Education & Classes in Wichita

Instructors at Vance Music, including many members of the Vance family, draw on more than a century's worth of collective teaching experience to introduce children and adults to singing or musical expression. The school, which originally opened 60 years ago in Kansas City, teaches all styles while carrying on the tradition of classical music practiced by the Vance family's patriarch, Chester S. Vance, an accomplished pianist who toured with USO shows as a World War II veteran. Now, students at Vance can study 28 concentrations, including theory, composition, and performance with instrument or voice and experiment with varying styles of music without bringing an electric guitar into the shower.

Pro Ski and Scuba, a PADI five-star IDC facility, shares the basics of breathing underwater in the two-hour Discover Scuba Diving Experience led by certified instructors with more than 25 years of combined experience. The controlled pool environment keeps things safe and simple for all involved as instructors acquaint students with provided dive equipment as well as aquatic dos and don'ts culled from their vast, ocean-like expanses of knowledge. During the 2.5-hour class, students practice ascents, descents, and anglerfish impressions. Although students aren't certified to dive after one class, the Discover Scuba Diving Experience’s skills can be credited toward PADI open-water certification should class-goers decide to pursue an underwater graduate degree. Those who prefer to dive in groups can bring along up to three friends, and kids ages eight to 12 can forgo conventional birthday parties for a celebration in Pro Ski and Scuba’s pool with up to eight friends and two adults. Birthday parties often span 2.5 hours, and for an additional $20, Pro Ski will provide a birthday cake and silverware.

Wichita Fencing Academy was established in the late 1970s to educate, instruct, and advance the sport of fencing in Kansas. Today, having produced regional, national, and international competitors, and as a member of the United States Fencing Association, the academy continues to sharpen skills of both beginner and advanced fencers behind its prominent red door. Current head coach William Wells is third in a short list of renowned maestros, which includes Herman Bonner, under whose direction the academy began functioning strictly as an all-epee club and stopped forcing less-advanced students to duel with crazy straws. Those coaches have continuously shared their knowledge at the academy's year-round schedule of events, highlighted by lessons and tournaments.

In order to get a group photo with every student from their weekly classes, the instructors at Danceintime have to use a panoramic lens. Numerous excited pairs and singles fill the dance floor at the Wichita Moose Lodge on Monday evenings, moving along to lively music that shifts between blues, country, oldies, rock ‘n’ roll, and swing. Partners are not required for the classes, and there are sessions geared toward beginners and more advanced students. The scene grows extra festive around holidays, such as Halloween (when students are encouraged to come in costume) and Christmas (when students must perform all moves inside of a chimney).

Most folks take their dates to a fancy restaurant or a movie theater, but DWTA Helicopters can lead couples to romance at a less conventional locale: the sky. The FAA- and DOT-certified commercial-aircraft carrier whisks guests upward on intimate flights for two, airborne tours of wintertime’s holiday light displays, and jaunts geared toward aerial photography and videography sessions. Flights launch in 30 minutes or less, and the veteran pilots chart their courses with satellite navigation and tracking systems, rather than just following the biggest and strongest seagull. Those who aspire to become pilots themselves can learn skills at the carrier’s ground school, which prepares them for the FAA pilot exam and welcomes them to the skies with an included discovery flight.

Students at Paul Mitchell the School Honolulu learn techniques cultivated by the widely acclaimed brand that has received many honors, including mentions in Esquire, Seventeen, and Allure magazines. The school’s pupils prettify clients with a host of guest services including manicures, haircuts, color treatments, perms, and updos to match the ice sculptures you saw at your cousin’s wedding.