NORWICH – Children in the YMCA After School Program will have the chance to experience something a little different this week, as the Y dives into the national YMCA Arts Week.

“Y-Arts Week encourages children to express themselves through arts creatively and exposes children to different areas of arts,” said Youth and Family Director Bonnie Tiffany.

Over the course of the week, children in the program get to choose one of four areas of artistic interest, singing, improvisation, drawing or poetry. Tiffany explained that all of the workshops are being taught by Y-instructors. “We have a talented bunch,” she said of the instructors.

The singing group is being led by Jose Santos, a Norwich graduate, who is majoring in musical production and is a member of the Hartwick Choral Group.

Santos has shown the children breathing exercises and taught them songs, many of which are patriotic in nature since Y-arts week falls during the week of the elections.