Education & Classes in Saint Matthews

When Louisville Lens Photography’s photographers arrive at clients’ homes or at such outdoor locales as Cherokee Park and Yew Dell Botanical Gardens, they start each session with all of their camera equipment tucked inside their carrying cases. They do this so that they can get to know their clients and make them feel as comfortable as possible. After engaging in friendly conversation or playing a handful of children’s games, the photography pros begin snapping photos designed to capture the subject’s true personality. Their most popular sessions feature kids, parents-to-be, seniors, couples in love, and couples idly perusing a takeout menu. The staff also leads photography workshops for novice photographers that take place outdoors, showing students how to light and compose artistic shots.

When the rooms of The Sutton Studio for the Performing Arts aren’t resonating with piano chords, dance music, monologues, or melodies, they’re filled with insightful declamations from the highly experienced staff. Artistic director Jamie Lynn Gilliam leads the talented troupe, bringing more than 25 years of musical-theater experience that include dancing in professional productions and convincing Robert De Niro’s family that she was Robert De Niro. Her lieutenants include Kathy Todd Chaney, formerly of Kathy Todd Dance Studio, and several of the studio’s graduates, who teach tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop steps. Piano instructor Lynnette Jones has been playing piano for 27 years and acting teacher Josh Gilliam has performed in several professional productions since he graduated from Otterbein University’s musical-theater program. All this expertise fills The Sutton Studio’s two locations and unfolds during an array of classes, performances, and even private birthday parties.

The seasoned sky jockeys at Cardinal Wings Aviation arm students with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the wild blue yonder. Calling upon thousands of professional hours and experience flying in all weather situations, these instructors command a fleet of metal birds that includes a single-engine Cessna and a Cirrus aircraft with a glass cockpit. Flights take off from Bowman Field and once in the air, students can work toward their pilot certification, gleaning hours for their logbooks as well as autographs of famous clouds.

As a boy, Brandon Morton indulged his fascination with airplanes and flying by going to every aviation show he could. Today, with more 3,500 hours of flight time—including more than 1,800 hours of flight instruction—he shares his passion for flying at NexGen Aviation where he works alongside co-owner and accomplished jet pilot Dale Gillispie, who has more than 10 years of flying experience.

From Bluegrass Field Airport, Brandon and Dale maintain a fleet of two Piper Warrior planes for single-engine training and a Diamond DA-42 Twin Star for multi-engine training—each highly engineered aircrafts that boast solid safety statistics. It is also here that the owners and their fellow instructors teach students through a blend of theoretical classroom work and hands-on scenario training. Through these courses, they prepare aspiring pilots to apply for their private, commercial, or professional pilot license. Further services range from sightseeing flights and aircraft sales and management to tutorials on how to properly fold a paper airplane.

The phone rings. Michael Clark picks it up. "He made it," the father of one of Phenom Baseball Academy's students exclaims over the line. "He made the team." Michael, a former pro-baseball player and current local scout for the San Diego Padres, has received this call from many parents. He started the academy after his time as a high-school coach put him face-to-face with numerous youth players who would try out for his team and clearly struggle, suffering from a lack of sound fundamentals. Michael and his group of seasoned coaches lead their group and individual training sessions inside a 4,700-square-foot training facility, which is furnished with quality field turf and three batting cages. During sessions, players aged 8–18 years old move about the expansive field, hitting, catching, and throwing under the guidance of up to four instructors. Parents who want to watch can do so from the upstairs viewing area, which positions them safely away from flying balls and the catcher's hand-signal requests for a juice box.

A former University of Kentucky Dance Cat with more than 20 years of teaching experience, Traci Stone works to expand the dance community through recreational and competitive adult and youth classes. Whether putting together a fun routine or just allowing wee ones to wiggle out a chronic case of sillies, Traci’s team targets children’s imaginations with colorful costumes and annual performance exhibitions. For those who’ve long since traded their baby teeth for an investment portfolio, adult classes explore the basic techniques of ballet, tap, and belly dancing. Pointed toes and swaying stomachs take to the hardwood floor as natural light spills across Artistry in Motion's expansive studio, making bare and tap-clad feet dance more happily.