Thursday, March 31, 2011

Summer Learning.......

A butterfly waiting to leave its chrysalis!
Summer is quickly approaching---a wonderful time for young children to experience a new adventure.  Schedules slow down, parents are looking for activities for their children to participate---make sure you don't 'skip the summer'!  It's a great time to offer new types of classes and opportunities to those in your community.  Workshops, camps, classes, etc----now is the time to get organized and get the word out to the community.  We have parents to begin calling in February! to inquire about our summer plans.  Camps are a great alternative to parents that need child care for their young children in the summer--they may want to give them a break from their regular child care; and may not have as heavy a schedule as during the fall and winter months.  Keep the classes and offerings coming!

Monday, March 28, 2011

20 Years Later.......

Being involved with teaching dance to young children brings back all of the wonderful memories of when I was that age and learning to dance.  20 years later, the skills and simple techniques that I learned at that young age are still useful for me today.  The other day while my hands were full of groceries, I balanced a 12-pack of diet cokes on my leg while I fished my keys out of my purse to open my car door.  The balancing act was entertaining for the people around me, I'm sure, but I was proud of myself for making it work.  I didn't drop a thing!  Imagining an invisible straight line going down the center of my body in order to keep myself balanced is something I learned from my dance teacher when I was 3 years old, and I will never forget it.  The lessons we learn at that young age follow us into adulthood and become part of who we are and how we think.  So, acquiring the ability to think creatively and exercise that ability through movement in dance is one of the best things a child can do at that age.

~ Southern New Hampshire University Student/LPCW Dance Teacher

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Marching Into Spring.......

Marching into Spring









It's getting closer and closer to spring and up here in Central New York the snow is beginning to melt (hope I didn't jinx it!) but our love for the arts is growing and growing! It has been so wonderful to watch the students growth through the arts. This month while posting pictures for parents who have students in class I decided to take a look back at pictures from their first class in September ... My goodness! What growth and development! In the beginning "parallel first" was a new concept that took quite a bit of effort to execute correctly. Now, when we stand up on our carpets the student's feet magically know where to be! Terms like "Tendu" and "Echappe" are now part of the children's vocabulary. These classical ballet terms may not be a part of our children's every day use, but soon as they step into class they know exactly what it is, how do do it, and how to pronounce it! Their ability to grow and learn is just amazing and usually it passes us right by. How wonderful it was to go back, critically look at, and appreciate just how much our children learn, and want to learn each day. I'm so thankful for the role that the arts play in this magical development!

New LPCW Region to Open in the Fall.....

We are so excited to announce that we will be opening a new LPCW region this fall.  The Northern New York Region will be directed by Ms. Jaymie Boudreau.  We are in the process now of the beginning stages of setting things up---and my even be able to start classes in the summer!  Already great interest and requests have been made by the area and they can't wait until things get started.