New Schedules, Classes, and Updates!

Hello, Wonderful Kat’s Artist Tree Families!
 
The new school year is accelerating rapidly upon us, and with it, we are bringing some exciting changes to all of our Schedules, Classes, and Curriculums! ALL OF THE UPDATES ARE EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1^ST. Please contact the office to enroll for any new classes!

Linked above, you will find our updated Group Class Schedule, Homeschool/Morning Schedule, 2025-26 Event Calendar, Band Program Flyer, Dance Schedule, and Pre-Professional Dance Class Pricing Sheet. Below, we will go into more detail about the changes to these schedules and much more!  

New Teachers!

In the past couple of months, we’ve had the pleasure of bringing many new teachers on board. With each new teacher, we gain an entirely new perspective on learning. This gives us more avenues to give your students the best possible instructor for their personality and learning style.

• Mr. Manny Brion – Stage and Film Acting, Voice Over
• Mrs. Morgan Rose-Johnson – Jazz/Contemporary Dance
• Mr. Carson Loveless – Strings, Brass, Piano
• Mr. Matthew Kruckenberg – Cello, Violin, Piano 
• Ms. Corey Kinslow – Woodwinds, Brass, Piano
• Ms. Hailey Barrows – Jazz/Tap
• Mrs. Tara Brown – Art

New Theatre Classes and Updates

We know that your students already love these classes, so we want to honor their love and your trust by delivering the highest quality of instruction possible. To do this, Mr. Manny is going to step into the Acting Classes to give your students a fresh look into both theatrical acting as well as film acting.  

• Introduction to Theatre and Film Acting
  • Our afternoon Group Acting Classes on Tuesday and our morning Group Acting classes on Wednesday will be transitioning to Introduction to Theatre and Film Acting.
    • Each session will focus on applying performance techniques directly to scripted work, giving your students the tools to explore character development, emotional truth, and performance preparation. Emphasis is placed on active character choices, script analysis and developing a grounded, emotionally resonant performance.
• 2-hour-long Theatre Class on Wednesdays from 12:00-2:00.
  • In this hands-on performance class, students will take part in bringing a full theatrical production to life—on stage and behind the scenes. Students will not only perform in two full productions each year, but also gain valuable experience in essential crew roles, fostering collaboration, creativity, and a deeper understanding of the production process. 
• We are also introducing Teen/Adult Scene Studies, Film Acting 101, and Commercial Voice Over Acting classes to both our Morning and Afternoon schedules. 
  • For more information on these classes, please refer to the attached Group Class Schedule.

New Dance Classes and Updates

Your dancers put in so much work each and every day to perfect their craft and grow in their artistry. To aid them in this journey, we’ve revamped our dance schedule and brought on some new staff to support your students to the best of our abilities. 

Some of you may have noticed some construction that was happening around the studio over the summer. This was all to expand our dance program by converting our Theater to double as a secondary Dance Room, which is referred to as Studio 2 on the new dance schedule. This will allow us to run multiple dance classes at once!

• Music Theatre Tap and Jazz Classes.
  • To take advantage of the new space we have available, we will be expanding our dance program with Music Theatre Tap and Jazz Classes.
    • Mrs. Morgan will be spearheading our Music Theatre Dance Classes as well as the upper levels of the Tap and Jazz classes. Our Music Theatre Jazz Classes combine the beauty of storytelling with fundamentals of jazz dance. It is a perfect way to combine classic technique with a more mischievous approach. Students of all ages will learn the basics of weight shift, alignment, and picking up choreography based in all styles of music theatre, ranging from the Golden Age theater to contemporary musicals of today.
    • Additionally, Ms. Hailey Barrows will be stepping into our beginner level Tap/Jazz classes to give your students an incredibly strong foundation to stand upon as they move through their artistic journeys.
• New classes for our Pre-Professional Dance Program! We will be introducing Pointe Classes, Partnering Classes, Variations Classes, and Boys Classes.
  • Pointe class is offered to Ballet Levels 5 through 7 and is available at the discretion of the instructor. Students will continue to refine classical ballet technique while learning the foundations of pointe work, with an emphasis on safety and proper progression.
  • Our Partnering class is reserved for Level 7 ballet students who are ready to take their classical training to the next level. Dancers will learn the foundational techniques of pas de deux, including weight sharing, balance, lifts, and coordinated movement. 
  • Variations class is open to Ballet Levels 6 and 7 and offers advanced students the opportunity to learn and refine iconic repertoire from classical ballets. Dancers will study the stylistic nuances, performance quality, and technical demands of solo variations, preparing them for auditions, stage work, and higher-level ballet opportunities.
  • Our Boys Class is a high-energy, technique-focused class designed specifically for young male dancers. By instructor invitation only, this class is offered at no cost to enrolled ballet students. Boys will focus on strength, agility, and male-specific ballet technique in a supportive environment that encourages growth, discipline, and camaraderie.
• Introducing the Adult Dance Division!
  • With a warm, encouraging environment and welcoming instructors, we now offer adult classes that promote wellness, artistry, and joy through movement. Whether you’re dancing for fitness, artistry, or personal enrichment, our Adult Dance program is here to inspire and empower you every step of the way.
    • Our Conditioning class is designed to build strength, flexibility, stamina, and alignment; key foundations for all styles of dance. Whether you’re a dancer looking to support your technique or simply seeking a full-body workout, this class emphasizes body awareness and injury prevention through a mix of stretching, core work, and functional movement.
    • Our Adult Ballet class offers a warm, encouraging environment for dancers of all levels of experience. Whether you’re returning to the barre after years away or stepping into ballet for the very first time, we will be here to help you every step of the way. This class follows a traditional ballet structure, all tailored to accommodate a range of abilities and fitness levels.
    • Whether it’s tap or jazz, you deserve a class too! Jazz classes will begin with easy stretches and basic technique so that you move through space effectively and safely. Tap classes will get those toes tapping with ease to make beautiful music with your feet. These classes will be built on those who sign up.
• Performance Opportunities:
  • Our Dancers will get the chance to perform twice yearly with Kat’s Artist Tree. Every year we have our Fall and Spring Dance Showcases, where our dancers get to show off their hard work in the form of performances. Our Fall Dance Showcase will be September 26-28, and dancers will begin work as soon as the dance season starts!
  • Our sister non-profit, Triad Performing Arts of Arizona, will also be hosting auditions for The Nutcracker Fantasy shortly! Be sure to stay tuned to their Instagram and Facebook to learn about auditions as soon as they’re announced!

New Art Classes and Updates

We want to do everything we can to meet each student where they’re at, and give them as many options as we can for them to transition into the facet of art they are most interested in. To do this, we are introducing new Art Classes and renaming pre-existing art classes to better reflect what students will be working on. 

• Wednesday and Friday Art with Mrs. Tara
  • One of the amazing classes Mrs. Tara is bringing to the table is an acrylic painting class that will be available on Wednesday evenings and Friday mornings. Students will learn essential techniques like color mixing, brush handling, and application on canvas. Our experienced instructor will guide your student through various techniques to achieve 3 paintings inspired by nature.
  • The second class she is introducing to us is a sculpting/clay hand building class available on Wednesday evenings! Designed for young artists, this class explores the exciting world of 3-D art through clay. Students will learn fundamental hand building techniques such as pinching, coiling, and slab construction to create unique functional and decorative art.
• New and Renamed Art Classes
  • Our art classes that are already running during the week are being redefined to better represent what students will be working on.
    • Mrs. Gabi will be doing Painting, Drawing, Digital Artwork, and Character and World Exploration Visual Arts.
      • In Drawing and Painting, students will be working on characters, backgrounds and props, with emphasis on drawing with shapes, hand eye coordination, proportion, and proper technique. 
      • In Digital Drawing and Painting, students will be focusing on composition, design, color palette choice, lighting, and anatomy. They will also take deep dives into realistic and common styles found in animated films, games, comics, and anime. Students are required to provide some sort of digital drawing medium. 
      • In Character and World Exploration Visual Arts, students will focus on studying different styles across various mediums, and injecting it with their own creativity to create their own characters and worlds for them to live in. They will work on art that tells stories, producing full illustrations, and interpreting art to infuse with their on creative vision. 
    • Mrs. Joy will be doing Creative/Visual Arts and Film and Television Arts
      • In Creative/Visual Arts, students will explore a variety of mediums, such as watercolor, acrylic paint, markers and more to learn new techniques to build a variety of art projects. Students gain self-confidence while learning how to use art materials and tools properly. Past projects include treasure maps, skateboard art, and design your own stickers.
      • In Visual Arts/Film and Television Arts, Students will explore the world of film and television including the history of filmmaking, special effects techniques, illustration, animation, prop making and paper arts. Students will explore a variety of art styles and mediums while making themed projects. Past projects include Japanese Tsukumogami paintings, multi-plane inspired shadowbox art, and character art-style swaps.
    • Mr. Donovan will be teaching Graphic Arts Exploration and Concept Design Arts.
      • Students will explore the exciting world of Graphic Arts! Using mixed media, students will learn how to express their ideas visually and create eye-catching pieces of work that break tradition. Along the way, students will be introduced to basic design concepts, the Elements of Art, and the Principles of Design. This class is all about experimenting, having fun with art, and discovering new ways to communicate through pictures and design.
      • Students will dive into the world of Concept Design—where ideas come to life through drawing and creativity! Whether designing characters, creatures, environments, or inventions, students will learn how artists develop ideas for movies, video games, books, and animation. Through sketching, brainstorming, and visual storytelling, students will explore how to turn original ideas into detailed artwork. This class encourages creative thinking, problem-solving, and artistic expression while building skills in drawing, shading, and composition.

New Music Classes and Updates

Last, but most certainly not least, we have some exciting new additions to our music classes! We’ve already had a wide selection of these classes, but with the many new additions we’ve made to our roster of teachers, our options have expanded greatly! 

• Some additions include:
  • Brass
  • Woodwinds
  • Private Commercial Voice Acting Lessons
  • More Strings Availability
• The New Kat’s Artist Tree Band Program!
  • Get ready to make music, make friends, and make memories with the Kat’s Artist Tree Band Program, starting on Friday August 8th! Whether you’re picking up an instrument for the first time, or you’re ready to level up5-12, skills, we have a place for ALL students grades 5-12, open to all skill levels!
    • We will have both a Beginner Band and Advanced band, but as we start up this program, both bands will be combined on Fridays for the first few months.
  • For more information on these band classes, please view the attached Band Program Flyer.

Most importantly, we would not be able to do any of this without your amazing students and your continued support. Thank you all for making Kat’s Artist Tree special. 

We could not be more excited about what is to come, and we hope that you all feel the same way! Please feel free to take a look at the attached schedules to familiarize yourself with everything we have going on and let us know if you have any questions!
 
Looking forward to another amazing year with you all!