Heather Kratz
Founder & Creative Director
Heather is a dance, movement, and yoga educator with over 20 years of experience. Her classes are infused with humor and joy and taught with kindness and empathy. Live music, social-emotional concepts, curricular themes, and literature are woven into every class. Through Aim Beyond, Heather aspires to uplift individuals and communities by making joyful movement accessible to people of all ages and abilities.
Her educational background includes a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Kentucky, a B.A. in Liberal Arts as well as a Colorado teaching license from Western Colorado University, dance and music training at Le Bagatae School of Drum and Dance in Guinea, West Africa, a 200 YTT certification from Kindness Yoga, and extensive training and immersion in the teaching methodologies of the National Dance Institute in NYC.
In 2007 Heather began working for Celebrate the Beat (CTB) a Colorado-based non-profit. This began a 15-year journey teaching and choreographing thousands of children. Her roles at CTB included Associate Artistic Director, Program Director, Teaching Artist, and Mentor Teacher. During this time she grew programming in various Colorado communities. The methodologies and life lessons learned with CTB have shaped her into the unique and innovative leader she is today.
Heather has developed creative content for children of all ages including 30 weeks of literature-based curriculum, mindfulness courses, and virtual programming for primary students. She has crafted curricular themes, written shows, and produced and directed many multi-school productions each featuring professional musicians and hundreds of children. Throughout her career, she has taught thousands of children of all ages in all types of communities and collaborated with incredible artists and musicians.
Heather is growing Aim Beyond in Paducah, Kentucky, and traveling throughout the country as a guest teaching artist and director. In Paducah, she has taught at McNabb Elementary, Clark Elementary, True North Yoga Studio, Oscar Cross Boys and Girls Club, and the Merryman House. Beyond Kentucky, she partners with the National Dance Institute of New Mexico, Youth Power 365, and Celebrate the Beat teaching in various Colorardo and New Mexico communities..
Experiences and studies in education, dance, music, nature, science, and yoga inspire her playful, eclectic, and dynamic teaching style. Her love for teaching is authentic, and her passion for sharing joy and uplifting others is BEYOND!
Patrick Padgett was born into music. His father was a conductor, choir director, and music educator. His mother is a minister of music, musical director, pianist, and organist. Patrick began his musical journey as a toddler with a wooden spoon and a colander. As he grew older he started taking piano and drum lessons and performing with live bands in his early teens.
Patrick attended Lurleen Wallace Community College where he performed with the LBW Music Ensemble for three years on a different instrument each year (auxiliary percussion, drum set, guitar). After LBW Patrick enrolled at Alabama State University and studied music education, he transferred to the University Of Alabama to deepen his studies in music.
When he was 19 years old he followed the path to the banjo. After achieving proficiency on the 5-string instrument he moved to Colorado where he lived for over 20 years. He played the banjo professionally and toured Colorado and the Midwest with a multitude of bands and musicians.
In 2011, Patrick took the job as Eagle County musical accompanist for the non-profit, Celebrate the Beat (CTB). He quickly stepped into the role of musical director in multiple communities for the next ten years. He accompanied classes, and oversaw the musical components of classes and shows for thousands of children.
While working with CTB as a multi-instrumentalist, Patrick accompanied hundreds of dance, yoga, and fitness classes for various teaching artists. He wrote and arranged original compositions, assembled and directed professional musicians, and took the musical lead for over 100 live performances. Patrick is a skilled videographer and filmmaker, creating music courses for elementary students and musically accompanying 90 weeks of instructional videos.
In 2022 he moved to Paducah, Kentucky where he serves as the Musical Director of Aim Beyond. Patrick also is a music instructor at the local music school, Time on the String. His students range from four to seventy years old and play various instruments including percussion, piano, guitar, and banjo.
Patrick believes in the uplifting power of music. His love of creating and sharing music shines through in his kind and warm approach to education. Inclusivity, and bringing joy and confidence to others make him an invaluable asset to Aim Beyond.