Windermere Prep families will have the opportunity to register their child for private lessons in acting, dance, piano, and music before allowing families to register for lessons not attending WPS. Some of our studios will fill up quickly. We encourage you to register as soon as possible. The deadline to register is September 3.

https://wpsarts.mymusicstaff.com

PLEASE COMPLETE A NEW REGISTRATION FORM IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED A FORM FOR THIS YEAR TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FEE. THANK YOU.

Benefits of Private Music, Dance, & Acting Lessons

Lessons are taught by degree professional educators in their discipline and in the new beautiful Cypress Center for the Arts.
All teachers have gone through extensive background checks.
Lessons are taught during the school day eliminating travel time to lessons after school and also after school. Please request your preference on the registration form. 

Lessons may also be made available before and after school.
Individual instruction ensures better success in any arts discipline and a more enjoyable, fun experience for your student. 

Parents have direct communications with the student’s private teacher and the Director of Fine Arts. mymusicstaff.com will provide you a parent portal that will contain information and communications from the teacher.
Students are not taken to lessons if testing is going on in the classroom. 

Students are escorted, by the teacher, during the school day.

Mrs. Katherine Seman is in her 25th year as a music educator, and her first year teaching at Windermere Prep as our Interim Lower School Music Teacher. Having graduated from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, with her BS in Music Education and an MS in Performance (clarinet), Katherine is experienced in teaching marching band, wind ensemble, concert band, jazz band, orchestra, chorus, and music theory. Her music programs have routinely won numerous awards as well as having earned “superior” ratings at competitions. She is an accomplished instrumentalist in the clarinet, flute, saxophone, piano, violin, brass, and percussion.

Welcome, Glynn Owens, Ballet Teacher for Advanced Dance students, to the Windermere Preparatory School Dance Department!

Glynn Owens began his professional dance career at Disney’s Festival of the Lion King before moving to Cincinnati to earn his B.F.A. in Ballet from College-Conservatory of Music. After graduation, Glynn danced for several nationally recognized dance companies, performing both classical and contemporary works. Glynn began teaching at Orlando Ballet School in 2007 and soon after took a salaried position at Patel Conservatory in Tampa, FL. While in Tampa, Glynn was appointed the Artist in Residence for Next Generation Ballet, under Peter Stark and joined the dance faculty at the University of Tampa as an adjunct professor. Glynn relocated back to Central Florida where he has been teaching at Orlando Ballet School since 2013. Glynn has since become an American Ballet Theater (ABT) Certified Instructor and is also the artistic director of 2nd Sight Dance Company.

Jonny Jones is our new Junior Varsity Lakerettes Dance Coach!

Jonny began dancing at the Dance Design School, a Royal Academy of Dance accredited school, in New York. After graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy of New York City with a degree in Musical Theater he began dancing for Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. Jonathan directed and choreographed three full-scale musicals while on the board of STAGE at Disney World. Upon returning to New York, he taught jazz, ballet, and musical theater at various schools as well as adult group fitness classes. He is thrilled to be joining the WPS Lakerettes team and looks forward to an incredible year!

This summer, Dylan Calvo, an 8th-grade theatre arts student, returned to the Stagedoor Manor, an immersive theatre camp in Loch Sheldrake, New York, that specializes in training with professionals, took part in a full-length live production that had burst into spontaneous song and dance with the other participants.

Upon arrival, Dylan was greeted by friendly staff in wacky costumes. After moving into his dorm, it was time for auditions. Stagedoor Manor produces 14 professional productions each session. Dylan had explained that all of the kids are very talented, so sometimes you can’t always get a lead role. He continued to explain that the participants are taught that there are no small parts, just small actors. If you are in an ensemble, the director always finds a way to give each person the spotlight at some point during the show – Dylan really appreciated that.

Productions this year included shows such as Rent, Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia!, 42nd street and Jekyll and Hyde. Dylan was placed in the propduction Some Enchanted Evening, which was based on the musicals of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Dylan had explained that this was a difficult show to learn because his cast was not familiar with the material and had to learn 78 different songs. Thankfully, they had an experienced Broadway Director who had the cast ready for the show.

The participants had two long rehearsals per day with classes in between. The classes focused on vocal coaching, physical comedy and master level tap dancing. Physical comedy was Dylan’s favorite this year, as he learned to fall, spit and get pied in the face for an hour every day! Dylan also learned classic comedic tricks.

After three weeks of hard work, they were ready for a show weekend. The sets and costumes were made by professional carpenters and costume designers. His two favorite shows this year were two opposing but amazing productions, Mary Poppins and Jekyll & Hyde. They shared the same theater, yet one is Disney and the other is about a horrific serial killer. Because Dylan thought that both shows were so good, he purchased both videos to share with the Windermere Prep faculty and Thespian Troupes.

Dylan summarized his Stagedoor Manor experience in one word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! It’s a once in a lifetime experience that he would recommend to anyone interested in theater.

Congratulations, Dylan!