Picturesinthefirelight

I did speak to them last week but they were a bit on the fence though I didn't manage to speak to the lady called Janet as other parents were talking to her. It was suggested that if successful for drama she should look for a local dance school to continue her dance elsewhere

Their dance course looks pretty much what dd wants in a school but I'm not sure if she is good enough.

Her ideal school would be Sylvia Young or Italia Conti but money and distance means that's never going to happen.

She was thinking of auditioning for the drama course at Hammond but we are all concerned that 1 hour of dance per week which is what they get is going to seriously put her behind if she goes for MT at 16 or 18. She currently does ballet tap modern and jazz but isn't JA calibre or anything.

She loved the place on her visit and felt she would be at home there. However she already has access to a very good local dance school, top notch singing tuition and good drama classes but I've done the sums and vocational school would actually be cheaper for us by the time we account for all her dance and school fees.

Is it worth applying for both dance and drama as a fallback option maybe?

My dh teaches and has taught on musical theatre course sat a couple if the big MT colleges so I have some knowledge here.

It does depend on the show but very often the first call is a voice audition rather than dance.

Triple threat is emphasised a lot more now in colleges that used to be more known for dance and voice and drama training is increasing. However it can be picked up later and indeed my dh won't do individual voice lessons with children. A lot of colleges are using Estill Voice Training methods which is very technical and teaches students exactly how to create certain voice qualities for different types of MT. He finds dancers work well with this method as they are used to knowing how things work with their bodies And which muscles do what.

At the children's theatre classes that I run we have just taken on a new teacher who trained at Hammond and did the cruise ships for 10 years. When she started they employed separate dancers and singers. Now they have cut the number of singers and they expect most of their dancers to sing.

My list is based on the fact that st some schools entry is dependent on ability to pay as well as talent.

I would say

1 RBS

2 Elmhurst

3 Hammond

4 Tring

Well she is there and has had to make her first difficult decision , one of many over the next 12 months between taking part in a music class or a dance class. She chose music. Knowing how much she loves her dance I am very proud of her reasoning in doing so.

Anyones dc going on Monday?

Dd does a stagecoach musical theatre workshop every year but we were looking at others this year ad well as it would be the first time she is old enough. She was going to do Hammond but because we are going to London for a few days and she has an intensive her benny rehearsal week at the end of August we have decided against partly due to the cost and the commute

My husband is part of it all!

I guess our costs are not as high as some as dd's drama and singing is free although we pay for private lamda coaching. Dh is a voice coach do he does some work with her

It's just tap ballet and modern and the occasional exam. I guess there are also travel costs involved for eg she is travelling about 40 miles every two weeks for rehearsals for a musical and we will probably stay overnight on matinee days

When we were thinking of increasing her dance from just ballet to include modern or tap I went to watch a couple of classes to decide which she would do. Then dh got involved chatting to the teacher who he used to work with at another school and lo and behold he signed her up for both!

We have worked out it would be cheaper to send her to the vocational school where he works now than for her classes and current school fees!

There is no way dd would be doing sports day and she is only grade 3!

I did ask her exam was scheduled around prize day but that's because she loves singing in the choir

Taster day at Hammond is 25th June for children currently in Year 5. It's free and a whole day. You pick four dubjects from a list of vocational and academic subjects and it's for anyone interested in applying to the school on any of it's strands.

Hammond have completely updated their website. We shan't be making any decisions until after the taster day later this month. I'm not convinced going to a vocational school at 11 is the right decision for a child who wants a career in another field. But dd needs to come to that decision herself.

Dd did panto last year. She lived it but there was a lot of running around for us and it impacted on Xmas for the whole family. The other team did Xmas eve and she did boxing day for example

There was no prob with time off school. The kids are licensed and it's seen as educational.

That saying she won't be auditioning this year as its a different production company and friends had probs with their main star in the past. She is doing a musical in sept though and rehearsals for this clash with auditions for the other localism pantos.

I think there is very little funding for drama other than the odd scholarship like the Sylvia young one which is for mt.

Which school is it. Dd is thinking of applying fir drama and we would get a staff discount if successful but I'm not convinced the course would be right for her.

Slightly different background for dd.

Dh is a vocal coach and I have a drama/music background. Dd began at the Stagecoach where we both work just before the age of 4 and took to it like a duck to water. She started baby ballet at nursery, a teacher came in once a week to do 30 mins with the little ones and then when she went into reception class it was run as an after school club. I remembeShe tr joking to the teacher when I passed her in the corridor about her not being the world's most graceful child. She gave me a strange look and said well actually I'm thinking about putting her into her first exam. At exam practice I was allowed to watch and was amazed at her in comparison to the others.

We moved her to a local dance school as the school based classes began to clash with her drama and there dd became a small fish in a much bigger pond which was good for her. She loves her dance (now does tap & modern too) but we and the teacher know that it is designed to complement her other training, she is very much a drama/musical theatre girl.Saying that she did get distinction in her latest ballet exam (RAD Grade 2). She has been lucky enough to have danced in a touring opera and local panto and a small non speaking role(as a chicken!) in a touring theatre show. She is currently rehearsing for a show called Her Benny where she has one of the child leads so we are very proud of what she has achieved.

We are coming to a point where she has to decide if she wants to try for vocational school for drama but it would mean giving up her dance. I personally think she should stay where she is until age 16 or 18 as there are more options available for courses that are musical theatre based. I think she would regret giving up her dance at this young age. Its not about whether she is good enough to have a career, it is about all the other things that dance (and the performing arts in general) gives you.

Thought it was just me in costs. Currently travelling from stoke to Stockport on Sundays on the train for dd to rehearse a show. Everywhere closes at 4.30pm except costa. Rehearsal doesn't finish til 6pm

I have a First Position navy RAD style leotard on a size 3 (shop sold us the wrong size) do only worn a couple of times

I need a similar one in a size 3a

I also need a black capezio double cross over leotard to fit a 10 year old

Was she a Laines girl?

A girl from dd's dance school was able to reschedule her Birmingham cat 2nd audition because it clashed with a performance. She got in.

They have changed the menus at dd's current school so when dh comes hone with tales of three course dinners of carrot and coriander soup roast dinner & veg and jelly she thinks it's not fair she has to endure yet another strange chicken concoction and run out of puddings!

She is thinking of applying to do drama but I'm not convinced. She would have to give up her dance on the drama course (from what I can gather there would be no opportunity for her to continue that ESP as they do sat morning acting classes on the drama strand and dd adores her dance.

If we had the money and lived closer she would be happiest on a more all round musical theatre course. She is a good dancer, but not exceptional. She is an all rounder at the moment.

£320

It says programme to include ballet jazz contemporary street dance and musical theatre. Ages 9-15 closing date 15th june

My husband works there and he says the meals at the school are lovely.

Not sure. Dd is thinking of applying for summer school but she would commute. She's also going on a taster day next month.

Thank-you the information is very useful.

Dh has been speaking to the head of drama but men never ask all the right questions. Someone is getting him a prospectus. I notice they have an integrated arts easter workshop thing we might consider her going to.

If we do apply and dd did get a place she would live out, we can't afford boarding, would that make her a bit out of it though? It sounds like we would have to make separate arrangemnts for her to continue her dance elsewhere and I don't know how that would work with the commute and having 2 children at schools 40 miles away from each other! At a minimum she would want to continue ballet and tap and preferably modern as it is her favourite dance form.

She goes to an excellent academic school at the moment and the indications are she will be offered a place at senior school so it would be a difficult decision. She has had to endure some teasing over roles she has won before and probably jealousy over time off (she is down to the last few for a leading role in small scale touring production in September and hasn't told anyone yet) though school are supportive over the time off she has needed.

Dh also liked the look of the prep school which is actually cheaper than her current school but I wouldn't want to take her out for one year in case she didn;t get in for year 7.

We are considering applying for a place for dd at The Hammond School for Year 7. I have to say the dance course looks fantastic and exactly what she would want but she is not classical ballerina calibre. She is more of an all round musical theatre performer. She seems to have a flair for drama and we are looking at the drama strand for her. Even if she were good enough for the dance strand we could not afford those fees, the drama fees are just about doable.

I know this forum is mainly for the parents of dancers but I wondered if anyone know how much dance, if any is available for non dancers at The Hammond. Dd currently does ballet, tap, modern and jazz and it really complements her drama/singing classes. She wouldn't want to give her dance up but from looking at the prospectus it seems there is no dance involved on the drama course and with the travelling/longer hours it would be difficult for her to continue at her current classes.

Also does anyone know if children who attend the normal part of the school ever get to take part in anything like school productions at all or are they reserved for the specialists. I'm not sure if the course is what she is looking for, she currently says she does not want performing to be a career but she is a bit of an oddball at her current school to the extent that she has stopped telling people when she gets part in shows. (panto and touring productions). I wonder if at a school like that she will fit in better.