Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash
Does your child enjoy the arts? Check out these local kids’ dancing, acting, art, and music-making programs that can help your children hone their skills.
VISUAL ARTS CLASSES
Discover the joy of creating.
Art by Whendy Merryman
420 N. Willett • 619-6058 • artstew.com
Artist Whendy Merryman offers summer art camps, concentrating in an assortment of media that varies every summer, for children ages 6 and up. The summer art camp is held off-site at Trinity United Methodist Church (1738 Galloway Avenue).
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Overton Park, 1934 Poplar Ave. • 544-6200 • brooksmuseum.org
The Brooks Museum makes art-making and art interaction available to kids and families. In conjunction with temporary and permanent exhibits at the museum, Brooks provides free interactive guides that include hands-on activities families can complete at the museum and at home. Community Days at the Brooks allow families to explore the museum in a fun, engaging way, with art-making activities, storytelling, music and dance performances, and more. Finally, every June and July, at Brooks’ summer program Wacky Wednesday, families can get their creative juices flowing through open artwork studio, gallery guides, and short films. Free admission Wednesdays.
Memphis College of Art Community Education
Overton Park, 1930 Poplar Ave. • 272-5142 • mca.edu
Every first Saturday of each month, Memphis College of Art offers free family art workshops, where families can learn drawing, painting, sculpture, and more. MCA also offers Saturday School, which provides programming for kids during the spring and fall semesters. In June and July, children aged 3-17 can partake in MCA’s Summer Art Camp. Children can choose between six different week-long sessions. In March, MCA hosts Spring Break Camps, where children aged 5-17 can learn the basics, and Spring Break Animation Academy, where children aged 11-17 can learn 2D art. Extended care is available before and after camp hours for the summer and spring.
Paint a Piece - Paint Your Own Pottery Studio
9289 Poplar Ave., Suite 105 • 754-0884 • paintapiece.com
Paint a Piece teaches pottery painting, canvas painting, wood art, glass fusing, clay hand building to kids and adults through walk-ins or special events (birthday parties, scout troops, church groups, and more). Spring and summer camps are offered for children age 5 and up. Weeknight events for kids and parents are also available.
Seize The Clay
Chickasaw Oaks Village, 3084 Poplar Ave. 323-2991 • seizetheclay.net
Seize the Clay offers studio walk-ins and party packages for pottery painting, glass fusing, and canvas painting. Weekly summer camp classes are offered in June and July for children age 6 and up. Campers will sculpt two pieces of clay (projects will depend on each group’s interest).
Pitter Potter Studio
845 N. Germantown Pkwy, Cordova • 443-7718 • pitterpotterstudio.com
Pitter Potter Studio offers clay building and painting, canvas painting, and glass fusing, for kids’ parties, field trips and more.
Creative Minds Art Studios
449 Highway #72, Collierville • 316-7330 • creativemindsartstudios.com
Creative Minds Art Studios teaches children in-depth artistic concepts that include color theory, principles of design, and drawing techniques, as well as multiple styles of art-making, including pottery, drawing, canvas painting, and textiles. Year-round classes, as well as Thanksgiving Break and Halloween camps, are offered.
THEATRE CLASSES
Did you know that there are classes offered year-round for junior thespians? Kids can be on stage or learn what it takes behind the scenes. Action!
Bartlett Performing Arts and Conference Center Summer Theatre Classes
3663 Appling Rd., Bartlett • 385-6440 • bpacc.org
BPACC offers week-long Summer Drama Camp and Missoula Children’s Theatre sessions for kids in grades K-12 that conclude with a performance or presentation to showcase what children have learned.
Germantown Community Theatre
3037 Forest Hill-Irene • 453-7444 • gctcomeplay.org
Germantown Community Theatre offers weekly Summer Camp sessions in June for children age 6 and up. In this camp, children will become dancers, musicians, clowns, singers, acrobats, and magicians. GCT also offers Spring and Fall after-school, homeschool, and Saturday classes.
Memphis Black Arts Alliance/FireHouse Community Arts Center
985 S. Bellevue/Elvis Presley Blvd. • 948-9522 • mbaafirehouse.org
MBAA, focused on maintaining and evolving African-American arts, culture, and literature, offers a handful of programs and camps for children, including Souls-a-Fire, Summer Performing Arts Readiness Kamp (SPARK), and the ArtsReach after-school program.
New Day Children’s Theatre
The Avenue Carriage Crossing • 4670 Merchant’s Park Circle, Suite 626, Collierville 853-9669 • newdaytheatre.org
Each quarter of the year, children can audition to be a part of Page Robbins Players, a group of 12-16 students aged 5-18 who will rehearse and perform a specific theatrical theme for Page Robbins Adult Day Care. This spring’s theme is Vaudeville. NDCT also offers summer and year-round workshops, as well as dance classes.
The Orpheum
203 South Main Info: 525-7800, tickets: 525-3000 • orpheum-memphis.com
The Orpheum and Halloran Theatres offer a variety of camps and workshops. The Mending Hearts Camp provides healing for children who have experienced the death of a parent through the expression of performing arts. Camp SAY mentors children with stutters through confidence- and team-building exercises, fun games, group activities, and the creation of original works. Workshops offered include Broadway 101 Workshops, Broadway 101 Jr. Workshops, Backstage 101 Workshops, and Performing Arts Workshops.
Playhouse on the Square’s Theatre for Youth
66 S. Cooper • 725-0776 • playhouseonthesquare.org
Children in grades 3rd-8th will learn the ins and outs of musical theater at Playhouse on the Square’s 12-week After School Acting Program. In the eight-week-long Youth Theatre School classes, children in grades pre-K through 12th receive guidance on expanding performance skills and showcase their learnings at the end of the eighth week. The Summer Youth Theatre Conservatory teaches children ages 5-17, regardless of their levels of experience, to find their voice and self-esteem.
Tennessee Shakespeare Company
7950 Trinity Rd, Cordova • 759-0604 • tnshakespeare.org
Tennessee Shakespeare Company teaches kids the art of Shakespeareanism through various programs. Fun, interactive playshops teach children to form an appreciation for the form of language. The Romeo and Juliet project uses Romeo and Juliet and its characters to teach students how to deal with real-life situations, such as peer pressure, armed violence, and prejudicism.
Theatre Memphis
Grizzlies Foundation Team Mentor Program • 630 Perkins Ext. • 682-8323 • theatrememphis.org
Each spring, Theatre Memphis works with students of charter schools in Memphis (Soulsville, Memphis Rise Academy, Grizzlies Prep, Freedom Prep, and Power Center Academy) to write, create, and perform theatrical pieces.
MUSIC LESSONS
Whether it’s Kindermusic or lessons for your school-aged child, music teaches everything from patience and math to rhythm.
Bartlett Music Academy
7505 U.S. Highway 64, #107, Bartlett • 213-4262 • bartlettmusicstore.com
The academy offers group music classes for kids ages 3-7. Kids learn to play piano, keyboard, voice, violin, guitar (acoustic, electric, and bass), flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, French horn, baritone, and tuba. Instruments available for sale or rent.
Lane Music
9309 Poplar Ave., Germantown • 755-5025 • lanemusic.com
Lane Music offers private lessons in a variety of instruments, including piano, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, flute, vocal, bass, drums, oboe, banjo, ukulele, violin, and viola.
Music for Aardvarks
871-0227 • memphisaardkvarks.com
1000 S. Cooper St. • 5530 Shady Grove Rd.
Music for Aardvarks is an interactive music enrichment program for children ages 6 months to 5 years and their parents/caregivers. Classes incorporate singing, dancing, and rhythm instrumentation. Classes held in Midtown and East Memphis. Newcomers welcome to register for a free trial. Also hosts birthday parties, where children will sing, dance, play with a parachute and bubbles, and more.
Circle Music Center
5124 Poplar Ave. • 937-8484 • memphispiano.com
Memphis Music offers private lessons for a variety of instrumentation, including saxophone, vocal, piano, bass, guitar, and organ. Band instruments also available for sale or rent.
Visible Community Music School
430 N. Cleveland St. • 377-3314 • visiblecommunityschool.com
Visible Community Music School provides children in the community classes for guitar, drums, keyboard, and music production. The school provides the instruments, so parents don’t have to purchase them.
Guitar Center Lessons
8000 U.S. Hwy 64, Bartlett • 387-0600 • guitarcenter.com
Guitar Center offers a broad range of musical instrumentation, including guitar, singing, drums, banjo, and recording, for all ages and all skill levels. Students can take part in free Jam Sessions, where they are grouped together with players of similar experience levels. Additionally, Guitar Center’s Rockshow program groups players together to learn three to five songs to be performed for friends and family.
School of Rock
400 Perkins Extd • 730-4380 • schoolofrock.com
Children ages 3 and up receive private and group lessons to learn the fundamentals of being a band member. The School of Rock House Band program gives school students the opportunity to join a gigging band with fellow classmates. School of Rock also offers a 2-day songwriting workshop and various five day summer camps, including Rock 101, Best of the 90’s, and Classic Rock Rewind.
DANCE LESSONS
Many kids don’t stop at a song — they want to dance to the beat. Dance schools offer ballet, lyrical, hip-hop, and even flamenco lessons.
Ballet Memphis School
2144 Madison Ave. • 737-7322 • balletmemphis.org
Ballet Memphis School teaches girls and boys ages 3 and up classical ballet, tap, hip-hop, and more. Upper-level students have the chance to audition for Youth Ballet Memphis, which comes with the opportunity to perform in Ballet Memphis’ annual production of Nutcracker, as well as several other performances throughout the year, including the annual Spring show.
Ballet On Wheels Dance School and Company
1015 S. Cooper St. Ste. 200 • 870-4348 • balletonwheels.org
Ballet on Wheels offers dance classes in ballet, pointe, contemporary, hip-hop, pre-jazz, and creative movement for boys and girls 3 and up.
Children’s Ballet Theatre
Racquet Club, 5111 Sanderlin Ave. • 921-0388 • balletchildren.com
Children’s Ballet Theatre, directed by former ballerina Mary VanDyke, teaches children ages 2.5 and up the art of Russian and European classical ballet, as well as jazz, tap, contemporary, and musical theatre. Students perform in the annual production of Children’s Ballet Theater Nutcracker. Children’s Ballet Theatre also hosts a number of summer camps, including Fairy Ballet Camp, Memphis Youth Musical Theater Camp, and Performance Camp.
Dance Academy of Bartlett
6240 Stage Plaza East • 385-2228 • thedanceacademyofbartlett.com
The Dance Academy of Bartlett teaches children ages 2 and up the beginners and building blocks to classical ballet, as well as pointe, hip hop, tumbling,and jazz/tap.
New Ballet Ensemble & School
2157 York Ave. • 726-9225 • newballet.org
New Ballet Ensemble & School offers a variety of dance classes for girls and boys ages 3 and up, including creative movement, pre-ballet, flamenco, pilates, African dance, tap, hip-hop, and Memphis jookin’. Also offers various summer camps for children ages 3-15 and summer intensives for children ages 10-18. Scholarships available.
ARTS AT AREA PARKS AND RECREATION PROGRAMS
Bartlett Parks and Recreation
Singleton Community Center, 7266 Third Rd. • 385-5593 • cityofbartlett.org
Bartlett Parks and Recreation hosts a variety of activities throughout the year, including preschool programs, home-school classes, arts and crafts, dance, hobbies, and music lessons. Camp Singleton offers a Spring Break Camp for children ages 6-12 and a Summer Camp program for children 5-12, where campers can enjoy activities, games, arts and crafts, and more.
Collierville Parks Recreation and Cultural Arts Department
440 W. Powell Rd. • 457-2770 • collierville.com
The Collierville Parks Recreation and Cultural Arts Department holds classes in art, music, and the performing arts. Children ages 7-18 can take part in two different performing arts camps this summer, which will cultivate in performances in two different plays: Madagascar, Jr. and Seussical, Jr.
Germantown Parks and Recreation
1930 S. Germantown Rd. • 757-7200 • germantown-tn.gov
Germantown provides a variety of music, art, and dance classes for children. The REACH (Recreation, Education, Arts, Community, and Health) Youth Program teaches children drama, art, sports, science, and more.
City of Memphis Community Centers
576-4203 • cityofmemphis.org
Each community center offers classes, programs, and events in health, fitness, wellness; educational development; cultural arts; dance, music expression; and character building and social development. The Summer Day Camp (ages 5-15) and Summer Teen Camp (ages 13-15) provide children with a variety of educational programming, such as arts and crafts, cultural arts, musical expression, and more.
Have we missed something? Let us know in the comments below!