BTC members have the chance to sign up for special classes offered on Mondays and other days during the week. Many of the classes are available at no additional cost, but some programming offered by outside providers carries an additional charge. Check out the list below to see what classes are available. More programming opportunities are added throughout the year.
Money should not be a barrier in signing up for classes that have a fee. If you need a partial or full scholarship for a class, please email our middle school team at msm@brooklineteencenter.org.
Your middle school student must be a member at the BTC in order to sign up for classes online. Click here to register your child as a member.
Machines, Motors, and Making: Our friends at The Makery in Coolidge Corner are coming to the BTC to offer maker programming for middle schoolers. Discover the power of the tiny Arduino. Learn basic principles of electronics, coding and how to control electro-mechanical components to build a simple machine. Electronics, robotics, coding and fun!
Fall Archery Session 1: This winter, On the Mark Archery, is coming to the BTC to teach archery to middle school students. Join the program that has everyone raving about one of the world’s most exciting sports: recurve archery. Patience, focus and discipline are the only things needed to find success and achieve consistent shot groups. Our unique lesson plans engage students in unique challenges each class while balancing out individualized attention and feedback.
Fall Archery Session 2: This March, On the Mark Archery, is coming to the BTC to teach archery to middle school students. Join the program that has everyone raving about one of the world’s most exciting sports: recurve archery. Patience, focus and discipline are the only things needed to find success and achieve consistent shot groups. Our unique lesson plans engage students in unique challenges each class while balancing out individualized attention and feedback.
Rock Band: Burgeoning young musicians of all experience levels are invited to join us in starting a middle school rock band! The band will meet weekly to work on preparing a 3-5 song set, to be performed for the BTC community at the end of the fall semester. Kids will choose songs based on their own interest and gain valuable experience playing and collaborating with each other. Through this process, kids will learn music theory, listening skills, and improvisation while getting exposure to new kinds of music. Emphasis will be on having fun and learning to connect their new knowledge and skills to the music they are most passionate about.
Rap 101: Rap 101 is an introductory workshop series at the Brookline Teen Center where aspiring emcees will learn what it takes to write, record, and perform an original song. Through immersive writing exercises and exposure to music fundamentals lead by experienced BTC music staff, students will collaborate on their songs with teen musicians who will provide original hip hop production. Open to 7th and 8th graders, Rap 101 runs on Mondays, 3:30-5:00, from October 15th to December 17th, with a performance at the final session.
Ukulele 101: The Brookline Teen Center Music Studio will be offering an 8 week course for 6th-8th graders on ukulele basics. Students will learn the fundamentals of ukulele including chords, song form, and how to play in an ensemble. This 8 week series will culminate in a mini concert showcasing teamwork and acquired skills. Ukuleles will be provided for workshop sessions. All levels of experience are welcome. This program runs on Wednesdays from 3:30-4:15, starting October 10th through December 12th with a final performance on December 17th and is free for BTC members. Email Wes at wkaplan@brooklineteencenter.org for more info or to sign up.
The Brookline Jazz Project: The Brookline Jazz Project is a teen driven, eight week jazz immersion program for aspiring 7th and 8th grade jazz musicians interested in getting playing experience outside of the classroom and learning core jazz concepts. Lead by a trio of experienced high school jazz musicians, the Brookline Jazz Project will introduce its students to swing, blues, chord changes, and improvisation, as well as listening skills and jazz appreciation. Teen teachers will create a fun and safe jam space where students can experiment with new musical ideas and expand their playing vocabulary. This workshop is great for students already participating in Brookline music programming such as the Townwide Jazz Band, as well as students with some instrumental experience looking to get experience with jazz for the first time.
The Brookline Jazz Project will meet on Fridays at Brookline Teen Center from 2:30-4:00 from October 19th to Dec 14th with a final performance on Monday, December 17th. For more information, email wkaplan@brooklineteencenter.org. To register, click here.
The Brookline Music Program: Does your child play an instrument that he/she is passionate about? Does your child want to connect with high school musician-mentors to benefit their music career at Brookline High School? Does your child want to pick up a brand new instrument and get free lessons? Does your child want to become an advanced musician in an instrument that they already play?
If any or all of the above is true, sign your child up for the Brookline Music Program! The BMP is a program organized by teens, for teens! The BMP pairs Brookline middle school musicians with high school musicians for FREE and engaging lessons. By signing up for BMP, not only will your child learn and grow musically, he/she will also foster a relationship with a high school mentor who can guide him/her through the BHS music opportunities and high school in general. In addition, he/she will also get an opportunity to meet other passionate musicians throughout Brookline.
Click here to visit the BMP web page. To register your child, please fill out this form. For any questions or concerns, please contact: brooklinemusicprogram@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Girls LEAP Self-Defense Program: This program, run by Girls LEAP, empowers girls and young women through an integration of self-reflective and physical self-defense skills. Self-Reflective skills include topics such as conflict resolution, setting boundaries, courage, finding support, and healthy relationships and friendships. Physical Self-Defense skills focus on girl-specific physical safety techniques.
Brookline Robotics: Brookline Robotics seeks to engage middle school students of all kinds in STEM and robotics. Through our First Lego League teams, we aim to teach students the basics and beyond of robotics and programming through a hands-on, investigative approach. We’re open to any experience level, novice to expert! Brookline Robotics is made possible by the support of many enthusiastic high school volunteers, adult volunteers, and the support of the award-winning robotics team FRC 125, the NUTRONs, who have created or mentored robotics programs in Revere, Dorchester, and Jamaica Plain. This program runs on Saturdays from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM from 9/22/18 until 12/1/18. This class is full at this time. Click here for more information about Brookline Robotics.
Aerial Silks: Circus Up and Revolution Trapeze are teaming up bring to Brookline the finest in circus and aerial arts. In Circus Up’s Aerial mini-series, students will learn the basics of moving in the air! Students gain strength and flexibility, grace, and correct alignment while twisting, turning, climbing and controlled dropping on the aerial silks. Students will learn positions and moves close to the ground, and then move higher with more advanced skills, as ability advances. Classes begin with warm-up and stretching, then move to the air, building on past lessons. Students will likely learn to trust their new found strength and agility that will help them to gain confidence; maybe not only in the air!
Friday Parkour: (Almost) Every Friday from 6:15-7:45PM, Parkour Generations comes to the BTC to offer parkour classes. The classes are drop in, and are open to BTC members from 6th through 12th grade. Prior to attending your first class, a parent/guardian must complete a Parkour Generations release. Bring the completed/signed release to your first class. There is no cost for BTC members to attend Friday parkour classes, but space is limited. To reserve a spot in a particular Friday Parkour class, click here. Before registering for this class, please make sure your child is a member of the BTC and you have an existing MindBody account that was created during the membership process. To register your middle schooler as a member, click here. If you are unsure, you can email our middle school team at msm@brooklineteencenter.org to check. Thanks.
Monday Parkour: Parkour Generations comes to the BTC to offer an all levels parkour class to middle school students. From the Parkour Generations website: “Students train to develop strength, speed, endurance, precision, spatial awareness, dynamism, and creativity, in order to be as fluid, functional and liberated as possible in physical movement and to overcome physical obstacles. Students will also start to develop a way of thinking based on rigorous self-discipline, autonomous action and self-will that allows them to overcome mental obstacles related to their movements. Classes include extensive and dynamic warm-up exercises, instruction in the basic movements of parkour, and a number of strengthening and conditioning exercises to ensure the long-term practice of the sport.”
Animation (fall session): Our friends at the Brookline Arts Center are coming to the BTC. In this class, we will develop characters and comics with a three-dimensional twist! Students will bring their drawn characters to life using sculpey clay, found materials and sewing techniques. They will then have the opportunity to experiment with short stop-motion animation of their creations. The 10 week class will run in the BTC conference room on Fridays from 3:00-4:30PM September 28th through December 14th (no class November 9th or 23rd). There is a $295 fee for this class. To learn more, or to register please click here.
Animation (winter session): Our friends at the Brookline Arts Center are coming to the BTC. In this class, we will develop characters and comics with a three-dimensional twist! Students will bring their drawn characters to life using sculpey clay, found materials and sewing techniques. They will then have the opportunity to experiment with short stop-motion animation of their creations. The 8 week class will run in the BTC conference room on Fridays from 3:00-4:30PM January 25th through March 22nd (no class February 22nd). There is a $290 fee for this class. To learn more, or to register please click here.
Money should not be a barrier in signing up for classes that have a fee. If you need a partial or full scholarship for a class, please email our middle school team at msm@brooklineteencenter.org.
Click here to see past programming offered at the BTC.
Boys for the Better: Is your middle-schooler fascinated by digital media? Does he spend hours each week playing Fortnite, watching YouTube videos, and posting to Instagram? Media holds the power to shape how we see the world…as well as how we want to be seen.
Boys for the Better is a media literacy-based after-school program that helps male-identifying middle-schoolers develop the social and emotional skills necessary to become their most true and authentic selves. Through small-group exercises and hands-on activities, boys go deeper into the media they love and build the skills necessary to flip the script and tell their own positive stories about what masculinity should mean today.
Our 6-week research-based program explores violence prevention, emotional development, relationship management, self-confidence, and academic excellence.
Creative writing and media making is at the heart of the Boys for the Better program, as participants learn to use their voice to help improve their community for the better.
Program begins Wednesday, starting Oct. 2, from 3:30-5 p.m and will run on Wednesdays for 6-weeks.
There is a $60 fee for this class. To register, click here. Before registering for this class, please make sure your child is a member of the BTC and you have an existing MindBody account that was created during the membership process. To register your middle schooler as a member, click here. If you are unsure, you can email our middle school team at msm@brooklineteencenter.org to check. Thanks.