CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

Register now for our Fall 2010 classes!

At Star Kidz, our primary focus is building the students' confidence and furthering their performance skills, which naturally extend to their overall development — not to mention making sure they have a blast!

All classes meet once a week. Prices vary with the number of weeks in a session and class length.

Advanced Singing & Acting NEW!
An Essential Skills Intensive

AGES 4TH-6TH GRADES & 7TH-12TH GRADES • $515 / $540 / $585 • CABARET DAY
Note: All classes meet once a week. Prices vary with the number of weeks in a session and class length.

Star Kidz is excited to offer this class to those 4th-6th and 7th-12th grade students who are ready to take their singing and acting techniques to the next level. The class will involve memorization, performing with a live accompanist and only focuses on singing and acting, not dance. Class size is limited to 8 students.

Geared toward serious-minded students who are willing to do the work that goes into furthering their creative expression, the focus is on learning essential skills for both performance and audition preparation, whether for their school plays, community theatre or professional productions. Through in-depth character preparation using exercises that explore their inner selves, the students learn how to break down their songs, scenes or monologues in terms of emotions. Next, they learn to connect their words to those emotions — the mark of a good actor. By encouraging them to make personalized acting choices, the confidence they gain in how to approach dramatic material goes a long way toward elevating their stage presence.

Additionally, specific one-on-one training in voice technique emphasizes the importance of breath control, body alignment, the various spaces in the mouth, and proper palate and tongue placement. The students work with the vocal teacher to choose from our vast collection of songs across all genres for ones that suit them best. During the session, the students also enjoy the collaborative experience of working with a piano accompanist.

This inspiring program culminates in an intimate showcase for family and friends — complete with hors d'oeuvres and beverages — known as Cabaret Day. Each student performs a full song with the accompanist, as well as a scene or monologue. From the grown-up curriculum to the grown-up venue, our Advanced students truly get a chance to shine!

Class Length: 1 Hour
Number of Teachers: 2 Per Class
Maximum Students Per Class: 8

"I'm hoping there is no age limit, because I'm going to keep doing Star Kidz until it's over, and I will convince my parents every year!"

—Elena, 13, Advanced Class

Star Totz NEW!
New Program for Our Littlest Stars

AGES 3-4 YEARS • $355 / $425 / $460 • OBSERVATION DAY
Note: All classes meet once a week. Prices vary with the number of weeks in a session and class length.

Star Kidz is proud to offer Star Totz, a drop-off class for toddlers ages 3 to 4. For many of these little ones, this class is their first opportunity to hold a working microphone. We introduce them to music as a means of expressing themselves vocally, dramatically and through movement, with the goal of building confidence and poise. In each of these areas, we encourage the kids to feel comfortable within themselves to perform, an attribute that helps them in all areas of schooling and in growing up.

The Star Totz curriculum is based on the format of our Star Kidz classes, but is tailored for this fun-loving age range with a wide variety of activities that emphasize the fundamentals of performance through singing, acting, puppetry and more. Each child receives individualized attention while also learning to collaborate with their fellow Star Kidz in group work. Incorporating characters like superheroes, Disney princesses and animals into our drama games, we enable exploratory imagination by getting them connected to their movements.

For the dance portion, which can be more of a challenge for them, we use modified moves that involve just the right amount of hand-eye coordination. The kids have a great time, and on Observation Day, they are thrilled to be standing onstage in front of family and friends, both on their own and in a group!

Class Length: 45 Minutes
Number of Teachers: 2 Per Class
Maximum Students Per Class: 13

Pre-K

AGES 4-5 YEARS • $385 / $455 / $490 • OBSERVATION DAY
Note: All classes meet once a week. Prices vary with the number of weeks in a session and class length.

Star Kidz Pre-K students love being in front of the microphone, and as opposed to the Totz class, where they're first learning to sing, act and dance, we continue to develop their skills as their knowledge of music expands.

Songs from their favorite TV shows and radio hits are always a big hit, as well as the time-tested, kid-friendly standbys. Fun and simple vocal exercises like animal sounds and scales get their mouth muscles moving and help convey the concept of pitch.

Throughout the semester, we engage the students in a variety of fun acting exercises and drama games that capture their creative attention. And they learn to work together in their group acting, performed as part of Observation Day, which be anything from a short play, TV commercials or rhymed verse. No matter what they're working on, there is no pressure to memorize lines and the focus is always on building stage confidence as well as having a blast!

As for the dance, we customize a routine that follows suit with their developing fine-motor skills. With all aspects of the program, we make great use of repetition to reinforce learning.

Class Length: 50 Minutes
Number of Teachers: 2 Per Class
Maximum Students Per Class: 8

K-1st Grade

$385 / $455 / $490 • OBSERVATION DAY
Note: All classes meet once a week. Prices vary with the number of weeks in a session and class length.

Each week, our kindergartners and 1st-graders rush into the classroom to announce what songs they can't wait to sing! And now that they're learning to read, the karaoke screen and printed lyrics reinforce that learning in a fun way.

As with all of our Star Kidz classes, in K/1 we give students the tools they need to prevent bad vocal habits — teaching them that their voice is an instrument and offering a beginner's understanding of how vocal exercises work mouth muscles and reinforce pitch learning. We continue that work with age-appropriate song choices, happily expanding their repertoire to include Broadway songs from beloved shows, while many enjoy singing from shows they are doing in their school musicals. The result is an excitement that builds all semester long.

In their dance, they possess the kind of energy, expressiveness and eagerness to learn that not only makes it a blast for them, but also for our teachers! We engage them in fun acting exercises and drama games. Each session offers something different — a simple scene from a musical, TV commercials or rhymed verse — using props when possible to help them convey meaning in their performances. And though they do not have to memorize their lines, many of them step up to the challenge and have them down pat in time for Observation Day!

Class Length: 1 Hour
Number of Teachers: 2 Per Class
Maximum Students Per Class: 15

2nd-3rd Grades

$385 / $455 / $490 • OBSERVATION DAY
Note: All classes meet once a week. Prices vary with the number of weeks in a session and class length.

By the time our Star Kidz reach the 2nd-3rd grade class, they're ready to kick it up a notch. They've learned to avoid bad vocal habits, and have gained a better understanding of how different vocal exercises strengthen different areas of their instrument.

Throughout the session, these students get the chance to show off their developing performance skills, making the kind of progress that goes hand in hand with improved reading skills. We give them the opportunity to memorize their scripts if they can, and since performing a song or a scene takes on more meaning for these students, we provide them with acting tips that get them thinking about character, emotion and setting.

For the dance portion, we give these older students more challenging moves than the younger classes — as they start to connect with putting their feet and arms together more — and we often choose a song that is currently popular so that they can't wait to perform for family and friends on Observation Day!

Class Length: 1 Hour
Number of Teachers: 2 Per Class
Maximum Students Per Class: 15

4th-6th Grades

$490 • OBSERVATION DAY
Note: All classes meet once a week. Prices vary with the number of weeks in a session and class length.

For our 4th-6th grade class, we provide plenty of creative spunk, leading to greater individual enrichment. Unlike the Advanced class, which has no dance portion, this all-encompassing class allows these older students to continue to enjoy a taste of the variety — singing, acting, hip hop and more — that make Star Kidz so fun!

Plus, we further their collaborative performance skills through group work, with no extensive memorization. For children who don't want to do all the memorizing but still enjoy appropriately challenging scenes and monologues, as well as performing their favorite radio hits, standards or songs from current Broadway shows, this class is the perfect choice.

Class Length: 1 Hour
Number of Teachers: 2 Per Class
Maximum Students Per Class: 15

"Star Kidz has been an amazing experience for Danielle. She has grown as a singer, and more importantly as a person. She loves going to class more than you can imagine! Thank you for all you have done for her. She can't wait for the next session to start!"

—Lynne, 5th Grade Class Parent