Programs

Private Lessons

Students admitted into the Conservatory Bridges Private Lesson Program will receive weekly lessons at their school (30-minutes for Middle School and 45-minutes for High School). All students will receive a $100.00 music and supplies budget for each school year. 

Additional opportunities include auditioning for the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, receiving a mentorship with the Harmony Project, participating in the Midwest Honor Band and Orchestra Festival or Vocal Arts Festival, participating in the UMKC Spring Solo Festival, and attending workshops and masterclasses presented by UMKC Conservatory Faculty and qualified professionals. Students will also be given a Conservatory Bridges T-shirt, which were graciously donated by Meyer’s Music.

Group Classes

In addition to private lessons, Conservatory Bridges’ students have the opportunity to participate in various weekly group classes in music, dance, and acting/theatre. To qualify for admittance into Conservatory Bridges’ group classes, students must be nominated by a school teacher and maintain a 3.0 GPA. Conservatory Bridges students are also required to perform once per semester and will have an end of the semester evaluation.

Please see below for classes that are currently offered during the 2020-2021 school year.

Description: The Music College Prep course is designed to help prepare students who wish to continue their music studies into college. Students who simply wish to become more rounded musicians, are also welcome! Each class will be evenly divided between music theory fundamentals and group piano skills. The UMKC Spring Solo Festival is included in College Prep Course registration. To learn more about Spring Solo Festival, please visit the Academy’s page on it here: Spring Solo Festival

Description: The Dance Class is a training program led by UMKC Conservatory faculty members with classes taught by students of the UMKC Dance Division. Dance classes will consist of modern, ballet, African-based techniques, and hip hop. The program focuses on developing the dancer’s technical skill and performance readiness and preparedness to matriculate into further education in dance. Master classes taught by faculty members will be scheduled throughout the year.

Description: Acting Class will provide acting students with the tools they need to be successful performers for theater, film and television. Students will learn how to audition and to analyze scripts to make strong decisions in performance that help them become confident storytellers. Students will work on monologues, scene and improvised scenarios over the course of the session thus learning new strategies and techniques to easily memorize and deliver confident performances while becoming confident and polished storytellers. Additional sessions on various topics such as stage design and tech may be offered to students throughout the school year. The UMKC Spring Solo Festival is included in acting course registration. To learn more about Spring Solo Festival, please visit the Academy’s page on it here: Spring Solo Festival

Additional Opportunities

Instrumental students are strongly encouraged to audition for and participate in the Youth Symphony of Kansas City. The Bridges program pays 50% of YSKC tuition for any Bridges student who is accepted to a YSKC orchestra. The remaining 50% is sponsored by YSKC. All volunteer hours are the responsibility of the student.

Other optional events include, but are not limited to: