I am a very experienced musician - I have taken hundreds of music lessons from dozens of teachers,…read moreon a variety of instruments, and even have a performance degree from an elite music school. And I can say that Carol is one of the best, most dedicated and insightful teachers that I have ever encountered. I had a lot of damage from music school - i.e. "drummers can't sing", "you are tone deaf", etc. and Carol helped me move far past that into a place where I can sing comfortably, confidently, and most important of all, have fun doing it! Carol won't try to fit you into some style of music that you don't enjoy - a lot of teachers think that the only "real" singing is classical, jazz, etc. Carol is more of the Bruce Lee philosophy - she doesn't aim to fit you into a certain "style", she is there to help you produce the best sound that your body can make. We all sound different because we have different physical characteristics and backgrounds, and Carol helps you to understand the fundamentals so that you can fully express yourself without strain or injury. She is comfortable with students of all ranges - some of her students were very experienced musicians like me, and others were total beginners. But we all felt that she had helped us progress in a very big way. One of the biggest surprises of my time with Carol is how much healthier I became. As a child I had asthma, but now I think it may have been just bad breathing technique - no one ever taught me how to breathe! Carol showed me how to breathe in a more relaxed and full-body way, which means that I can run faster and longer, and lift more weight at the gym. That was a surprise! I have also noticed that my speaking voice is better - it is easier for me to talk to groups of people with or without a microphone. Now I can speak more clearly, with less strain and without blowing my voice out. My time with Carol was a very deep learning experience, but also a lot of fun; we miss her here in Chicago. Thanks Carol - you changed my life!

Not sure why this is reported as permanently closed. I just took a class there this past weekend…read moreand it was great! I took a beginner woodworking workshop, with Joe as the instructor and loved it. Learning new things in general is fun and even though I have no future in carving wood because of my own lack of patience and skill, I would still take another class! The workshop was all day from 10-5, and the instruction was great, very informative, helpful, and patient. Emphasis on safety while treating us all like adults. High quality tools and equipment that were in great shape, and high quality materials and wood for us to work on. The classes here fill up really fast and there are wait lists for a lot of them. I believe the capacity was five students due to covid, but in the woodshop we were in, there were only six workstations anyway, so I'm guessing the normal class sizes are not big either. Lots of classes on the website and new ones seem to be listed regularly. There's a lot of workshops but I hope they offer more weekly classes. They didn't answer the phone during posted hours but are very responsive and friendly with email response. I'm really looking forward to trying out more here when more classes open up!

This is one of the few folks schools west of the Mississippi. Folk Schools started in the…read moreAppalachian mountains as a way to pass on mountain and folk crafts. Arbutus Folk School always has a wide range of classes, including ceramics, blacksmithing, basketweaving, and other textile arts. There is a small gallery store too. They co-sponsor the Olympia Old Time Music Festival and other music concerts, classes, and a monthly open mike. It's a great place to take classes.

Started with Rainier voice studio after experiencing some pain while singing. The professional…read moreassessment and plan to achieve the outcomes I desired was top notch. John is a rare gem when it comes to vocal coaches. Highly recommend Rainier Voice studio.

My husband and I highly recommend Deb class!!! The class is also super helpful for brand new…read moreparents and also for someone who had children several years ago. Deb does an awesome job of talking about what has changed in the medical field, new best practices, and also facilitates great group discussion. There's no such thing as a silly question in her class. :-) She takes time out to do a tour of St Peter's Hospital and the hospital in olympia. The tour is great because you get to see the birthing centers and/or the rooms that you'll be in. You also get to meet and greet with some of the medical staff that work there. One of the things that stood out for us was that we also got to handle some of medical equipment that will be used during your birth or C-section. While we were looking at all the different types of equipment she was explaining what they're used for in general, the risk to Mom and or baby, and also what the hospital may do in the event of emergency. The videos that she showed during the course we're also very informative and up-to-date.. not like the outdated ones there's a lot of other places show. We found the resources that she gives to be super helpful as well. I actually ended up reaching out to her after the class to find out where I could find additional pumping equipment at the hospital didn't have. She replied within of short period of time and referred me to a store that had exactly what I was looking for. She was a lifesaver. One of the things that my husband said he greatly appreciated was that she also goes over the coaches roles and responsibilities during the birth, gives tips and suggestions for them, but also takes time to recognize what they're going through to. So often it's all about the mom that we tend to forget the coaches are also going through the birthing experience as well. If w could give more than five stars we totally would!!!

Deb is great! The class was very informative and interesting. She provides lots of materials and…read morevideos.

I'm so grateful I found High Impact dance for my daughter last summer. My daughter is very…read moreinterested in ballet, but I was concerned with the "body-image/ diet culture" that can come along with being in dance. Thankfully High Impact dance put an emphasis on the fun of dance and has been perfect for our needs! I find their prices to be very fair too! Would definitely recommend.

We have been coming here for a little while & my daughter LOVES it! She has Ms. Dani as her teacher…read more& she's a sweetheart. I also attend with my almost two year old for the mommy & me class on Tuesdays, it's a lot of fun & very low key. I am so happy we switched to High Impact!

My son spent 2 years with Roots & Rhythms. I'm so grateful for the time he spent with Sarah &…read moreSophia. I'm admittedly a bit overprotective of my kids at times, but from the first day, I felt safe leaving him in their care. It was so nice having him with awesome humans who not only kept him safe and engaged, they taught him how to be a part of a community. I love that it was a mix of ages and that he got to be outside. I believe he's an even better person for the time spent and attention received. He learned empathy and communication skills that I think will serve him well as we transition into K this fall.

I love R&R. I met them a few years ago while visiting a park with the kid I nanny. We started…read moremeeting up at the parks they were at to play and socialize, and a year later, my nanny kiddo enrolled in their program because we loved them so much. As someone who has worked in various childcare settings, I really appreciate their approach to what they do. Such a huge emphasis on problem solving, interpersonal skills, and social/emotional intelligence in an organic, child-led manner. Sarah, Sophia, and their other employees are experienced, knowledgeable, and will always have your child's whole self and best interests in mind. I cannot recommend this program enough for those seeking an outdoor school. Furthermore, I have gained a community from this program because S & S also emphasize community engagement and being part of the neighborhoods they play it. I've met so many lovely families and seen so much chosen family form. It's a beautiful thing!

My girls have been attending classes here for 3 years. They have come home with THE most amazing…read moreartwork! Jenean has done an awesome job challenging them to grow as artists!! They absolutely love to go and are always talking about how much fun they have when they are there. My 6 year old got to go for the first time this summer and she was over the moon about it. I just love to see how proud they are of themselves and see their smiling faces as they rush to show me what they did that day. It really is one of the best things I have found in Olympia.

We LOVED our class. We took the level 1 class when my daughter was around 9 months old and now…read moreshe's 21 months and will randomly use a sign that we learned that I haven't used in quite some time. My Smart Hands has fun songs that our daughter loves to listen to which helped me remember the signs and made learning fun. Alison is extremely patient and creative with several little tricks to help you use the signs regularly. I highly recommend taking this class. Thank you Alison!

My 9-month-old and I took the Level 1 class (six weekly 45-min sessions), and we loved it!! It's…read moremostly designed for the parents, but my son enjoyed listening to all the fun songs, watching our hand motions, and playing with the other kids. The atmosphere in our session was family-friendly and casual, with lots of opportunities to ask questions and interact with one another. The CD that came with the manual has all the silly songs on it, so we can practice at home. The manual shows pictures for how to do all the signs, but having the instructor there to do the signs in person and correct our hand motions made a huge difference. The instructor, Alison, even showed us how to sign one of our family favorites: The Very Hungry Catterpillar. I am amazed at how many signs I actually learned by the end of 6 weeks. I recommend this for families of babies ages 4-months to 1 1/2 yrs old. We're looking forward to taking Level 2 pretty soon!