The Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA) will open for its 36th season on September 10th. Returning students, as well as those students new to the school, will be welcomed for all programs in FSPA’s departments Music, Dance, and Drama. All FSPA classes will be taught in-person or in a hybrid format, alternating weeks. Students may elect to take all classes virtually, if preferred.
FSPA’s COVID-19 Control Plan was developed in accordance with the Mass.gov/Reopening Massachusetts guidelines. Updates to procedures and practices are made as new information becomes available. The school reopened for in-person instruction on June 29th and summer classes and camps ran throughout the summer months.
FSPA Founder and Director Raye Lynn Mercer remarks, “This is an unprecedented year for one and all, and it has required creative thinking, flexibility, and tenacity to problem solve our way to FSPA’s Fall 2020 opening. Our faculty and staff have worked diligently through this challenging time and after a summer of research and experience, we are enthusiastic and ready to start the school year.”
New students are welcome and trial classes are available. Prospective students are invited to make an appointment to come in for a tour and to discuss program options. As an alternative, previously conducted virtual tours can be viewed on the FSPA Facebook page.
According to Mercer, “Fall 2020 is a time when many in-school activities, sports, and extracurricular opportunities are in flux. This is a perfect time to try something new! FSPA offers trial classes and a chance to see what our programs are about, without a commitment. We look forward to meeting new families this fall, even while under unusual circumstances.”
Proudly serving more than 500 students annually from 45 communities in Massachusetts’ Metro West region, the Franklin School for the Performing Arts is committed to quality education in the arts with exceptional curriculum, outstanding professional faculty, and unwavering dedication to each and every student enrolled. Founded in 1985, FSPA is a unique place where students of all ages and levels of ability participate in an array of music, dance, and drama programs with professional instruction and extraordinary performing opportunities.
With broad-based and varied curricula, FSPA guides students in the development of technique, creativity, and artistic expression to last a lifetime. FSPA’s faculty boasts outstanding professional artists including a roster of Broadway performers and teachers who are experts in their genre and discipline. The impressive faculty credentials are indicative of the excellent instruction available in all programs at FSPA. Instructors strive to meet the individual needs of each student, working to develop each student’s abilities to his or her own potential.
Performance is an integral part of an FSPA arts education and the school offers unrivaled performing opportunities for students throughout the year. On the calendar annually are student recitals, concerts by faculty and guest artists, master classes, student showcases, holiday shows, the school’s signature Spring Concert, and summer camps and intensives. In addition, for students whose level of interest is more focused, there are special performing ensemble opportunities available by audition.
FSPA Academy, located at 32 Main Street, provides an academic option for students in grades 6-12. With the flexibility of a virtual education, the practicality and consistency of a schoolroom, and the oversight of learning coaches, FSPA Academy partners with TECCA, a virtual Massachusetts Public School, as well as the international private school Pearson Academy.
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| Franklin School for the Performing Arts |
The curricula are taught by licensed, certified teachers through a combination of Live Lessons and individual assignments. The flexibility of FSPA Academy can accommodate professional opportunities as well as rehearsal and performance schedules for aspiring artists, but serves so many students who value a cultural e This year it also provides a viable alternative for learning during this challenging time for the public schools for students who may not work effectively at home.
“FSPA Academy can accommodate professional opportunities as well as rehearsal and performance schedules for aspiring artists,” comments Mercer, “but it also provides a wonderful setting for students who value a structured, supportive and encouraging environment with a cultural emphasis. Certainly right now, we have an option for those who might find the at-home virtual learning less than successful.”
THE BLACK BOX, home of the Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC), a 200-seat flexible theater located behind FSPA, provides a professional venue for FSPA student productions, while FPAC offers opportunities by audition for student performers.
For more information about FSPA and its programs, visit www.FSPAonline.com, call 508-528-8668, or stop by 38 Main Street in Franklin. Follow FSPA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
