Who are we?
ACAT is a low to no-cost, after-school music and arts enrichment program that offers all Haverhill children the opportunity to explore their boundless creativity and musicality.
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Classes start Thursday, September 26!
ACAT’s after-school music and arts program meets each Thursday during the school year and provides children in grades 1 through 8 a safe and welcoming space to explore their creativity and musicality through instrumental, theatre and, art classes.
ACAT classes are held each Thursday afternoon from 3:30 to 6:00 from September 26 through May 8.
At ACAT, kids are welcomed with healthy snacks during an open time while they transition from school, work on homework, or engage in a quiet, creative project before heading off to two 40-minute class sessions.
We offer music classes in piano, guitar, or violin as well as theater, art, and graphic design. Kids have fun exploring the arts, expressing themselves creatively, while building confidence and community as they share their learning with family and friends during two performance recitals held in December and May.
What an ACAT afternoon looks like
3:30 - 4:15 Snacks / homework or quiet creative time
Kids are greeted, checked in and welcomed to enjoy some snacks and time to
settle in, work on some homework or engage in a quiet creative project.
4:15 - 4:30 Announcements / Circle-time
We begin each week with a gathering song followed by a check-in with
one another and a centering exercise.
4:30 - 5:50 Class Time
Kids head off with teachers and mentors to their first 40-minute class followed by
a brief transition check-in before heading off to their second 40-minute class.
5:50 - 6:00 Closings and Pick up
We gather back together for a brief clean-up while waiting on parent/caregiver
pick up.
Check out our new summer program!
The Academy of Creative Arts at Trinity
ACAT Summer Workshop: Fun with the Creative Arts
Presents
Music & Lyrics by
Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman & Terry Gilkyson
Book Adapted & Additional Lyrics by
Marcy Heisler
Music Adapted & Arranged by
Bryan Louiselle
Based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling & the Disney film
Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS is presented through special arrangement with and all
authorized materials are supplied by Music Theatre International.
421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019
Script, music, and all other material © 2016 Disney
Broadway Junior and MTI’s Broadway Junior Collection are trademarks
of Music Theatre International. All rights reserved.
Our Summer Theatre Workshop is FULL and registration is closed. Thank you to all who have registered!
Join ACAT this summer from July 29th through August 2nd for a week-long musical theatre workshop for kids ages 6-15. Teacher and Director, Deirdre Budzyna returns to share her great talents, creativity and love of theatre while engaging kids in learning acting skills, designing artistic set pieces and building friendships while creating a special multicultural telling of the story of The Jungle Book.
The jungle is jumpin' with jazz in this exciting adaptation of the classic Disney animated feature The Jungle Book. Join Mowgli, Baloo, King Louie and the gang as they swing their way through madcap adventures and thwart the ferocious tiger, Shere Khan. Adapted especially for young performers, this musical includes favorite Disney songs including “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan'na Be Like You.” With colorful characters and that toe-tapping jungle rhythm, The Jungle Book KIDS is sure to be a crowd-pleaser for all ages.
There is no cost to participate in this program. Advanced registration is required.
Summer Theatre Workshop 2023
ACAT’s annual Summer Theatre Worksop was a bilingual presentation of Disney’s Frozen KIDS! at 26 White St., Haverhill, from July 24 to 28, 2023. Thanks to the support of the Haverhill Cultural Council, generous donors, and volunteers, our kids had a great learning experience and were able to share the fun with their families and community.
School Year Program
ACAT is a low-cost after-school music and arts program for Greater Haverhill children in grades 1 to 8. The low-cost program provides all children an opportunity to explore their boundless creativity and musicality through vocal, instrumental, theatre and art classes.
The 2023-24 fall session starts September 28 and classes meet Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. inside Trinity Church at 26 White St., Haverhill.
Registration is only $10 per student with a discount for siblings and scholarships are available. No child will be excluded for financial reasons. For more information, contact Kerry Anne Kilkelly at kakilkelly@urbanbridgesinc.org, or call 978-457-1538.
Register for ACAT Today!
ACAT is a low-cost after-school music and arts program that gives children the opportunity to explore their boundless creativity and musicality. We offer instrument classes in guitar, violin and piano, as well as theatre and art. No prior experience is needed to take part.
Classes meet Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. from September to May inside the Trinity Church at 26 White St., Haverhill.
Registration is only $10 per student with a discount for siblings and scholarships are available.
We are proud to participate in the Card to Culture program, a collaboration between Mass Cultural Council and the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, and the Massachusetts Health Connector, by breaking down the financial barriers to cultural programming. Children of EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholding families receive free admission. No child will be excluded for financial reasons. For registration forms or more information, email kakilkelly@urbanbridgesinc.org or call/text us at 978-457-1538.
Our Teachers are the foundation of our program. Every child deserves to learn from the best. All our ACAT teachers are professional musicians and artists that love children, inspire them to be creative, and provide them with a life-long appreciation for the arts.
Interested?
Learn about what makes our program different.
ACAT Teachers
Dream it.
David Talmage (Guitar) has won awards as a songwriter, banjo and fiddle player. He loves entertaining, and teaching and working at ACAT is one of the things he finds most rewarding in life.
“Mr. Dave” has been with the program since 2011.
Build it.
Jan High (Violin) has played violin since Elementary School, and taught at ACAT since the second year of the program’s existence, Jan has certification to teach the Suzuki Method through Book 3. She also plays with the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra. She looks forward to another year of working with our wonderful students!
Noah Greenstein (Theatre) is an actor, graphic artist, and social media coordinator. He holds a BA in Graphic Design from Northern Vermont University and AA in Art from Northern Essex Community College. On stage, he originated the role of Harold in Rite of Passage, appeared as the Gaoler in Saltonstall’s Trail (which was voted Best Ensemble by BroadwayWorld Boston), appeared in the Equity production of No Victors, No Vanquished in Boston, and as Oliver in Puffs.
Kerry Anne Kilkelly (Theatre/Arts) is our new ACAT Director. She studied Graphic Design, Communications and Theatre at Endicott College in Beverly and Suffolk University in Boston and has spent years engaged in varying aspects of stage theatre and film work.
Grow it.
John Churchwell (Piano) teaches Group Piano for ACAT and enjoys teaching piano to beginner students. He has been playing the piano for 40 years. and the organ for 35 years. He is the Music Director for Trinity Episcopal Church in Haverhill. Mr. John is from Arkansas, so be prepared for his accent! teaches Group Piano for ACAT and enjoys teaching piano to beginner students. He has been playing the piano for 40 years. and the organ for 35 years. He is the Music Director for Trinity Episcopal Church in Haverhill. Mr. John is from Arkansas, so be prepared for his accent!
Our Community Partners
Trinity Church, Haverhill
Boston Church of Christ
Merrimack Valley Community Action
Head Start Early Intervention
Haverhill Citizens Center
The Giving Tree
City of Haverhill
MakeIT Haverhill
Merrimack Valley Project
Our Financial Partners
Haverhill Cultural Council
Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund
Church of the Good Shepherd, Reading
Trustees of the Sears and Other Funds
Calvary Baptist Church, Haverhill
City of Haverhill
Trinity Church, Haverhill
Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
Mass Cultural Council
Second Church, Boxford
Pentucket Bank