Character Design & Animation Armatures, Ukuleles & Percussion

Character Design & Animation Armatures, Ukulele & Percussion

Rising 3rd-6th graders 

July 6-10, 2026 

9:00 am-3:30 pm  

12 Students 

Emily Thackray & Wilson Marks 

Class Description:

Each morning with Emily, students will explore character development and design and explore world building for their characters. Then using their designs they will construct armatures or “puppets” using plasticine of their characters. They can take these armatures home to use in their future stop motion animations. In the afternoons Wilson will introduce students to ukuleles and percussion. They will even create and record sound effects or songs to use in their claymation creations! This is an exciting collaboration for students this summer! Throughout the day, students will break for outdoor and social time. You'll be blown away by the productions the kids create by the end of the week!

All projects are specifically designed to accommodate students of all skill levels and can be adjusted accordingly to meet each student's specific needs. No prior music experience is needed.

Teacher Bios:

Emily has worked in the arts non profit world and arts education for over fifteen years. For the past decade she taught art and animation at a public magnet arts school in Oregon to 6th-12th grade students. She has her B.Arch, M.Arch and Masters in Teaching Art.

Wilson piloted the Maplewood Ukulele and Drum Choirs in Austin and currently teaches general music in Hays CISD. He’s worked in public education for over 16 years and is an active performing or session guitarist and singer songwriter / sideman around and beyond the Austin area, often playing with his trio, the McMercy Family Band, Matt the Electrician, Jitterbug Vipers, and more.

3 Ways to Enroll:

• Full Tuition: Families paying full tuition support all classroom costs and help ensure more courses are released per semester.
• Sustaining pARTner Discount: pARTners contributing $25/month save 25% on youth tuition.
• Limited Tuition Assistance: Full and partial tuition assistance removes barriers, making courses accessible for families experiencing hardship. 

Questions: Please contact Lauren Slubar, Education Manager at lslubar@projectartwimberley.org