor teaches children to learn to read through dance.
One new aspect of the CSA camps this summer is sibling discounts, Burns said. Depending on the overall cost of the camp, a second child in a family can get anywhere from $15 to $25 less than the actual cost of the camp.
The Youth Chorus joined with the Youth Percussion Ensemble for a May 1 performance at APSU’s George and Sharon Mabry Concert Hall./Karen Parr-Moody
For example, the week-long theatre camp is $50 per child and $25 for an additional sibling; the youth art camp $75 per child and $50 for an additional sibling; the teen art camp is $75 per child and $50 for an additional sibling and Camp Granada Music Camp is $75 per child and $50 for additional sibling. The piano camp is $30 per child with no discount.
“It’s a full week of camp and you’re playing only $75 or $50, which is super cheap,” Burns noted.
There are also classes for adults that run in 8-week, one-day sessions, which can be taken in digital photography (for ages 16 and older) and advanced ceramics. Then there are single, one-day workshops in improvisational acting, jewelry making, bow making, wreath making, Photoshop and WordPress blogging.
Burns said these one-day workshops appeal to busy parents.
“Those have been very popular and since they’re on Saturdays, they can be a mom and dad’s day out,” Burns said. “It’s much easier for adults to come on a Saturday than during the week at night.”
Start dates for classes, camps and workshops range from June 5 to July 21 and registration and payment is required one week prior to start dates.
For more information about signing up for these classes visit http://www.apsu.edu/csa/summer-session. One can also contact the CSA coordinator, Matthew Burns, by calling 931-221-7508 or emailing csa@apsu.edu.
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.