CLARKSVILLE, Tenn (CLARKSVILLENOW) – APSU’s Community School of the Arts has announced that new programs will be added to benefit children with disabilities.

Beginning with the new semester on September 9, the school will offer two new dance classes, titled Expressions Through Dance. These classes, led by APSU dance major Alexandria Heide, will use patterns, rhythms and small dances to enhance the students’ creativity, imagination and motor and socialization skills.

“When Alexandria approached me with the idea for this class, I knew it would be something really special,” said Dr. Janice Crews, director of the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, which manages the school.

Crews approached APSU Disability Services Director Jamie McCrary and Eriksson College of Education’s Dr. Lori Morris, who specializes in special education, for help designing the classes.

The classes will feature a small instructor-to-student ratio with one or two students per instructor. APSU special education students will help Heide teach the class. The classes will be in the Memorial Health Building’s large Dance Studio A on campus.

“I am so excited to be a part of something so impactful to our community,” Heide said. “Every child deserves different opportunities that promote positivity and beneficial learning.”

One class will be held on Saturdays from 10-10:45 a.m. and will cater to children ages 4-8 and is 10-10:45 a.m. on Saturdays. The other class will run Saturdays 11-11:45 for ages 9-15. Both run eight weeks, starting Sept. 14. The cost to attend is $100.

NEW CLASSES, OLD FAVORITES

Also new this semester is “The Short Film,” during which students, ages 14 or older, will learn to film and edit video using a smartphone app. The class is taught by filmmaker Dillon Ward of Hopkinsville, Kentucky.

“The Short Film” will be held on Tuesdays, 5-6:30 and will run for eight weeks beginning September. Cost for the class is $120.

Returning classes include:

  • DANCE: Intermediate ballet, intermediate jazz.
  • MUSIC: Ukulele, guitar.
  • ART: Art for Children, Art for Teens, drawing, mixed-media painting, digital SLR photography.
  • CREATIVE WRITING: Writing for Military and Families.

Fees vary for the different classes, and daytime/homeschool classes are offered. A complete list of the programs and costs is available online. For more information, contact the CSA at 931-221-7876 or by e-mail at csa@apsu.edu.