Viva the Music! New Performing Arts School Coming to Town

A new school is coming soon to Daniel Island. It will be a place where students will learn to read, garner new skills and more. But this school is different than other educational institutions on the island… Here, students as young as 3 years old will learn these new skills on miniature violins!

The Viva! Charleston Performing Arts School will launch its first program, Suzuki Strings, on August 31 at Summit Place of Daniel Island. This program teaches students to play the violin using miniature versions of the instrument. Before getting started on the real thing, the first assignment is for students to create their own “box” violins out of cardboard so they can begin to understand how a violin works and how to play one. Beginning to advanced students are welcome, from pre-schoolers to adults.

In the next several months, the Viva! Charleston Performing Arts School plans to add additional programs including piano, voice and drama, and in January classes and programing will be available at the Daniel Island Academy.

The new school is the brainchild of director Kathy King, a former Mt. Pleasant resident who currently lives in Chicago but wants to return to the Lowcountry some day. Kathy holds a bachelor degree in Piano Performance from Northern Illinois University along with advanced studies in Early Music and Harpsichord from Converse College in Spartanburg. She has been implementing her programming at private schools and performing arts centers throughout the Lowcountry, upstate and northern Illinois for years.

Revered Brazilian violist Camila Meirelles will be teaching the classes here on Daniel Island. Meirelles has performed with nationally and internationally-acclaimed orchestras, and holds her master’s degree and performance certificate from Northern Illinois University.

“Camila is relocating specifically for this project, ” says King, “She’s a beautiful musician and also a wonderful, patient teacher.”

“Daniel Island is the perfect spot for the new Viva! Charleston Performing Arts School,” King says. “You get a sense that it’s a special, close community and that parents really want their children to be well-rounded with a great education and good athletic and cultural opportunities. Now the island offers the perfect opportunity to learn about music and to learn how to play a musical instrument!”

Students and parents who are interested in Viva! Charleston Performing Arts School are invited to attend a “Come & Try” Open House at Summit Place of Daniel Island on Monday, August 31 or Thursday, September 10 at 6:00 pm. For more information, feel free to contact Kathy King at (815) 440-1391 or email hannpianostudios@yahoo.com.