The Jazz Honor Band, under the direction of Keith Simmons, rehearses during the first week of the Paramount Arts Center Summer Camps on Monday. (The Ironton Tribune | Heath Harrison)

Paramount kicks off first session of arts camps

ASHLAND, Ky. — School may be out for the summer, but children and teens in the Tri-State have an opportunity to keep an arts education going this summer.

The Paramount Arts Center, located in Ashland, Kentucky, hosted the first week of their annual summer arts camps this week.

The week featured two classes.

The first was a theater class, taught by Matt Hammonds, the center’s education director, in which students spent the week working toward a production of a musical of Winnie the Pooh.”

On Monday, children were rehearsing dance steps and auditioning for the parts of the musical show.

In following days, they worked toward a full show on Friday, open to the community and families.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Keith Simmons was in charge of the Jazz Honor Band.

The group, comprised of high school students from throughout the Tri-State, were gearing up for a Friday concert at the theater, where they will perform with Big Blitz Jazz Band.

Following the conclusion of week one, the camps will take a break until July 22, Leslie Hammonds, camp coordinator, said.

Week two has morning classes, including yoga and art. Evening classes include art and a prop building class for a production of “Peter Pan.”

This week will also feature Let Them Rock, a performance-based music education experience, hosted by Art Lima and his wife, Jamie, who is a Lawrence County native.

This class will conclude with a live performance by students at 7 p.m. on July 25, playing a set of popular rock songs together as a band. They will open for the Summer camp production of “Peter Pan.”

“We are excited to partner with the iconic Paramount Arts Center and bring our performance-based music education experience to aspiring young artists in the Tri-State,” Jamie, who is Let Them Rock’s director, said.

Spots are still available to enroll in the inaugural Rock Performance Camp, which runs from July 21-25.

“This camp is one of a kind for this area! It’s time to give kids the opportunity to be exposed to rock music,” Matt Hammonds said.

Week three, kicking off July 29, will feature an evening fashion class.

Running through both weeks two and three will be a theater class, in which participants will be taken through all aspects of musical production and culminate in the “Peter Pan” production, set for 7:30 p.m. on July 25.

Sign ups are still open for weeks two and three, Hammonds said. For more information, visitwww.paramountartscenter.com or call 606-324-0007.