Information about the Instructors for the Arts Enrichment Program:
Claire Sendejas (Crafts on Mondays):
Claire Gabrielle Sendejas
has a Master’s degree in Waldorf Education from Antioch University of New
England, where she studied Waldorf Education as well as Integrated Learning, and
a Bachelor’s degree in Literary Studies from the University of Houston. She is
constantly inspired and excited by the Waldorf Curriculum and the vast
knowledge and wisdom it has brought to her personal life. She takes great
delight in helping children express themselves through artistic creativity, as
well as guiding children to appreciate and love our earth and all of its
creatures. Claire enjoys being in nature, practicing yoga, and writing poetry.
In addition to teaching
crafts on Mondays, Claire organizes and supervises the children during free
play, games and movement activities Mondays through Thursdays.
Emily Duncan (Music on Tuesdays):
Emily Duncan Tobar began
her career in music at the age of 7, taking private piano lessons with Melanie
Bryant. Two years later she was selected to be a part of the Green Valley
Elementary Honor Choir. She continued her study of piano throughout middle
school and was part of North Shore Middle School’s Women’s and Concert Choir
under the direction of Enrique Collazo. Emily went on to take a brief
break from piano study to focus on Choir, Theater, and Musical Theater at North
Shore High School where she was in the top chorus for 2 years. She began
studying with private choice teachers and performed in the musicals God Spell and Working under the direction of Steve Finley. She has competed in
numerous UIL Solo & Ensemble competitions as well as One Act Plays for
theater.
After graduating from
North Shore H.S. she was accepted to the music school at St. Mary’s Univ. in
San Antonio where she received scholarships for both academics and music
performance. At St. Mary’s she continued her study of piano with Emmett
Vokes, Master Tutor of Piano and her study of voice with Dr. Evelyn Troxler,
DMA. She studied music history, theory and composition and was part of the Coro
and Camera Santa Maria choirs. In December 2004 she completed her B.A. in Music
with a focus in Vocal Performance. Emily now resides in Houston with her
husband and 3 year old son.
Tito Ramos (Woodworking on Wednesdays):
Tito Ramos has been
working as art conservator for Balinskas, a master art conservation company
based out of Houston TX, for seven years. He specializes in Ming Dynasty wood conservation
and Colonial Indian architectural elements. Tito also has experience as a
woodworker, custom cabinet designer, and furniture maker. Tito is looking
forward to working with the children of Bayou Village School. His first project
will be guiding the children through the construction of bird houses, which
will be featured at our school!
Kate Megear (Creative Writing on Thursdays):
Kate Megear recently
received her M.F.A. in fiction writing from the University of Florida.
Previously she earned an M.A. in English from the University of New
Hampshire. While there, she worked as a poetry intern forThe Paris Review and was awarded the Thomas Williams Memorial Award
for excellence in fiction writing. She has worked as a reader and editor for
several other major literary magazines and was published last summer in
Houston's own NANO Fiction.
Kate has taught creative
writing to high school students at the Young Writers' Workshop at the Univ. of
Virginia and has taught various writing courses to undergraduates at the Univ.
of Florida and elsewhere. Since moving to Houston she has worked with
Writers in the School (WITS) and taught English at Houston Community College.
Presently Kate is busy working as a freelance magazine writer and taking care
of her two small children. In the classes she teaches--through various poems,
storytelling and exercises--she hopes to nurture an enduring love for words and
using one's imagination.
