(BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ) -- The Wharton Performing Arts School (PAS) is pleased to announce it will offer an array of new classes this season for students of all ages and all abilities. In addition to musical theater, drama, and group instrumental classes, as well as private lessons for instruments and voice, PAS welcomes the community to explore the following new additions to its curriculum.

* Play Creation Workshop for Ages 7-11: Designed to ignite the imagination of its young participants with the opportunity to create their own play, students will be guided through a series of improvisation games and exercises to develop characters, settings, and plot. Class activities will culminate in an original, scripted show to rehearse and perform.

* RCM Pathways to Music Theory for Ages 6-9: Pathways to Music Theory is a great way to supplement your young child’s first years of private lesson study on any instrument. Learn the building blocks of music through the Royal Conservatory of Music’s renowned Celebrate Theory program.

* Dance for Theater Actors for Ages 7-13: Over the course of ten weeks, this class teaches students the fundamentals of various theater dance styles as well as tools and techniques for auditioning and building choreography. Dance for Theater Actors will explore different genres, learn choreography built especially for the students, and build their own number with the help of the instructor. The class will culminate in a final showcase where students will perform the new choreography they have learned and their own original piece.

* Staging Shakespeare: Scenes and Monologues for Ages 11-16: This six-week acting class will take students on an exploration of William Shakespeare’s most brilliant characters and plays. Through targeted lessons, acting exercises, and scene work, students will learn about Shakespearean speech, character development, and how to hone their stage presence. Participants will showcase their newfound talents by performing iconic scenes and monologues from Shakespeare’s most beloved plays at the conclusion of the course.

* Adult Group Voice Class: Everyone can sing! Adults are invited to learn the fundamentals of singing, including posture, breathing, vowel shaping, voice registration, and communicating through song. Whether a novice or seasoned vocalist looking to brush up your skills, this group voice class will provide the tools for healthy and beautiful singing in a fun and supportive environment.

The PAS fall semester begins on September 8, 2024. For more information, contact Student Services at (908) 790-0700 or visit WhartonArts.org.

The mission of Wharton Arts is to offer accessible, high quality performing arts education that sparks personal growth and builds inclusive communities. Wharton Arts’ vision is for a transformative performing arts education in an inclusive community to be accessible for everyone.

Wharton Arts is New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit community performing arts education center serving over 2,000 students through a range of classes and ensembles. The 5 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Chorus, an auditioned choral ensemble program for students in grades 3–12, encourage a love and appreciation of choral music while nurturing personal growth and creative development. The 15 ensembles of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, which serve nearly 550 students in grades 3–12 by audition, inspire young people to achieve musical excellence through high-level ensemble training and performance opportunities. Based in Paterson, the Paterson Music Project is an El Sistema-inspired program of Wharton Arts that uses music education as a vehicle for social action by empowering and inspiring young people to achieve their full potential through the community experience of ensemble learning and playing. From Pathways classes for young children to Lifelong Learning programs for adults, the Wharton Performing Arts School has a robust musical theater and drama program and offers both private and group classes for instruments and voice for all ages and all abilities. With the belief in the positive and unifying influence of music and that performing arts education should be accessible to all people regardless of their ability to pay, Wharton Arts offers need-based scholarships.

Wharton Arts is located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Paterson, NJ and reaches students from 12 counties. All of Wharton Arts’ extraordinary teaching artists, faculty members, and conductors hold degrees in their teaching specialty and have been vetted and trained to enable our students to achieve their personal best.