We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Renee Werkheiser a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Renee, thanks for joining us today. What’s one of the most important lessons you learned in school?

“Risk! Risk! Risk!” shouts Ms. Darbus, the Drama Teacher, in the famous Disney’s “High School Musical” play that I just produced and directed with my Art and Sol students last Spring. If you have ever been in any theater class, especially as a youth, this is a common command of most drama teachers. When asked to get up in front of a class, most people in this world, no matter what age, would be embarrassed to speak. Now imagine in a drama class where you are asked to act out lines, sing a song, or sing a dance…by yourself! Most people would be running for the door.

I grew up performing on stage as a dancer and sometimes in choir, but you could not pay me to get up by myself to perform a solo or perform a lead part. I was the one who shrunk down in class when the teacher was looking for someone to read the excerpt from the book we were reading in class. Never feeling confident enough on my own, but I loved performing in a group on stage. That was my safe place.

My world was changed when in the 8th grade, our school required every student to take a Drama class as part of their practical arts requirements. I remember vividly being so scared of Mrs. Howard, our Drama Teacher. She was a pint-sized young blond teacher who looked nice, but her explosive personality and larger than life demeanor was so impressive, and scary! She told us on the first day of class that EVERYONE was required to perform at least three times on their own during her course. I was sick to my stomach and thought I was going to shrivel up and die of fear, and then embarrassment. I think most of my classmates felt the same way. I remember her teaching improvisational games and doing fun and silly activities each day with the purpose for us to get OUT of our comfort zone. And then, to no avail, those three magical words came out of her mouth every single day, “Take a RISK!” (Ms. Darbus was not even an invented character yet, this was in the late 80’s!) I remember Mrs. Howard yelling this ALL THE TIME. Then that one singular day, she yelled it at ME. I was mortified, almost started crying, and then she said something that changed my life forever. “If you don’t take a risk Renee, how will you ever know how it feels?” That was my “ah-ha” moment. How would I know if I didn’t even TRY? So, I did it. I tried the silly exercises without holding back, I tried to meet all of her expectations in our three solo assignments, and I even tried out for a intensive summer theater camp that year. To my ultimate surprise, I LOVED IT! I absolutely loved performing, but the exhilaration of performing on your own? It was so satisfying and built my confidence up from just hearing the applause in our tiny class audience.

After that Drama class, I grew more confident over the years and my life path has led me to the best success I could ever dream of! I continued my performing career all through high school and college, landing some of the biggest lead roles in musicals and summer teaching jobs that I never thought were attainable. I grew to be a strong leader, holding impressive leadership roles in clubs, organizations, philanthropies, and in my sorority. Through all of my endeavors, I always kept Mrs. Howard’s words in the back of my head, “Take a Risk!” She had such an impact on me, I decided that I wanted to become a teacher too. I wanted to help children grow their confidence as well as become an important part of their lives.

I received my Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Arizona, and was recruited to teach at a Performing Arts School at a Title One school in California a week after graduation. After the principal saw my resume, she told me (at the young age of 21) that she was also hiring me to be in charge of building the school’s performing arts program from the ground up, as well as teaching my own 3rd grade class. At the same time, I was also offered a job at my own elementary school in Scottsdale, where I had just finished student teaching. Do I take the safe route taking the job at my old school? Or move to a city in California where I don’t know anyone, but have this incredible opportunity? “Take a risk Renee!” I took the job in California! Even better, my principal paid for me to attend Musical Theater conventions for directors and teachers, so I received a second education on how to produce and direct shows! What a dream! Over five years at that school, I built their drama program from a small group of 20 kids to 250 kids and I trained four teachers underneath me. I could have kept it small, but why deny the opportunity to these underprivileged kids to shine on stage? I moved back home, and the teachers at that California school are still are teaching my Drama Club 20 years later! All of those children’s lives touched, by something that I created, because I took a risk!

“Do what makes your heart sing!” Once I moved back home, I took another 3rd grade teaching job, but I missed teaching the after-school drama program immensely. It filled my soul, and it was my pride and joy to teach these kids about theater and put them on stage to shine. I asked my new school if I could start a drama program, and they said they could not pay me to sustain the club. Mrs. Howard’s voice rang through my head, “Take a Risk Renee!” I brainstormed many ideas, and finally came up with the perfect business model. This was the birth of my first baby, “Art and Sol!” I started with a small class after school, got my DBA license, and POOF! I could “Do what makes your heart sing!” (This is an expression I teach my students in every class I teach, and I have it engraved on a special bracelet I wear to all of my Art and Sol productions.)

My first Art and Sol class had about 15 students, then grew to 40, then grew to 100 in just one year! HAZZAH! After my first few years, I had parents driving across town to get to my class. They asked if I could open a new location in Central Phoenix by their community. I was so flattered, and said, “If you build it, they will come.” (Field of Dreams reference!) Meaning: If you find a church I can teach classes in, I will come and open a new Art and Sol location. These perseverant parents found me a new spot in weeks and I was yet again faced with a giant crossroads in my life. Do I risk quitting teaching full time, and open this new location to teach multiple Art and Sol classes? The answer was “YES!” and it also was perfect timing because we were expecting our first born, Ethan. Since I stopped teaching full time, I could stay at home with Ethan, and then later our daughter Lily, while teaching Art and Sol in the evenings. Once Ethan started school, I opened my third location in Scottsdale so he and his friends could be in Art and Sol too! I was living my best life, doing what I love for work and having time to raise our beautiful family.

This is Art and Sol’s 22nd anniversary! I have taught over 10,000 students these past years and have had the absolute honor of watching hundreds of them grow up into confident, happy and successful young people in our community. I hear from parents all the time how their child came into Art and Sol so shy, and then left with so much courage and confidence. Mission accomplished! Some of them have pursued theater and performing arts, but I know most of them have taken much more with them to their other paths and careers in their lives. My Art and Sol motto is “Every Child Feels Like a Star.” They can be star on stage, or a star in whatever journey or path they take in life…remembering to “Take a Risk!” with confidence and perseverance. Thank you to Mrs. Howard for inspiring me to take that risk again and again, and to become the inspiration for thousands of students to do the same.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My best advice to managing your staff/team members is to treat them all equally. Remind them constantly that each of them have something important and special to add to our team and the work that we do. Another important piece is that I give them my list of expectations for their job during the interview. Working with children is an important job. You are role models for these young and impressionable children. I remind them that they must always maintain a positive attitude and environment while teaching in Art and Sol, even if they are having a bad day. (We are all actors!) I also plan several social outtings for our staff to build connections and relationships with each other.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I feel like Art and Sol grew from the families/parents referring my program to other friends. Word of mouth! The best kind of advertising! I didn’t even ask parents to spread the word, but I think when you find something great, you want to tell everyone about it. Now I have wait lists for my program every enrollment session! It is a great problem to have!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artandsolprogram.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art_and_sol_program/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artandsolperformingarts/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1_nFeIC23HA7Z1-WuzdLbg

Image Credits

none, these are my pictures