Fall semester courses to conclude with showcase

ASHLAND, Ky. — With summer ending, school is back in session for Tri-State students, and that includes those interested in extra education in the fine arts.

Classes at the Paramount Arts Center’s Fall 2016 Arts Academy began on Monday, and the offerings include courses in dance, theater, singing, drawing and more.

The semester classes meet once a week and will conclude with a showcase for family and friends of the students on Nov. 7.

Two of the classes meeting on Tuesday were “Stories Come to Life,” taught by Joanna Murdock, and “Hands on Music,” taught by Sonya Newman.

In Murdock’s class, a group of five girls, aged 7-14, learned about the basics of acting, and picked up their instructor’s enthusiasm, as they took part in exercises in which they were asked to portray a bee, a baby, an elderly person and more.

As part of a “getting to know you” Murdock led the students in a song in which they shared their interests and expressed their personalities.

The class will teach students storytelling techniques, allowing them to create characters and write dialogue, as well as create costumes, leading to a final performance in the showcase.

The small size of the class allowed for students to get more time and interaction one on one with their instructor.

In Newman’s class, after a similar icebreaking exercise, six students learned sign language to go with the lyrics of Chubby Checkers’ The Twist. As the course progresses they will learn other songs, such as “Walkin’ On Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves.

“We’re going to be doing different decades,” Newman told the students.

In addition to sign language, students in the course will learn choreography and will make costumes for the presentation.

Following the conclusion of this semester, the Paramount will offer more courses in the spring. For more information, visit www.ParamountArtsCenter.com.