New Cedar Rapids arts academy takes personalized approach

With a faculty of two and a typical class size of four, the new Iowa Academy of Creative Arts in Cedar Rapids' New Bohemia district might seem to have a limited repertoire.

Au contraire.

When the academy cranks up its first classes next week, it will be teaching four different disciplines: film, music, photography and acting. It expects to give students in each area a sufficient grounding so they'll want to make it their passion.

Founder Trevor Debth says the idea of teaching four creative disciplines in a small Cherry Building studio was strategic.

“The idea isn't only to have each class independently learning that subject, but to have a synergistic relationship with the students in the other classes,” Debth said.

Debth is a Cedar Rapids native who got his start working with show choirs and acting in local productions. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he operated a successful photography studio, worked in film and did some acting.

Most recently, Debth played a leading role and co-choreographed Theatre Cedar Rapids' production of “The Producers.”

He says he doesn't expect to give up his own career because of his desire to teach, but sees the academy as an important link in the development of a stronger artistic community here.

“I miss my friends in Los Angeles, and I could have done it there,” Debth said. “But there wasn't anything like this here.”

In Los Angeles, Debth said, the number of schools that teach the performing arts is mind boggling.

The academy's head of digital music is Ross Burns, a musician who moved to Cedar Rapids from London in January. The academy's best-equipped room is a room with four MIDI keyboards and four workstations set up for film and graphics editing.

Burns says the Internet and digital recording have made it possible for virtual unknowns to launch their career with limited financing and professional assistance.

“A lot of my favorite artists at home are writing and recording all their music in their bedrooms, and they're releasing it on the Internet and killing 'em in the clubs,” Burns said.

Twelve-week sessions in filmmaking and music, the more costly classes, will cost about $500, or $156 per month, when discounts for prepayment and new students are figured into the equation.

The academy's suite of rooms includes a photography studio, sound booth and discussion area, in addition to the digital production room.

“This is the kind of thing I wish I had when I was growing up in Cedar Rapids,” Debth said.

Debth plans to call on models, actors and others he's worked with in Los Angeles to talk with his classes by videoconference. He said the academy's first guest appearance will be actress/supermodel Amber Valletta.