Adult Musical Theatre

[Taximom]

Looking for any thoughts, suggestions anyone might have!!

Older DD, aged 23 is a flautist, graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire last year and is currently working as FOH for Shrek and having a wonderful time. In fact her re-contact with so many musical theatre graduates has re-kindled her love of the whole performing arts. She is a good dancer and although giving up dance when she was 14 to concentrate on her flute she was Advanced Ballet and Modern then. She has continued with her Ballet on a recreational basis and has gone to Salsa and danced for other students in their final performance pieces. She also acts and has a good voice when she looses her inhibitions!!

The plan was to do an academic year as a TA before doing a PGCE in Primary Ed but now really wondering what her options are and what she should do!

So any suggestions for Adult Summer Schools, Part time Courses, Adult Musical Theatre anythings all London based etc etc would be very welcome.

It goes without saying that funding will be an issue as she only has what she earns and obviously has the usual household bills such as rent etc to pay!!

Thank you in advance!!
Heather

[Welsh Mum]

THere some excellent MT post grad courses - the one at Royal Academy of Music under Mary Hammond is supposed to be very good. If she is seriuos about MT then an MA course (they are one year) would be a good way to go as they will get her skills up to the required level.

[songbird]

take a look at the web site for London School of musical theatre - they have launched a part time musical theatre course on a saturday only taking about 12-15 by audition so not sure when the auditions are its aimed at talented individuals who have decided not to train full time but who have talent or experience -

their 1 year course is accelerated no long holidays and very long hours and very industry linked - aimed at students 18 -35 and the standard of singing is very high we went to see their productions of rent and Bright Light big city and most of the people on the course had already done 3 year degrees mainly in drama i.e oxford school of drama or rose bruford -or studied at theatre schools until 18 - I noticed a few of the students also had studied musically - dd is going their this september and think she might be one of the youngest at 18 but having seen the standard excited for her

[paulears]

Being honest, if she's a talented musician, why look at Primary education - the musicians I know find it very difficult to drop to that level and maintain their interest. There's a glut of graduates trying to get a PGCE place for those places - and the TA's are being asked to do more and more teaching, and finding a place is not simple. However, has she considered working with either 14-16 or better still 16+? The FE situation is that they are shedding their skilled staff because the budgets won't fund them - but they are always looking for younger people. Somebody who can do music, and has some dance experience would be very useful to a college - and many of them have franchises with local unis and they may well fund her PGCE - while they are working as a proper teacher. Colleges rarely label people as trainee, like schools do - they decide if you know your subject, and then teach the teaching while you are doing it. You don't generally get treated as a 'junior' but a skilled professional, and you pick up the teaching skills as you go. She'd get to play much more demanding music, and be able to get better musical results from the students because they can already do it at a better standard. I always foun it much more rewarding because you can give the kids realistic projects, not pretty simple ones that primary kids can manage. If she does dance too, then much more exciting stuff than a bit of skipping and old MacDonald had a farm!!

[Welsh Mum]

If she went into FE she should be aware that the pay and conditions of service are far worse than schools though. So its swings and roundabouts

[Taximom]

Thank you for all your thoughts, keep em coming!! Passing everything on to her ( as well as looking at the ideas myself!) One of the reasons she was looking at Primary rather than secondary was that she wanted to do the whole performing arts stuff and as she is academically VERY able liked the variety teaching everything had to offer. She has always been put into a box at school and we had problems with her being bright and unchallenged but also having Grade 5 distinction flute at the age of 10 made the teachers 'scared' of her in a way and she wanted to be able to spot talented kids and support them early on. Her dancing sister has also recently been diagnosed as severly dyslexic - at 19. We kept telling the schools there was a problem but because she was an All England winner told there wasn't a problem. Older dd wants to be able to look out for this kind of issue as early as possible and help. She doesn't think she would enjoy secondary music - she hated it as she was the odd one out doing classical and NOT wanting to do drums, guitar and pop stuff. I don't think she has considered FE - will suggest she considers it alongside everything else!
Thank you
Heather