Music and dance centers offer supportive environments for lifelong education

TWU Community Dance Center students. Photo by Ilana Morgan, Ph.D.

TWU adult beginner piano student Qian Hu accompanied by her son, Ocean Xie, on violin. Photo by Christopher Madden, DMA.

TWU Community Dance Center students. Photo by Ilana Morgan, Ph.D.

Adult beginners piano class performing at the Fall 2018 TWU Community Music Center recital. Photo by Anna Ryan.

TWU Community Dance Center students. Photo by Ilana Morgan, Ph.D.

Jan. 15, 2019 —DENTON— Texas Woman’s University invites children, teens and adults to register for Spring 2019 Community Music and Community Dance Center lessons. Classes are taught by faculty members or graduate students at TWU’s Denton campus and include introductory, intermediate and advanced courses, culminating in a recital performed for an audience of friends and family.

Registration is now open. The deadline to register for classes at both centers is Jan. 28. For more information, including a full schedule and class descriptions, visit the Community Music Center or the Community Dance Center website.

About the TWU Community Music Center

When Christopher Madden, DMA, director of the TWU Community Music Center and assistant professor of piano pedagogy, founded the center in Fall 2018, he wanted to “create a culture of excitement surrounding music study.”

“I wanted to offer affordable music lessons to children and adults in Denton, and provide graduate students with hands-on teaching experience while earning their degrees. The Community Music Center offers a safe, non-competitive and supportive environment for music education. It also provides students with an opportunity for social interaction outside of school or work,” said Madden.

During its first semester, the center offered piano lessons, guitar lessons, clarinet lessons and a piano class for adult beginners. This semester, the center has expanded its offerings to include preschool music classes as well as private lessons on a variety of instruments.

About the TWU Community Dance Center

The TWU Community Dance Center was established more than 50 years ago. Today, Ilana Morgan, Ph.D., director of the center and assistant professor of dance, works to provide high quality and low cost dance education to the Denton community. “We believe everyone can dance and our teaching philosophy reflects this commitment. Our students learn to dance from a holistic perspective, problem solving as they collaborate with others.”

“The Community Dance Center gets people up and moving: increasing muscular strength, coordination, endurance, agility and flexibility. Our classes encourage people to connect with others, building their self-confidence and reducing anxiety. We provide a low-stress, creative environment where students of all abilities can express themselves and become part of a community,” said Morgan.

The dance center offers classes for babies, toddlers and their caregivers; classes for preschoolers and elementary students; and mixed-level teen and adult classes in tap, ballet and modern.

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Page last updated 11:58 AM, March 7, 2023