Why should I select your programs for our child? If all studios, gyms and music schools have well trained, terrific teachers and wonderful programs, then look for the ultimate value in a program. Today's well informed parents want to know the long term value as well as the current value for their children and their investment of time, energy and money. Programs at Academy of Fine Arts are designed and conducted specifically for the age and level of the student. Program directors, with over 40 years teaching and directing experience, know that for a student to enjoy class it must first be fun and the materials must be fresh, up to date, fun and educational. Since all students are individuals and learn at a different pace, each class offers a variety of learning avenues for the student such as watching it being demonstrated, listening to how the movement is performed, and then attempting the movement. A positive learning atmosphere with passionate teachers always offers a great outcome for every student. We also enhance the fun for each student and family by offering Student Appreciation Day Events so that students are allowed to have fun, meet and develop friendships that can last a lifetime, as well as, to get to know their teachers in a non-educational setting and event that is outstandingly fun. These extra events are free to our families and are always optional as to if a family participates or not. You will find more information about Student Appreciation Days on this page. Another fun event is Bring A Friend Week that is offered three times a year, October, January and May. The lessons for that week are all based on having fun with their friends and introducing the friends to what your child loves to do. The weeks lesson is based on elements of movement that the friends can join in on and never be embarrass that they do not know the dance or movement. You will find more information about Bring A Friend Week on this page.
Are classes expensive? No matter what activity you choose to put your child in, there is going to be fees and some expense on the parents part. That is a fact. Movement education classes are not expensive when you take into consideration that the classes are not taught by volunteers but trained professionals in the field. Movement education classes are also based around set syllabi and not the changing rules to meet the immediate need. Movement education programs are all based on what is the safest method of moving for the student and this is best demonstrated by programs that offer different levels for students of different abilities rather than lumping them into age categories. Most parents see movement classes as an extension of their children's education and well being. Very few activities can have the lifetime effect as movement classes can. Students in successful movement programs have proven to be better students in educational settings and achieve higher levels when it comes to standardized testing. Students also adopt to a healthier lifestyle through out their lifetime, and now that the media is claiming that the youth of today will not likely out live their parents, this element of movement classes is worth millions of dollars no matter what the monthly fee is! We offer a couple of different payment plans and methods that can help parents out when it comes to tuition. These payment options do not offer discounts, but conveniences that make it a bit easier on the family budget, but over all, the value of our program far out weighs the cost and our parents agree. Parents usually agree that tuition for classes is not an expense but an investment in their child's future.
Why do you not offer a multi-child discount? We have an outstanding program that all students can benefit from no matter their birth order rank. We believe that all children deserve to have the best class experience ever at our facility, therefore we do not offer a multi-child discount because we do not allow teachers to give a discounted effort in teaching your second or third child. The instruction for all of your children should rank very high because we believe that is what our parents are paying for and deserve to receive.
Is technique really important? The answer is yes. But technique is more than learning the steps correctly. Technique is what helps a dancer, gymnast or cheerleader to perform their movements with the less chance of suffering a bad injury. Technique is about correct steps, but it is also about body posture and alignment, body carriage through a movement, knowing where it is that the muscles must fire to get the greatest movement, taking off and landing with the use of the plie to lessen injury, and much more. Technique is about working with teachers that train and keep up to date to the best of their ability in body mechanics and kinetics as well as having a good understanding of anatomy and range of motion. To move for a lifetime, technique is important to a students over all health as well as their ability to move. We believe that technique should be the first priority in teaching students.
Why do you offer a character development program? Character development is a given with programs such as dance, gymnastics, swimming and other sports. For years, program owners and directors have announced to parents world wide that through the participation in their programs, children will learn self discipline, develop self esteem, etc. Our character development program is built into our programs and costs the parents nothing extra.
Does my child have to be in a recital? We actually offer two types of classes, recital and non-recital. Our non- recital classes are built around recreational fun and the content is still educational! Non-recital classes are generally our fitness based dance and gym classes. What we find is that parents that place their children in one of our non-recital programs, eventually move their child to a class that will be in recital. All method based classes are recital classes. Being in a yearly performance is a great way of teaching students about goal setting, following through with commitments and celebrating the reaching of the goal. This later transfers into highly successful teens and young adults. There are terrific life skills also learned while working towards this common goal such as cooperation, self discipline, learning to risk and not be afraid, etc. These are skills that are not generally learned through other activities.Our recitals are a very fun event that our hard working staff assures as a successful and positive experience. We break our shows into two different performances, one for the younger students and one for the older and more advanced students. This lessens the fears of the young students and allows us to offer shorter showsfor family members to sit through.
Do you offer a summer program? Yes, we offer a summer program. We are the only facility in the Woodward area that actually operates with programs twelve months a year. Our summer program is a great way to try out a class to see if you are interested in taking it further, or to just do something for fun only. It is also highly encouraged for older students to be able to continue a forward growth in their dancing and tumbling skills. Great theme camps and our swimming lessons are always the top of the selection. Be sure to check out our page offeringinformation regarding summer programs.
I do not want my child to compete. Do they have to be a part of a competition team at your school? The answer is no. Less than 10% of our student population are actually on our competition teams. Competition is not for every student or even every family. If we see that a student demonstrates an ability that would do well in competition, we approach the parents and never the student. After discussing all of the issues about competing, we then allow it to become a family decision as to if they accept the offer or not. If the parents are not interested, then nothing is ever said to the student and classes go on as usual. All of our students receive the same level of instruction and choreography no matter if they are or are not part of our competition team. Our educational/recreational classes are not watered down in favor of competitive. If the competitive students stand out above the other students at recital it is only because they have been allowed to experience more opportunities to perform than just the yearly show and are more confident in dances and being on stage. This later transfers to being comfortable in giving oral reports and presentations in school.
How do I get to compete? Do I have to try out? No, we do not hold try-outs that stress young students and sets up a possible feeling of failure. If you are working hard in your other classes for technique, style and execution, then the hardest part is learning "how to" compete. We offer a class just to teach you how and let you experience competition at a less stressful level! Students that are taking at least a jazz and ballet class, and are ages 8 years and up can register for the Pre-Dance Team class and learn what is expected and how to put it all together! They also attend one competition a year for the experience and to see if they want to continue. From the Pre-Dance Team level,we will select students to go into our Competitive Dance Teams and place them at the right levels that compliment the dancer (not the teachers). Competitive students under age 8 years are recommended by the teachers on their maturity levels and abilities in class. The director then takes a look and approaches the parent (never the student) to see if they are interested in the program. A parents meeting is held annually to cover necessary issues and agendas. (check out this free report about competitive programs with us: click here)
Can my child take tumbling(or dance) from you and dance (or tumble) from another place ? Yes we do have a very few students that do take a method at another location. We do not have a problem with this as long as the parent recognizes that all movement education programs are not the same quality and do not necessarily work from the same philosophy or syllabus. This can delay person advancement of the student if the instruction from each place conflicts.We do know that our students that are in our dance program and our gymnastic/cheerleader programs do advance faster than those students that take one method from us and another method from a different location. This is not because we favor those students over others but that the method of teaching movementcompliments each other and does not conflict. Conflicting methods can be frustrating to young students trying to learn a new skill and this is when they want to quit classes all together. The majority of or students that take from multiple locations eventually enroll in all of their movement education classes here at Academy of Fine Arts because it does work better for the student and is more convenient for the parent.
What is VIP Pre-Registration? VIP Pre-Registration is for our current families in good standing. They receive front of the line pre-registration for each season that offers great discounts and specials only available during that time. Pre-registration can be taken at other times, but not all discounts or specials will be available. This also allows our parents to get their students into our most popular classes first and allows us to know where the interest in class are. By pre-registering, you are guaranteed the class. The only exception to this is new student private classes.Pre-registration also helps us to know what classes are going to be removed or added to our next seasonsschedule and gives the pre-registered parents first hand knowledge and choices if there has to be an adjustment. Pre-registration is a win-win situation for parents and our school.
Why do you charge a registration fee? Registration fees are typical of the industry. Some facilities charge as much as $50.00 to $100.00 per student per year. Our fee is $35.00. Registration fees are comparable to yearly dues with some programs. The fee allows us to bring and deliver terrific side programs such as master classes at reduced rates, bring a friend week , character building programs and much more. It also is a way of guaranteeing a placement for your child in class.
What is Student Appreciation Day? Student appreciation day is a fun event for all of our registered families. The event is free and usually includes food, entertainment and activities. This is a time for our families to come together and make friends with those who take classes at Academy of Fine Arts. You will find some pictures on the website of past events which have included picnics with train rides and inflateables, movies and hot dogs, swimming parties at crystal beach and much more! The events are always free to our students and their immediate families and attendance is optional. It is also our way of saying "we know you have a choice of where you take classes and appreciate that you have selected us!"
What is Bring A Friend Week? Bring A Friend Week is another event that is based on pure fun and optional. Registered students receive three coupons per class thay are in to invite friends to come to class with them. The class is based on fun and is centered around movements and skills that all can be involved in without any embarrassment. It is a great way for your child toshare with their friends what they enjoy about class. These events are offered three times a year, October, January and May. Bring A Friend Week is optional participation on our students behalf but encouraged for the fun.
Where do I find the items my child needs for class? We have a dancewear store that offers most of what you need. We can fit your child for their dance shoes as well as their leotards, tights warmups, etc. We do suggest that you make arrangements to be fitted for shoes and dancewear on a day that is not your child's class day. Fridays are great days to be trying on shoes and dancewear and allows our staff to assist you fully with all of your needs . If there is something that you need and we do not have it in stock, we will gladly order it for you. Our students will find an exact list that parents can print off that lets them know what they will be needing for classes in themember section as well as the class description section.
Do you offer classes for boys? Yes we do and there are some options available. For the most part, boys under age 6 yrs on the gym side are in co-ed classes. Boys first grade and up are offered their own class of gymnastics. We call it XTREME GYM. On the dance side,there are some classes that are boys only as well as co-ed classes. In any case, boys are treated as boys in our classes, with their own type of attire and costuming for performances. Boys benefit tremendously from ballet and tap classes and find the jazz and hip hop classes to be very fun as well. We encourage you to take a look at our programs and camps for boys. Just like in the movie, "Game Plan", most of our boys discover that "if ballet was any easier, it would be called football". If you are looking or a motor development class for boys as well as a great cross trainer, there is nothing better than dance and gymnastics. (Check out this free report concerning boys in classes: click here)
What if my child has to quit classes for awhile? I have been told that some studios will not allow you to return. That certainly is not the case with our school. Although we require a minimum enrollment of
three months for most of our programs and a semester for our music program, sometimes a
student has to drop due to family situations such as a parents loss of job or health problems. The majority of the time it is not the students fault for the drop of classes and they should never be punished by never being allowed back into class. Some class situations will merit that if a student intends to drop out, say to play a sport, instead of continuing their training, they may need to re-enter into a different class or wait until the next year. In any case, when a student drops a class, their class mates will continue to advance beyond them and so the expectation to remain in a certain class or a certain group is not realistic. Skills do not stay in place. We will always attempt to find a class that a student can re-enter our programs. And students who have dropped are always welcome to come back. The best thing is to ask our office staff as to what is the best solution for your situation.
I have been told that your studio "nickels and dimes" parents to death. Untrue. And we have no idea why anyone would think that when absolutely all fees are explained at the time of registering. Parents enrolling their children are told about their monthly tuition fees,yearly registration fees, costume fees if in a recital class and recital fees. This is also posted in the members section of this website AND all parents receive an emailed reminder days before the fees are drafted from their bank accounts. We have always offered an up front pricing on every aspect of classes. We even give parents an estimate of competition fees for those in competitive classes and that competition fees are absolutely due 30 days in advance of the competition.