Thursday, April 30, 6-7:30pm

Catamount Arts Center

Instructor: Jessie Rothwell 

Sometimes music feels like sorcery in the moment. Melody, harmony, rhythm and timbre can become more than the sum of their parts in a piece of music. When lyrics combine with sounds, even more magic can come into it. What is happening when certain songs give us goosebumps or make us cry? How do particular songs transport us back to certain settings or moments, even many years later? If you are curious about all this and want to explore it through listening, writing and discussion, join us. We will unpack how different areas of the brain take in music and language and work in conjunction with the areas of the brain in charge of memory and emotion. 

Class fee: $25 (10% discount for Catamount Arts members) Please contact Anne at 802-748-2600 ext 109 to inquire about financial assistance. 

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, April 29, 5:00 pm

Jessie Rothwell of Takoma Park, Maryland is a writer, storyteller and musician. Her writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Barrelhouse, Gargoyle, the Grace & Gravity journal series, Breadcrumbs magazine, and on Minnesota Public Radio’s Classical blog. She has sung Balkan traditional and other types of music with the Balkan women's vocal ensemble Orfeia and as a member of the band Mezhdou. She participated in Season 19 of AWP's Writer to Writer mentorship during 2023/2024. She holds an MFA in music composition from the California Institute of the Arts. Find her meditations on life at https://jessierothwell.substack.com/.

Thursday, April 30 and 30, 6-7:30pm

Catamount Arts Center

Instructor: Jessie Rothwell 

Sometimes music feels like sorcery in the moment. Melody, harmony, rhythm and timbre can become more than the sum of their parts in a piece of music. When lyrics combine with sounds, even more magic can come into it. What is happening when certain songs give us goosebumps or make us cry? How do particular songs transport us back to certain settings or moments, even many years later? If you are curious about all this and want to explore it through listening, writing and discussion, join us. We will unpack how different areas of the brain take in music and language and work in conjunction with the areas of the brain in charge of memory and emotion. 

Class fee: $22.50 (10% discount for Catamount Arts members) Please contact Anne at 802-748-2600 ext 109 to inquire about financial assistance. 

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, April 29, 5:00 pm

Jessie Rothwell of Takoma Park, Maryland is a writer, storyteller and musician. Her writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Barrelhouse, Gargoyle, the Grace & Gravity journal series, Breadcrumbs magazine, and on Minnesota Public Radio’s Classical blog. She has sung Balkan traditional and other types of music with the Balkan women's vocal ensemble Orfeia and as a member of the band Mezhdou. She participated in Season 19 of AWP's Writer to Writer mentorship during 2023/2024. She holds an MFA in music composition from the California Institute of the Arts. Find her meditations on life at https://jessierothwell.substack.com/.

Saturdays, April 11, May 9, June 13, 10am-noon

Catamount Arts Center

Instructor: Abby Maier Johnson

Explore the work in the Catamount Arts galleries by making your own art creations! Classes will meet once a month. Students will spend time looking at the work in the galleries and then create projects inspired by a piece in the show. 

Class fee: $20 per session. Registration in advance is required. We are committed to offering high quality arts experiences for all students, regardless of ability to pay. If you need financial assistance, please contact Anne Campbell at 802-748-2600 ext 109 to learn about scholarships.

Abby Maier Johnson has over 20 years of experience working with children in libraries, schools, museums, and community centers. Her work as a teaching artist has often focused on using everyday materials to create sculptures, puppets, and masks. She currently works with students in PreK through 8th grade as the art teacher at The Riverside School in Lyndonville, and loves exploring all kinds of visual art with her students.

Tuesdays, May 12 - June 16, 2026 6:30 - 8:30pm

Instructor: William York Hyde

Let's have fun and gain more poise, confidence and acting chops.  It doesn't matter if you've never been on a stage or you've trod the boards for years, this 6-week course of improv games, gentle acting exercises and a unique approach to character development will help you to grow as an individual and as an actor.  The final class is an actual Vaudevillian-style revue of skits, one-liners, puns and even more fun.  Hooray! Give it a go -- come play with us!

Class fee: Class fee: $150 (10% discount from Catamount Arts members). Catamount Arts is committed to offering quality arts experiences for all students, regardless of ability to pay; please call Anne at 802-748-2600 ext. 109 for information about scholarship funds.

William York Hyde, SAG-AFTRA member, has performed in movies, TV shows, radio broadcasts, commercials, voice-overs and more than 130 stage productions.  Since settling in St. Johnsbury, William has taught acting classes for Catamount Arts, coached local high school actors and founded a Vaudevillian comedy troupe "You've Got to be Kidding," which has performed at St. J Sparkles and First Night North, and is now booking future shows.  From coast to coast, from the avant-garde to Shakespeare, from Renaissance Fairs to Broadway, William is keen to share his experience and insights with curious, creative and adventurous New Englanders.

Tuesdays, May 12 - June 16, 2026 6:30 - 8:30pm

Instructor: William York Hyde

Let's have fun and gain more poise, confidence and acting chops.  It doesn't matter if you've never been on a stage or you've trod the boards for years, this 6-week course of improv games, gentle acting exercises and a unique approach to character development will help you to grow as an individual and as an actor.  The final class is an actual Vaudevillian-style revue of skits, one-liners, puns and even more fun.  Hooray! Give it a go -- come play with us!

Class fee: Class fee: $135 (10% discount from Catamount Arts members). Catamount Arts is committed to offering quality arts experiences for all students, regardless of ability to pay; please call Anne at 802-748-2600 ext. 109 for information about scholarship funds.

William York Hyde, SAG-AFTRA member, has performed in movies, TV shows, radio broadcasts, commercials, voice-overs and more than 130 stage productions.  Since settling in St. Johnsbury, William has taught acting classes for Catamount Arts, coached local high school actors and founded a Vaudevillian comedy troupe "You've Got to be Kidding," which has performed at St. J Sparkles and First Night North, and is now booking future shows.  From coast to coast, from the avant-garde to Shakespeare, from Renaissance Fairs to Broadway, William is keen to share his experience and insights with curious, creative and adventurous New Englanders.

Thursday, May 14, 1-3pm (Early Release Day at St Johnsbury School)

Catamount Arts Center

Instructor: Abby Maier Johnson

Create your own sketchbook, then put it to use as we go outside (weather permitting) and sketch the signs of spring in the neighborhood. If it’s raining, we’ll sketch indoors.

Class fee: $20. Registration in advance is required. We are committed to offering high quality arts experiences for all students, regardless of ability to pay. If you need financial assistance, please contact Anne Campbell at 802-748-2600 ext 109 to learn about scholarships.

Abby Maier Johnson has over 20 years of experience working with children in libraries, schools, museums, and community centers. Her work as a teaching artist has often focused on using everyday materials to create sculptures, puppets, and masks. She currently students in PreK through 8th grade as the art teacher at The Riverside School in Lyndonville, and loves exploring all kinds of visual art with her students. 

For early childhood educators

Thursday, May 21, 2026

6-8pm

Catamount Arts Center

*Free, but advance registration required* 

Young children are wired to move. Yet many art experiences ask them to sit still at a table and work within a small space. In this workshop, early childhood educators will explore how to design visual art experiences that invite children to use their whole bodies as creative tools.

Participants will learn how to set up large-scale art invitations that encourage children to sweep long brush strokes, roll paint across giant paper, splash color with a variety of tools, and build community with giant murals. Through practical examples and demonstrations, educators will discover simple ways to transform indoor classrooms and outdoor spaces into environments where movement, creativity, and joyful expression naturally unfold.

This session will provide concrete strategies for using affordable materials, organizing space, and facilitating art experiences that prioritize process, exploration, and child-led creativity. Educators will leave with actionable ideas they can immediately bring into their classrooms to support motor development, sensory exploration, collaboration, and imaginative thinking.

Come ready to rethink what art can look like when children are free to move, experiment, and create on a bigger canvas. 

Early childhood educators will earn professional development credit for attending this workshop. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the developmental benefits of large-scale visual art experiences that engage children’s whole bodies, including connections to motor development, visual perceptual, creativity, and sensory exploration.
2. Design and facilitate developmentally appropriate “big body” art invitations that encourage movement, experimentation, and open-ended artistic expression.
3. Create supportive environments for large-scale art experiences indoors and outdoors using accessible materials while prioritizing process, creativity, and collaboration

FREE, but advance registration is required. Those who attend will receive Documentation of Professional Development.

April Zajko, M.Ed., is an early childhood educator, teacher educator, and founder of Nature Inspired Teacher, with more than 25 years of classroom experience supporting young children. She designs professional development and community-based learning experiences that help integrate nature and art into the lives of children. Through college courses, workshops, and collaborative projects, April supports adults in creating accessible, meaningful, and place-based experiences for children and families. April is also the founder and moderator of the Nature Inspired Teacher Facebook group, an engaged community of over 21,000 educators. Learn more at www.natureinspiredteacher.com 

 This workshop is made possible with funding from the Vermont Arts Council’s Early Childhood Arts Partnership program.

Saturdays, April 11, May 9, June 13, 10am-noon

Catamount Arts Center

Instructor: Abby Maier Johnson

Explore the work in the Catamount Arts galleries by making your own art creations! Classes will meet once a month. Students will spend time looking at the work in the galleries and then create projects inspired by a piece in the show. 

Class fee: $20 per session. Registration in advance is required. We are committed to offering high quality arts experiences for all students, regardless of ability to pay. If you need financial assistance, please contact Anne Campbell at 802-748-2600 ext 109 to learn about scholarships.

Abby Maier Johnson has over 20 years of experience working with children in libraries, schools, museums, and community centers. Her work as a teaching artist has often focused on using everyday materials to create sculptures, puppets, and masks. She currently works with students in PreK through 8th grade as the art teacher at The Riverside School in Lyndonville, and loves exploring all kinds of visual art with her students.