Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Butler.
Hi Kate, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up on a farm in a small town, Remus, in the middle of Michigan. My parents were very supportive of all arts, I participated in dance, orchestra, band, talent shows, musicals, and anything that involved the stage! That led me to audition for the ARMY Band in Detroit, Michigan, and serve for six years Infantry Reserves as a vocalist/flutist while studying music in college.
I recorded my first original album in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Then I moved to Nashville in 1999 seeking a music career after graduating from Cornerstone University with a Bachelor’s in Music, with Vocal Performance Emphasis. I had a great time writing songs, playing shows on Broadway (Nashville), and opening for performers like Restless Heart, Point of Grace, and Johnnyswim. I spent 4 years writing, recording, and performing/traveling with my band called Cherry Rain as the lead vocalist. During my music career, I was fortunate to land sync deals for several of my original songs on CBS and Nickelodeon shows.
That is just a little glimpse of my arts-filled life. Once I started settling down with my loving husband and two children, the life of the road was less appealing and I found myself teaching and guiding young artists that were trying to achieve many of the same goals I had set out to achieve. That led me to rent a room in a dance studio where my three-year-old daughter had started dance classes. Then I hired more music teachers to fill that room every night. Eventually, I had my own space and started an extensive all-arts program to include dance, music lessons, art, aerial silks, musical theatre, and even homeschool tutorial classes. Concordia means harmony, so I chose that name to encompass ALL arts in harmony.
I wanted to create a place where all children and teens felt welcome to study and perform their art, whether it was classical ballet, art, piano, saxophone, tap dance, theatre, silks, or any of the other arts that we offer. Concordia Arts Academy was born in 2015. My daughter, now 15 years old is studying for over 15 hours at Concordia in dance, music, and aerial silks. She also teaches ballet/tap minis and Tap 1. Our son is playing football at Missouri Western State University on an academic and athletic scholarship. My family, including my parents, have always been a huge supporter of my all arts passion.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t been an easy journey. With high rents in Williamson County and trying to keep tuition costs reasonable for families on top of what happened in 2020, I didn’t always know how we would keep Concordia Arts Academy going.
I knew we needed to get our own space in order to make it all make sense, for the longevity of the academy. Joyfully, we are now closing on our own property in Tollgate Village and will be moving our studios there soon. Our community, businesses, families, and friends have pulled together to help me achieve this dream. We raised over $100,000 to put toward our build-out and closing costs so that Concordia Arts Academy could have its own special and safe space to continue educating in all arts.
By June of 2023, we will be all moved into our new space in Tollgate Village and we are VERY excited! I am grateful to this community, my staff, and our families! Concordia will be educating Williamson County children and teens in all arts for many years to come!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What sets Concordia Arts Academy apart from all of the other studios is that we offer it ALL under one roof.
Dance instruction for ages 3-18, including but not limited to classical ballet, tap, jazz, modern, contemporary, acro, Company, and Tap Team. Two performances per year, extra performance opportunities for Tap Team and Company dancers.
Aerial Silks instruction for ages 6-adult: Safe and appropriate leveled instruction in aerial arts. Two performances per year. Music Lessons: weekly lessons in piano, voice, violin, guitar, bass, saxophone, and drums. Two performances per year.
Art: art classes for grades K-12. Musical Theatre and Drama: classes offered for ages 6-18 in musical theatre and drama, including performances each season. Homeschool Tutorials: education and arts-based tutorials for PreK-12th grades.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
To collaborate with us, please reach out to us! We love collaborating with other artists, other studios, and anyone in our community that wants to get involved.
To support what we do, tell all of your friends with children in our area (Nashville, Franklin, Thompson’s Station, Spring Hill, and beyond) about Concordia Arts Academy! We would love to get them started in their artistic journey here!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://concordiaartsacademy.com/
- Instagram: @concordiaartsacademy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/concordiaartsacademy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@concordiaartsacademy6984
Image Credits
Evan Butler
