THURSDAY, MARCH

SOUTH COUNTY CENTERS OFFER PERFORMING ARTS ACADEMIES, IMMERSIVE PROGRAMS FOR SUMMERTIME LEARNING

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

Summer can be a time for rest and relaxation, but as parents with children know, it can be difficult to keep them content during the whole break from school.

Fortunately, there are plenty of museums and other centers for learning around South Orange County that provide opportunities for young ones to get off the couch, enhance their skills, and make new friends in a fun and encouraging environment.

Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens has long been a mainstay for providing a vast swath of experiences to people young and old, and this summer is no exception, albeit in a new format.

The youth performing arts program will hold two one-week classical music academy sessions and a two-week dance academy, with space within both genres for beginner and intermediate skill levels.

“The structure of Casa Romantica’s summer academies is unlike anything else in Orange County—it’s a kind of residency program for children, being exposed to high-quality instruction and meeting like-minded peers at a beautiful retreat,” says Amy Behrens, executive director. “Kids who participate love our academies so much that they apply to return for more instruction the next summer.”

“Having offered these programs with growing popularity since 2015, the natural evolution is to increase the number of children we serve, and to support them in their artistic development for multiple summers,” Behrens added.

Applicants must submit a student report card for the current school year, and verification of prior experience is required for the Music Academy and the Summer Dance Academy.

The first scheduled academy is the Classical Music Workshop that takes place from Monday, July 11, to Friday, July 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A program for beginning musicians, children ages 8-12, will receive daily private lessons, an introduction to music theory, and activities such as reading music, group music-making, and lectures to ensure a well-rounded education.

Students will learn classical music with classically trained music instructors, in a program where no experience is required for students to participate. The Academy concludes with student demonstrations for parents and caregivers on the final day to show what they have learned.

The Music Academy, which runs from Monday, July 18, to Friday, July 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., is a program for musicians ages 12-17 with at least three years of prior musical instruction, and it is dedicated to ensemble training, composition, and intensive instruction.

Like the beginners’ session, there will be daily private lessons and unique lectures, as well as music theory and ensemble practice before ending with a student recital.

Finally, the Summer Dance Academy, from July 25 to Aug. 5, is designed for dancers ages 10-16 with a minimum of two years of prior dance instruction. The goal is for students to expand their dance education in ballet, jazz, contemporary, and hip-hop with daily classes, as well as specialty classes including choreography, tap, lighting, costuming, and lectures.

The dance academy also concludes with a student recital.

There is no tuition for Casa Romantica’s programs, but there is a $200 refundable credit card deposit required at registration. Lunch and snacks will be provided for free upon request. For the Classical Music Workshop, instrument rentals are also provided for free so children first learning an instrument can try it out without the need to buy a new instrument.

Registration is currently open at casaromantica.org/summer-academies.

In Dana Point, the Ocean Institute will continue to run camps as it has done for more than 20 years, including various curriculums for all ages to enjoy.

From June 13 to Aug. 12, children can attend weeklong (Monday-Friday) sessions educational and scientific world.

One of the newer programs is designed for counselors in training, for incoming high school freshmen to incoming high school seniors. The program is in its second year of existence.

Participants come in to be interviewed and experience the hiring process, and then are assigned to a camp for three weeks. There, they will be advised by current counselors before getting the chance to lead activities and stations in the final days.

Russell said that the Ocean Institute stands out from other similar centers because of its location and wealth of natural resources around it.

“There aren’t a lot of camps that are located right on the water, or (within) walking distance to tide pools, (that) have a research vessel that kids can go out on or have a tall ship that they can sail on all within one week,” she said.

Visit oceaninstitute.org for more information. Registration for the general public opens on March 28, while members receive early access on March 14.

Additionally, Mission San Juan Capistrano is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Tuesday through Sunday.

The Surfing Heritage and Culture Center has yet to announce its own programming for the summer.

that start at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.

There are camps for younger kids, such as the Sea Squirts camp for children aged 5-6 and Neptune’s Mysteries for 6- to 7-year-olds, where participants can investigate the inner tidal marine life. The hands-on experience will allow children to see sea stars, sea urchins, horn sharks, shovelnose guitarfish, and more.

For 8- to 9-year-olds, the Ocean Discovery camp is similar to the aforementioned sessions and also includes activities such as a research cruise.

Children attending Buccaneer Adventures will learn about pirate life, those within Shipwreck Hunters will explore different wrecks and sail on the Spirit of Dana Point, and there are also the Coastal Explorers and Marine Science Internship Academy programs for those above the age of 10.

Riley Russell, the Ocean Institute’s director of education, said that the camps are extremely immersive and impactful, and they allow participants to explore new things and meet new peers.

“We really just try (to) foster a great, fun learning environment for those kids,” she said. “It’s just such a great educational journey for them during the summer.”

Despite the longevity of the camps, the staff members at the Institute are consistently researching and coming up with new ideas to ensure the curriculum is up to date with the

Photos: Courtesy of Dominique Dinh