Dance & Music School Supports The Community During COVID-19

With the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting day-to-day life as we know it, Lindsey & Jeff Sepa, directors of Farmington Valley Dance & Music (FVDM) in Farmington, were quick to respond, temporarily suspending in-person dance classes and music lessons on March 13. They quickly pivoted and less than a week later, launched a virtual learning site with educational and artistic resources that would keep their students, families and extended community singing, dancing and playing music during this unprecedented time.

“Our main focus is to sustain and continue developing the social/emotional and physical health of our students and families during this time of isolation. Many of our families call FVDM their ‘third place’. A 'third place' is the place outside of home and school where they feel as though they matter and belong. Jeff and I give credit to our entire 5-star team who has put additional time into creating, researching, implementing, collaborating and designing to produce “FVDM Online,” which houses family-friendly virtual content for our entire community.” Lindsey Sepa noted.

FVDM offers the highest quality dance and music classes in a non-competitive and supportive environment and serves children as young as 18 months through adult, beginner through pre-professional, including adult class offerings in Tap, Hip Hop, and Ballet/Barre. The foundation of the organization is built on “giving back and community”, Lindsey Sepa said, “It was a natural response to what our community would need. I am a mom of two myself, and facing a new journey of homeschooling, running a business from home and maintaining a household was the source of inspiration for FVDM Online.”

The virtual site launched with topics like family-friendly movie recommendations, coloring pages/activities, dance at home live classes, and more. Content included is a mix of in house pre-recorded videos including a special “story time” with the dancer’s favorite teachers from FVDM’s staff.

The response has been heart-warming with parents sharing photos, videos, comments, and emails of gratitude that FVDM is still a part of their everyday lives. “A huge thank you to Lindsey & Jeff and all the teachers for making this work. I know it’s a lot more work and energy to pull the online classes off but it’s wonderful to see the impact on the kids’ physical and emotional well-being” FVDM member and mom of two, Donna Jarvis comments.

“Nothing brings Jeff, me and our team members more joy than seeing pictures and videos of our students making adversity their advantage. Together we are confident that we all will come out of this stronger,” Sepa comments.

For more information or to inquire about online membership, please contact our office at 860-269-4237.