CTTA opens micro-school for homeschoolers

The Central Texas Theatre Academy has opened a new micro-school for homeschoolers this Fall. The fine arts micro- school will host kids in grades three to eight on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Students will pursue academics for the first two hours, learning math, language arts, science and history from certified teachers. The second half of the day will be followed by fine art instruction in a number of disciplines.

“Since the pandemic, more and more children in the Wimberley and San Marcos areas have turned to homeschooling,” said CTTA Director Bridget Farias-Gates. “The demand is huge.”

According to a census survey, the percentage of families who are homeschooling their kids jumped from 4% at the end of the 2019/2020 school year to 12% at the start of the following school year.

“Our micro-school will provide kids with the opportunity to learn subjects that lend themselves to group learning,” Farias-Gates continued. “Theatre and musical theatre, for example, naturally requires learning within an ensemble.”

Several academic courses will include fine art components as part of an integrated approach to the subject. In Cynthia Cruser’s Inclusive History class, students will dress, speak and tell their story as the historical figure they choose, combining theatre with history.

The fine-arts curriculum will offer music education, movement and theory; theatre and musical theatre; and instruction in a generous variety of visual arts and media.

Several wellknown teachers will teach the fine art curricula.

Farias-Gates and other professionals will teach theatre fundamentals: acting, stage combat, voice, movement, and set and costume construction.

Music, music movement and theory will be taught by Paula Bird, an accomplished violinist and pianist, who is a certified teacher of Dr. Suzuki’s Talent Education Method. Bird maintains an extensive private studio in Wimberley and has been a member of numerous symphony orchestras and ensembles. She also holds a master’s degree in music as well as a doctorate in law.

For the visual arts, Farias-Gates has engaged art teacher, Donna Gary, to instruct students in a wide array of disciplines. Gary is a part of Jennifer Ober’s Project Art Gallery that is getting underway in the former Sugar Shack building off of River Road.

The first CTTA micro- school session is scheduled to begin August 22 and will continue through to December. It has already filled with the maximum 20 students. The second session will begin in January 2024. Interested students should register early for the Winter 2024 session. Cost for the 4 month program is approximately $300 per student. For additional information contact Bridget Farias-Gates by emailing [email protected].