Education & Classes in Salem

Founded by passionate nutritionist and Western Culinary Institute graduate Julie Merry, The Merry Kitchen is geared toward teaching healthy, seasonal cooking to students of all ages. Each class holds eight to 10 kids, ensuring all junior chefs will receive a high level of attention. Upcoming subjects include the science of baking Disney Princess Dishes for kids ages 5–10 on July 10 and the art of Off to College Quick Meals for teens ages 16–18 on July 25. Most classes run two hours and include all necessary materials. Check out the calendar for an overview of upcoming classes.

Staffed entirely by DMV–certified instructors, Oregon Driver Education Center has been filling potholes in the knowledge of novice and experienced drivers since 1987. The center's masters of the open road send teens and adults on the path to earning their driver's licenses and maintaining clean driving records with comprehensive DMV drive test prep courses and defense driving classes. With an intimate understanding of the unique challenges facing Oregonian motorists, ODEC also offers an Xtreme Driver Control course that focuses on navigating vehicles through rain, ice, and throngs of rabid snowmen. Additionally, the center's specialty courses teach precautionary practices to medically at-risk drivers.

After an eight-year career in minor-league baseball, Coach Victor Hernandez went on to instruct hitting in 1986 at Eastern Oregon University, where he helped the team set most of its hitting records that still stand today. These days, Coach Vic teaches youth baseball players the same philosophies that penned EOU into the record books. At his indoor facility, he perfects students' hitting techniques in a professional batting cage furnished with a Home Plate pitching machine that lobs baseballs at speeds of up to 90 mph. The multitalented pitching apparatus can throw fastballs, curveballs, sinkers, sliders, change-ups, and kitchen sinks with a slight rising action, emulating various in-game situations with pinpoint accuracy. Softball players can also hone their hitting fundamentals similarly with the cage's Atec fast-pitch softball machine.

During one-on-one or group sessions, Coach Vic unveils the elements of a homerun swing, including proper stance, bat grip, and load. Through a series of drills, he gets batters to focus on proper hand action through the hitting zone and teaches them how to repeat the motion in every swing. As an all-around baseball player himself, Coach Vic can also instruct pitching mechanics.

As the middle child in a large family of lawyers, it took Carole Murphy 40 years to embrace her artistic destiny. Now nearly 20 years after her first exhibition at the Robert Paul Gallery in Burlington, Vermont, Murphy’s works have been seen in more than two dozen galleries, museums, and art centers. An established expert in the field, Carole contributed a spotlight piece on her specialty medium, aerated cement, in a 2007 issue of Sculpture Journal, and her 15 years of teaching experience ensure classes engage participants with student-designed projects and individualized attention.

Like many artists, lifelong guitarist Christian Johnson found himself stuck in an office job for several years. But it wasn’t enough to silence the music in his head. Motivated by his frustration and his encyclopedic knowledge of the ax, he opened Adrian Guitars in 2002 before changing the name to Blue Dot Guitars. During lessons, Johnson pulls from three decades of playing and teaching experience to assist students of all ages and skill levels in tackling the guitar. He honed his own musical prowess at Musicians Institute, where he studied with virtuosos such as jazz great Joe Diorio. As a Fender-authorized warranty technician, Johnson also specializes in guitar repairs, including regluing broken bridges or replacing snapped strings with durable strands of spaghetti.

Bollywood Dreams’ DJ and dance instructor Prashant expresses himself in the international language of dance with undeniable exuberance and contagious energy. Prashant teaches a variety of styles at local colleges and demonstrates his performance prowess with two Portland-area Bollywood bands. Prashant’s monthly dance parties at The Crystal Ballroom give students an opportunity to strut new choreographies while he spins Bollywood and Bhangra tunes.