Registration for Renaissance Center spring semester begins Monday, Jan. 12

Release Date: 1/8/2009. Expired: 1/30/2009

Registration for dozens of art, music, dance, theatre and computer classes being offered this spring at The Renaissance Center begins Monday, Jan. 12.

Enrollment in most classes will continue until the first session of the spring semester, which begins the week of Jan. 26.

Classes are offered for all ages and skill levels and the semester is 16 weeks long with a spring break scheduled for March 16-21.

“Just like kids need to have good nutrition on a daily basis, kids need to have their daily serving of the arts,” states Americans for the Arts in its National Arts Education campaign. “Chances are, though, that your kids are not getting enough art – in or out of school. The arts are much more than just fun ‘extra’ activities for kids. Studies have shown the far-reaching benefits of an arts education.”

According to the campaign, the arts:

• Improve students’ overall academic performance;
• Show that kids actively engaged in arts education are likely to have higher test scores than those with little to no involvement;
• Develop skills needed by the 21st century workforce: critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication, teamwork and more;
• Teach kids to be more tolerant and open;
• Allow kids to express themselves creatively and bolster their self-confidence, and;
• Keep students engaged in school and less likely to drop out.

Studies show that young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours, three days a week for a year are:

• 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement;
• 3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools;
• 4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair;
• 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance, and;
• 4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem.

With the diversity of classes offered at The Renaissance Center, the arts also can become family activities, creating more time and interaction between siblings, parents, grandparents and other family members. The center offers a variety of programs that involve parents and children in music, dance and art activities.

Visual arts classes are offered for children as young as two through high school as well as a wide variety of classes for adults. Classes include pottery, pencil drawing, American Indian art, connecting art and science, art using recycled materials, knitting, sculpture, photography, crocheting, portraiture, watercolor, oil painting, stained glass, darkroom techniques and more.

Music classes include private instruction in bagpipes, brass, banjo, bass, cello, clarinet, dobro, drums, dulcimer, flute, guitar, harmonica, harp, mandolin, piano, saxophone, viola, violin and a variety of vocal styles. Also included is the popular Kindermusik program, an international music curriculum for infants through five years old and group piano classes for children, adults and seniors.

Dance classes including beginning instruction for children, young adult classes in tap, musical theatre and jazz, and adult classes in yoga, ballroom, Cha-Cha, Salsa, Swing, Latin, Rumba, Tango and more.

Theatre arts classes include acting classes for students ages 10 and up and a specialty stage dialect class for ages 11 to adults, as well as a variety of workshops.

Technology classes this spring include the center’s popular workshop series for home computer users, transferring and editing VHS tapes to DVDs and a new class introducing Microsoft’s Vista operating system. Professional level classes also are offered in Web design, CompTIA hardware, operating systems and network programs as well as Microsoft programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

For more information on the importance of the arts in a well-rounded educational program, visit the Americans for the Arts website at www.americansforthearts.org.

For more information on classes and workshops offered this spring at The Renaissance Center, call (615) 740-5600 or visit www.rcenter.org.

To register for a class or workshop, call (615) 740-5533 beginning Monday, Jan. 12.

The Renaissance Center is a fine arts education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

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