Students will select classes from the following time blocks: 12:30-1:15, 1:30-2:25 and/or 2:30-3:25. Classes are offered for ages 4-5, 6-8, 9-13, and 13-18 (note 13 year olds have options). All classes are offered independently, with the exception of choir and drama for the 9-13 age group, which must be taken together as this is a musical production that operates as one work through two separate classes.
Some instructors are offering a sibling discount. The second sibling will receive a $10 discount and each additional sibling will receive a $20 discount. If you are paying separately for each semester, the discount will be divided between each semester. (Eg. 3 siblings are each enrolled in Drama and Choir. Sibling 1 is 13+ and would pay full price for each class. Sibling 2 is in the 9-12 age group and would receive a $10 discount on each class. Sibling 3 is in the 6-8 age group and would not receive a discount because these classes are offered by different instructors.)
12:30 PM - 1:15 PM
Beginner Ballet (Ages 9 - 12)
Teachers: Amani Sweeney and Kaiyah Sweeney
Contact: amani@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $160 (1st payment of $80 due at registration, 2nd semester payment due by January 15th)
Sibling Discount available.
This class will introduce the basic terms and steps to understand the building blocks of ballet. We will be learning steps at the barre along with center work and creative dance. Our goal is to teach the art of ballet in a Christ-centered environment. We will perform a dance at the Agape Concert and Art Show in April.
“Let them praise His name with dancing and make music to Him with timbrel and harp.” Psalm 149:3
We are sisters who have always been homeschooled. We’ve both been dancing for over ten years and we study ballet under Denyse Looney of Dutchess School Of Performing Arts. We are very excited to share our love of ballet!
Supplies provided: End of the year costume (performance skirt)
Supplies needed: Ballet slippers, appropriate dance wear
Payment: P.O. Box 22, Verbank NY 12585
Recorder Ensemble (Ages 8+)
Teacher: Jennifer Mery
Contact: jennifer@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $100 (1st semester $50, 2nd semester $50)
10% Sibling discount available.
Hi, My name is Jennifer Mery. I was a homeschooling mother of eight, and now I am a homeschooling grandmother of many more. I love Jesus, Family, Church, the Bible, Homeschooling and Worshiping the Lord through music. I studied Music Education at The King's College in Briarcliff, New York and several instruments privately from a young age. My mother, a professional opera singer, passed down her love for music to all of her children. I love every aspect of teaching music to children of all ages. I especially love to convince them that they can do more than they believe they can and to challenge those who are confident to stretch their skills to the next level and do it all for God's glory and the encouragement of others.
For the Recorder Ensemble class, my assistant teachers and I will begin with prayer and Bible memory verses about music. Our first lessons on this beautiful and versatile instrument will be learning to blow very gently to produce a sound pleasing to the ears of all who hear it, especially of their family members while they practice at home. Next, we will learn the fingering, a few notes at a time, until we have learned the c-scale plus a few more notes. A good foundation in rhythm and notes values will also be included. In a very short time they will be able to play a few simple songs they recognize. Students with prior experience will learn advanced melodies. All will learn simple or advanced harmonies, depending on their level of skill and interest. Our goal is to have two to four songs ready for our Spring Concernt with two to four parts or even more parts for each song, again, depending on skill level and interest. My dream and hope and prayer is that we will be able to play for a Nursing Home some time during the year with however many students might be available, on a completely voluntary basis. As always, we will encourage new friendships to develop which we hope will last a lifetime, as I have seen in my own adult children's lives!
Supplies provided: sheet music
Supplies needed: Yamaha Baroque Soprano Recorder, available for $6-8. If another brand is used, Baroque fingering is required.
Payment: cash or check to be given on the first day of each semester or by mail: 4 Spoor Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
1:30 PM - 2:25 PM
High School Art 101/Advanced Art Techniques (Ages 13+)
Teacher: Juliet Sweeney
Contact: juliet@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $148 (first payment of $74 due at registration, 2nd semester payment due by January 15th)
Sibling discount available.
In this class, we will be covering the fundamentals of art and also discovering different styles and techniques, experimenting with a variety of mediums.
**For advanced students who have already taken art classes with me, they will be taught further concepts and techniques to build upon what they have learned in previous years with me.**
All finished student artwork is displayed at the Art Show during the Agape Spring concert.
I have a BFA with a specialization in Drawing and Painting. I am a homeschooling mom of two teens. I have volunteered with the high school and young adult ministries at CCHV for over 20 years. I am excited to work with your teens, getting to know them and their interests in art.
NEW this year: Portfolio help will be available if your student is looking to apply to art school in the future. Please contact me for details.
Supplies Needed: Students will need a sketchbook and drawing pencils. All other supplies will be provided.
Payment by venmo or mail: P.O. Box 22, Verbank NY 12585
High School Drama (Ages 13+)
Director: Alicia Donnelly
Contact: alicia@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $125 (1st Semester $62.50 due 9/15, 2nd Semester $62.50 due 1/20)
Sibling discount available.
Hi! My name is Alicia Donnelly and I have been homeschooling for the past 23 years. Three of my children are grown and my 4th, Matthew is in 11th grade. I will be teaching drama this year at Agape. I have also directed other plays and skits as well. My hope is that your children will love acting and demonstrating God’s love through the performing arts! I have always loved performing. As a child and teen I took dance and voice classes. I would always perform in our church plays and skits as well as recitals. Since becoming a homeschooling mom I had a vision for incorporating drama into homeschooling. I have taught in co-ops over the last 18 years.
For the Teen class we will be using a book called Drama, A Comprehensive Guide to Dramatic Elements and Style as well as many exercises from Dramanotebook.com. We will learn about Vocabulary, Staging, Set, Film vs. TV, Themes, and many other topics. I plan on incorporating games and exercises with student sheets and assignments. We will be either performing a play that is already written or writing one of our own. So far, we have written three of our own and had great success and many laughs with them!
Supplies Needed: Notebook and pencil
Payment by mail: 76 West Long Meadow Drive Staatsburg, NY 12580. Paypal: makdonnelly@yahoo.com friends and family, please.
Musical Choir (Ages 9-13) - Students must be registered for both Musical Choir & Musical Drama.
Director: Georgia Santo
Contact: georgia@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $140 (1st semester $70 due upon registration, 2nd semester $70 due January 26th)
Sibling discount available.
This will be a 24 week program that coincides with the 9-13 drama class. We will culminate with a production of, ‘GodSquad’ created by Christy Semsen, arranged by Daniel Semsen. Students will learn to sing in a choir, act, and experience performing our final show in May. GodSquad is a fun, energetic musical about taking up the Armor of God to battle the Dominion of ME and is sure to inspire kids to stand strong in faith within these days. Students will also learn solfedge, sight singing, part singing, proper singing technique, music notation, and how to work and have fun as a team of performers.
I graduated from the Crane School of Music with a bachelor’s in music education. Going on to teach General Music and Choir in my former elementary school, we soon had our first child. From that point on we decided to homeschool our five children. Three have graduated and I have two wonderful teenage boys with me now. We have loved the opportunity to bring the Agape program to fellow homeschooling families as a way to glorify God in developing these skills, gifts, and creative interests in children. Agape is the word for God’s unique love and, above all things, we aim to create an atmosphere that reflects this; thus we focus on a safe, encouraging learning environment where children can grow.
Supplies Provided: Music book, sight singing take homes
Supplies Needed: Folder with pockets, pencil, dry erase marker, highlighter, costuming as needed in April
Payment by mail: 149 Rombout Rd Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 or Paypal: gsantoagape@gmail.com or Venmo: @gsantoagape (please send as family/friend and list your student's name in the memo)
*Please review dates of classes and performance to be certain of your ability to commit to the full program.
Please note: Parent/Student Meeting August 25th 3pm, Student Part Audition September 8th Thank you!
Middle School Art (Ages 9-12)
Teacher: Nicole Cunningham
Contact: nicole@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $200 (1st semester $100 due 9/1, 2nd semester $100 due 1/15)
Hi! My name is Nicole Cunningham! I have been a homeschooling mom of 4 boys for 10 years & have been teaching in some aspect for over 20 years! I look forward to working with your children this year!
Unleash your imagination in this hands-on art class designed just for tweens! Students will explore a variety of artistic techniques including drawing, painting, and craft-based projects using different materials and mediums. From sketching portraits to painting colorful landscapes and building 3D creations, this class encourages personal expression. Perfect for beginners and budding artists alike, this class nurtures creativity, builds confidence, and helps students develop their own unique artistic voice.
Skills Covered:
• Pencil and ink drawing
• Watercolor and acrylic painting
• Mixed-media crafts and sculpture
Let’s get creative — and a little messy — together!
Supplies: All supplies will be provided for this class
Payment by cash or check: 185 Rochdale Rd. Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 or Venmo: @Nicole-C80 (last 4 digits of my phone # are 0513 - Please send as family/friend and list your student's name in the memo)
Elementary Choir (Ages 6-8)
Teacher: Jennifer Mery
Contact: jennifer@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $100 (1st semester $50, 2nd semester $50)
10% Sibling discount available.
Hi, My name is Jennifer Mery. I was a homeschooling mother of eight, and now I am a homeschooling grandmother of many more. I love Jesus, Family, Church, the Bible, Homeschooling and Worshiping the Lord through music. I studied Music Education at The King's College in Briarcliff, New York and several instruments privately from a young age. My mother, a professional opera singer, passed down her love for music to all of her children. I love every aspect of teaching general music to children. I especially love to convince them that they can do more than they believe they can!
For Elementary Choir, my assistant teachers and I like to begin with prayer and a bible memory verse. Next, we will sing a few easy songs and then on to vocal warm-up exercises, including solfege exercises (do, re, mi...). Thirdly, we work on concert songs and Christmas carols (for the Fall semester). Fourthly, we do movement songs to get the wiggles out and just have fun. After a bathroom and water break, we finish with lessons using simple classroom instruments (such as triangles, thythm sticks, homemade tambourines, handbells, boomwhackers, etc) to teach reading music, rhythm values, melodies and harmonies as appropriate for their skill level. Additionally, we like to encourage new friendships to develop which we hope will last a lifetime as I have seeen in my own adult children's lives! And lastly, we showcase what we have learned and especially what the children seemed to enjoy most, at our Spring Concert.
All supplies will be provided.
Payment: cash or check to be given on the first day of each semester or by mail: 4 Spoor Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
Pre-School Art (Ages 4-5)
Teacher: Veronica Stouter
Contact: veronica@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $60 (1st semester $30, 2nd semester $30)
The goal of this class is to encourage observation and awareness of God’s creation, and to see creative skills as a gift from God. We will explore the elements of design, touch on a few classic artists, sample different techniques and materials, and most of all have fun expressing ourselves together! Examples from each student will be displayed at the end of the year concert/art show.
I am a graduate of Pratt Institute with a BA in Communication Design. I look forward to meeting everyone and learning about art basics together!
*Special Note: Class will be 45 minutes instead of the full hour*
Supplies: Supplies will be provided
Payment: In person on the first day of class or by Venmo @Caleb-Stouter (please send as family/friend and list your student's name in the memo)
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
High School Choir (Ages 13+)
Director: Georgia Santo
Contact: georgia@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $120 (1st semester $60, due upon registration, 2nd semester $60 due January 26th)
Sibling discount available.
This will be a 19 week program that culminates with a concert on April 25th. Students will learn proper, healthy singing technique, part singing, sight singing, choral reading, daily warmups, and will experience a variety of musical styles and cultures as well as the joy of singing together as a choir. Students should be prepared to work hard and diligently practice their parts at home as each part is important to the whole. Students will come away stronger, more confident musicians and enjoy the teamwork with friends.
I graduated from the Crane School of Music with a bachelor’s in music education. Going on to teach General Music and Choir in my former elementary school, we soon had our first child. From that point on we decided to homeschool our five children. Three have graduated and I have two wonderful teenage boys with me now. We have loved the opportunity to bring the Agape program to fellow homeschooling families as a way to glorify God in developing these skills, gifts, and creative interests in children. Agape is the word for God’s unique love and, above all things, we aim to create an atmosphere that reflects this; thus we focus on a safe, encouraging learning environment where children can grow.
Supplies Provided: choral music and sight singing prints
Supplies Needed: pocket folder, pencil, highlighter
Payment by mail: 149 Rombout Rd Poughkeepsie, NY 12603 or Paypal: gsantoagape@gmail.com or Venmo: @gsantoagape (please send as family/friend and list your student's name in the memo)
Musical Drama (Ages 9-13) – Students must be registered for both Musical Choir & Musical Drama.
Director: Alicia Donnelly
Contact: alicia@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $140 (1st semester $70 due upon registration, 2nd semester $70 due 1/26th)
Sibling discount available.
Hi! My name is Alicia Donnelly and I have been homeschooling for the past 23 years. Three of my children are grown and my 4th, Matthew is in 11th grade. I will be teaching drama this year at Agape. I have directed other plays and skits as well. My hope is that your children will love acting and demonstrating God’s love through the performing arts! I have always loved performing. As a child and teen I took dance and voice classes. I would always perform in our church plays and skits as well as recitals. Since becoming a homeschooling mom I had a vision for incorporating drama into homeschooling. I have taught in co-ops over the last 18 years.
This will be a 24 week program that coincides with the 9-13 drama class. We will culminate with a production of, ‘GodSquad’ created by Christy Semsen, arranged by Daniel Semsen. Students will learn to sing in a choir, act, and experience performing our final show in May. GodSquad is a fun, energetic musical about taking up the Armor of God to battle the Dominion of ME and is sure to inspire kids to stand strong in faith within these days. We will have speaking parts, choreography for the songs and skits within the singing. I plan on teaching the basic elements of acting and using drama games as tools for learning. We will also be learning about puppetry this year.
Supplies Provided: Book and CD
Supplies Needed: Folder with paper and pencil, costumes
Payment: 76 West Long Meadow Drive Staatsburg, NY 12580 or Paypal – makdonnelly@yahoo.com friends and family, please.
*Please review dates of classes and performance to be certain of your ability to commit to the full program.
Please note: Parent/Student Meeting August 25th 3pm, Student Part Audition September 8th
Middle School Artistic Poetry (Ages 9-12)
Teacher: Kelly Kochem
Contact: kelly@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $150 (1st semester $75, 2nd semester $75)
Unleash creativity in this class that blends poetry with visual art. Students will explore a range of poetic forms and skills such as symbolism, sensory, synonyms, noun verse, diamante, haiku, found poetry, and cinquain. They will create artwork inspired by their writing and will cover print art, decoupage, texture art, masking art, collage, pointillism, positive and negative, watercolor wash, and paper weaving.
All materials will be provided and students will complete the year with a bound poetry/art book.
Elementary Art (Ages 6-8)
Teacher: Brianna Brigante
Contact: brianna@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $200 ($100 first semester, $100 second semester)
Hello everyone! My name is Brianna Brigante and I’m thrilled to have been asked to join this community that I’ve heard so many wonderful things about and have considered joining for some time now. I’m a homeschooling mother of three elementary aged children and have been instructing and fostering the love of art and it’s foundational elements consistently for the last three years in our other communities and am so excited to do so at Agape for your children!
Each week we will discover a new style and/or medium of art, learn about it’s place in history, the artists that made their mark with them and lots of fundamental techniques along the way. I’ll also be incorporating lesson prompts that glorify the Lord in our use of color, creativity, skill and looking to His creation and scripture as inspiration for the beautiful masterpieces we create.
Payment: Venmo preferred, but check or cash accepted; Venmo: @Brianna-Brigante (last 4 digits 9487)
Elementary Drama & Art (Ages 6-8)
Teacher: Jaime Stemkowski & Katherine Nathan
Contact: jaime@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $75 (due in full by 9/22)
Noah’s Ark - A Journey of Faith, Creativity, and Joy!
With hearts full of love and dedication, we are thrilled to guide your children through a fun and meaningful adventure this year! Combining our shared passion for drama, art, and teaching, we will dive into the biblical account of Noah’s Ark through weekly devotionals, improvisation, and creative art projects that all work together to support our joyful, end-of-year performance.
Throughout the year, students will explore themes of obedience, faith, and God’s promises, discovering how these truths apply to their own lives. Our drama goals include building confidence in public speaking, learning how to express emotion through movement and voice, working cooperatively as a team, and telling a meaningful story in a way that honors God.
In art, students will engage in hands-on creativity—designing and constructing props, crafting set pieces, and imagining the world of Noah’s Ark through visual storytelling. Their artistic contributions will help shape the stage and bring the story to life with color, imagination, and intention.
We are so excited to walk alongside your children in this experience and watch them shine as they grow in their gifts, confidence, and love for God’s Word. It is our joy to teach, encourage, and help them share the gospel through drama and art!
Performance Details: Black crew neck tee and black pants needed for performance.
In addition to regularly scheduled classes, children will need to stay until 4:15 pm (an additional 50 min after class) to practice on stage in the sanctuary on: March 23rd, March 30th, April 13th and April 20th.
*Please review dates of classes and performance to be certain of your ability to commit to the full program. Thank you!
Payment: Cash or Venmo - @jaime-stemkowski (last 4 digits 1876)
Pre-school Music (Ages 4-5)
Teacher: Jennifer Mery
Contact: jennifer@agapemusicarts.com
Cost: $100 (1st semester $50, 2nd semester $50)
10% Sibling discount available.
Hi, My name is Jennifer Mery. I was a homeschooling mother of eight, and now I am a homeschooling grandmother of many more. I love Jesus, Family, Church, the Bible, Homeschooling and Worshiping the Lord through music. I studied Music Education at The King's College in Briarcliff, New York and several instruments privately from a young age. My mother, a professional opera singer, passed down her love for music to all of her children. I love every aspect of teaching general music to children. I especially love to convince them that they can do more than they believe they can! Additionally, we like to encourage new friendships to develop which we hope will last a lifetime!
For pre-school music, my assistant teachers and I begin with prayer and a bible memory verse. Next, we sing a few familiar and easy-to-learn songs to warm up. Thirdly, we use a lot of movement with our song choices, including a bit of American Sign Language, colorful bandanas, homemade rice shakers, homemade tambourines, etc. Then comes their bathroom and water break (please bring water bottles that are clearly marked with their first and last name). Finally, we learn rhythm values using clapping and simple classroom instruments such as rhythm sticks, jinglebell bracelets and triangles. These rhythm exercises will give them a good foundation to learn how to read music in a future music class.
All supplies will be provided.
Payment: cash or check to be given on the first day of each semester or by mail: 4 Spoor Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603