BTEC in drama or A Levels

[nigelben]

Hi
My DS has just had his GCSE results which were good. He has a place on a BTEC Level 3 Drama course at College. He is now having second thoughts as he has had good results, should he go back to 6th form to take A levels including performing arts as doing the BTEC course is a very narrow path although it is the equivalent to 3 A levels.
He really is passionate about becoming an actor, just wondered if anyone has any views as to what the best path would be if eventually he want to go to a good acting school.

[paulears]

We've covered this quite often, but a few comments could be helpful. There isn't a BTEC Level 3 in Drama - it will be performing arts and focused towards dance, acting, musical theatre or a few other pathways. It's pretty common for Level 3 at a college to have real, major production with decent production values and a running budget. So this means full length shows, real script, real pressure and real experience useful for the industry. A Level Performance is great, but it won't exactly stretch anyone's acting ability, and usually means work on excerpts, with no requirement for a full length show, so effectively a bit like a harder GCSE - The Extended Diploma in BTEC is a full time course - and they will be studying probably 18 different units over two years, ranging from business (which everyone considers rather dull) to the research and analysis units with loads of practical ones too - but EVERYTHING is performing linked.

If he really wants to be an actor and cannot envisage anything else, then it would frankly be a bit silly to spend two thirds of your week on subjects he doesn't like much, and have a very limited acting content in a GCE that is by nature rather limited in range. If he went to uni to do performing arts, then the jump in expectations could be a bit steep from an A Level, where as the BTEC people breeze uni. In fact, much year one uni work is getting A Level people up to speed in real performance. By this I mean when they just get given a big script to learn and they've never done any script work to that level before - a bit scary!

The best advice is to look for people a couple of years older that have done these courses and ask them what they think - they will tell you honestly!

Another tip is to see if the teacher on the acting course has ever been an actor, a real one - earning a living, not somebody who went to uni and became a drama teacher. College staff are usually, but not always ex-industry - and I'd suggest that a real dancer, actor or singer is going to train youngsters an awful lot better than somebody who did drama society at uni. A Level performance does not require industry experience. To be honest, BTEC don't require it either, but because in colleges, each unit is taught by the most appropriate person, your son could have an actor teach him business, a dancer teach him dance and a production manager teach him how business works - then, for the major project, you get the benefit of having multiple teachers.

I'm of course biased - but you don't become an actor direct from A Levels in general, but you would find BTEC skills much more useful.

If, finally - your son loves reading about acting, and finds theatrical history exciting, and doesn't like working with others - then the A Level could be a good choice. BTEC has lots of doing, A Level has lots of 'know about'. and not much 'do'.

A very difficult choice.

Paul

[tikka]

Hi Nigelben
We have had this converstion at home many times, and I understand exactly how you feel. Seems such a shame not to do A levels in those subjects they easily get the A* in in those GCSE results! DS has A*s the sciences/maths and it does make you think....are they doing the right thing?.

DS has a place to do the Acting BTEC at the most wonderful college (Filton) and is so enthusiastic and keen and SO excited to be going there I am more than confident that he is right to walk away (for the time being) from science A levels to do something he is passionate about. If he did A levels instead, thinking that he could do drama as a hobby at the same time, then he wouldn't be counting down the days till term starts with the same enthusiasm.

I think that if he was averagely happy to either A's or a BTEC, and neither was really exciting him, then it would be a harder decision to make!

They are only young once, so I'm happy he has a passion about something and is able to study it full time, and at such an amazing college. Whether it wiill lead to a job as an actor is anyones guess, but at this point in his life I think being happy and following your heart counts for a lot.

Good luck with whatever he chooses.

[nigelben]

Thanks for the advice Paul and Tikka.
Tikka, would you believe it my ds also has a place at Filton!! Do yo know anyone who has already done the course or is on it and how they're doing?
What a small world!!!
He's meant to be enrolling on Thurs 1st September. We're going to his school (Marlwood) on Tues to discuss options although I'm sure they'll try and get him to stay.

[tikka]

The drama teacher (who is also an actor!) at one of the classes DS goes to raves about the place and claims its the only place to go! DS knows someone onone of the other BTEC courses in the same dept and loves it.

Getting a place on the course was fairly demanding in that they were over subscribed and therefore able to choose the best applicants, which is encouraging. Nice to know the rest of the group had to work for a place and will, hopefully, work hard on the course. At A level all you need to get a college (not necessarily a school) place is a A/B/C pass at GCSE, so its easier to get in and therefore the class can be very mixed in ability and attitude.

Did your DS have places anywhere else?

Tikka

[nigelben]

Yes, he also had a place on the Musical Theatre course at Filton, but his passion is drama although he can sing and dance. He goes to a performing arts group where he does quite a lot of singing and dancing so we thought if he keeps them up as well he will have experience of all 3 disciplines.
Yes, I was very impressed with the audition process and the teacher and am glad that it's not just anyone who can get in. Did your ds apply for any other courses?
This is all very helpful information Tikka, thankyou. I'm sure my ds will be very interested to read it as well.

[Welsh Mum]

My DD was faced with the same choice 4 years ago. She had very good GCSEs and my natural incilnation was for her to do A levels. However, she was very focussed on a performing career, and wanted to do the BTEC. We were lucky in that it was a very well run course, with excellent teachers (many of whom had professional experience). The course was ideal for her, it developed the practical skills she needed and gave excellent guidance, preparation and advice for auditions for vocational course at drama colleges (which those doing a levels did not get). She has now completed her first year at a very good drama college in London, and says that the BTEC had really prepared her well: indeed much of the style of work was similar, and she feels that she found the course more familiar than those who had done A levels.

That said, those who did A levels are also doing well and enjoying it! As I have said many times before, this is an individual choice, there is not necessarily a right or wrong decision, but whatever suits tour Dd/DS best.

One thing it is worth asking the tutors at college, is about their track recoed getting students into drama colleges - ask how many on average get in and where they go.

PM me if you want any more specific info.

[paulears]

Probably worth noting that it's really good practice to never, ever, narrow people's job scope by discounting areas of the performing arts industry by thinking drama. Drama, at school is a very different beast to what many people actually think it is. It's kind of like media studies - a generic title that doesn't explain it very well at all. From my years teaching, it's absolutely vital that all actors can at least sing and dance to some degree. Last year we nearly made a real mistake when we got to rehearsals for panto - nobody had actually checked that our dancers could actually sing. We assumed that as they all come from Musical Theatre backgrounds, often Laines and the others - they could sing. The dance colleges all having singing on the list, but sometimes, you get some who had slightly different backgrounds and it's so easy to forget that a well rounded general education might not be the case.

Nobody expects every person to have an exceptional voice, or twinkle toes, but being able to function in the chorus, or manage a simple dance routine (perhaps just synchronised swaying) is essential stuff. Wanting to just act, really sets a limit on job offers. Many performance students, especially, I've noticed, the dancers are also really good with technology - so being able to act, sing, dance, stage manage and edit some audio tracks on a PC makes somebody rather useful.

I'd strongly encourage any performer to stretch themselves sideways to make themselves more useful. I'm a simply dreadful dancer - I have no ability at all to move all four limbs in anything other than something resembling a fit, and even a hand jive causes problems as I can't remember which one comes next - and I really wish I'd worked on this when I was a teenager - however, when pressed I can do everything else. As a production or company manager, which is what I mainly do now, it's very annoying to find people who are very narrow, or worse still, tell people they can do everything but can't!

This is why BTEC works so well - there are chances for everyone to excel in their chosen area, but also be functional in the others - and to be honest, if people are not willing to be wider, then BTEC won't work for them.

Re: Filton. One of the best recommendations of a course is when entry is difficult. It means they can take the best, this then means their productions will be of a higher standard, and it also means they can throw out any students who become a liability. They simply cannot afford to take weaker people - a place on the course at colleges like this is valuable, and they have to make certain that everyone they take can take the pressure - and rest assured, they will find it tough. With A Levels, everything tends to be done in normal class hours. BTEC tend to use these sessions as the core - the expect extra time for rehearsing and performing. This means evening working too - a very rare thing in A Levels. Draw your own conclusions.
Paul

[jasmine2]

I would say go for the Btec..you can always do A levels later...

My dd is also doing a Dance diploma as opposed to A levels at this stage...her teachers are gutted that she is not doing A levels now, but having spent 6 years at a full time theatre school, her argument was 'I would like to try to make it in the business, so need to keep my dance and performance skills up first'..If that does not work out then A levels are high on the agenda....

Follow your heart..you never know where it will lead, and a Btec/diploma also carries weight, as well as A levels..
Good luck in making your choice..

[francescasmum]

I agree with jasmine2, when I was younger I followed my heart in the athletics world and instead of keeping on with my education I spent my late teens travelling around Europe competing and had fantastic experiences. At the age of 20 I had a car accident and displaced my hip which ment I had to take time out of my athletics, in that time I met my husband. I married and had two children THEN I studied for my degree. 25 years on I would not have changed anything (except the pain form the car crash of course) and I still look back on my teenage years with fondness and I am glad I didn't put my athletics career on hold to get qualifications. Some thinks are best done when you are young - you can pick up the accademic side at any time in your life, there is not time restriction.
My son, at 16 was desperate to start working in the family practice. Now at the age of 21 he has 5 years work/life experience but has studied part time and has the same level of qualifications as his friends who have just finished at university and, in my opinion, his is much more mature because he has studied, worked and socialised with a diverse age range of people than many of his peers.

[islandofsodor]

I think it really does depend on the student and what is available in your area.

My husband is a voice teacher at a leading musical theatre/dance vocational college just outside London. However we live in the North Midlands and he is not impressed with the BTEC courses on offer round here and the standards of their teaching/learning. For our own dd if she still wants to do it when the time comes he would prefer she did A levels (but not necessarily A level drama/dance) and continue her dance/voice/drama training outside of school before auditioning for college at 18.

He would agree with Paul with regards to the triple threat. It frustrates him that people seem to see singing as the poor relation. He and his colleagues are working very hard to ensure that their dancers and actors graduate with vocal skills that will help them to be more employable. Indeed we feel often that our own daughter's dance teacher does not understand why she does so much drama and voice instead of adding more dance classes to her schedule.

Its not to say he doesn't rate all BTEC courses. An ex student did a BTEC in Manchester which was excellent preparation for vocational college.

[Caroline A-C]

My ds started out doing the International Baccalauriat as we felt it would be more useful. However, he absolutely hated it and as his heart was not in it struggled. After much nagging, we gave in and let him do a BTec in Performing Arts. He absolutely loved it and did really well and is taking up his place at Arts Ed in September to study a BA in Musical Theatre. Had he stuck to what we felt was right I don't think he would ever have been as happy and driven as he is. So, in my view, it is a case of follow your heart. Hope that helps a bit.

[pg]

I suspect my ds would have chosen BTEC if it had been open to him! As it was, he did A levels and then went to drama school. He did almost all his performing outside school and certainly didn't regard Theatre Studies as preparation for drama school (though he found it moderately interesting ). I would agree with everyone else that it makes sense to try to gain experience in as many performance strands/skills as you can. My ds wasn't interested in studying Musical Theatre (nor did he have the skills to compete in this genre) but he did lots of singing. He would probably have benefited from doing a bit more physical theatre/dance too. Having just seen another production at the RSC, it's the breath-taking physicality of the performances that seems to set them apart for me (though of course the voices are exemplary too).

[paulears]

Many people seem to look at colleges and assume that the ones with the best and most expensive equipment and beautiful premises must be the best. This is very often untrue. The staff are the key. Things to watch for are brand new facilities built with funds for community projects. The idea being to get the local community in, and use the facilities. In my old college this means they go out of college to do their big shows because the performance space must be clear each night ready for the evening groups who use the space for dancing and other classes. They cannot build a set because it has to be out each evening. Students cannot leave work in progress out overnight, and waste so much time clearing up and setting out again. Their big spaces get 'stolen' for prestige events from other areas, like maybe fashion shows, media events and music performances. This story is quite common. The idea is to provide as close a work environment as possible, but being prevented from doing longer term work is a real pain in the rear.

If you visit a BTEC centre, ask for the list of units on offer. These will be different everywhere, and it's simple to see the kind of flavour a course will have. Some will be very hot on the acting units, while others will be pointed towards musical theatre and others could have even odder specialisms. It's actually possible to run units on period wig making, prosthetic makeup and even fantasy hair design - they're not popular of course because you need a teacher who understands these things, but they can be done. My own favourite was one called variety performance where comedy, and even ventriloquism could be part of the work.

Don't assume all BTECs are equal - and do your homework on what exactly they will do. The colleges rarely give out lists of what units run, because they wait to see who enrols - if everyone wants to do one of the Streetdance style units, it will run. If just two people want ballet, it probably won't - hence getting solid answers being so difficult.
In the Stage today, a number of dance places have jumped to the defence of A Level Dance, after a put down by a member of the government. The interesting thing is they quoted a few of the exam questions to show how solid a qualification it is - however, they were pretty hard questions and the kind of question a typical practical dancer (as a 'do-er') would really struggle with - so it falls in neatly with this topic. Show these exam questions to people of the right age and see what they think - interesting, or not. Frankly, I saw little in those questions that would have stimulated me at that age!
One question was this one:
"Choreograph and perform a dance based on an exploration of the themes inherent in the poem 'The Lady of Shalott' (1842 version) by Alfred, Lord Tennyson"

wow - exciting stuff (not) - well, at least in my humble opinion.

[Welsh Mum]

In my DDs college they offered 3 courses - Acting, Dance and Musical Theatre. However, ALL courses had to do some classes in all 3 disciplines, just in different proportions eg. MT did onethird/one third/onethird. Dance did 50% dance/25% Acting/25% Singing. Acting did 50% Acting, 25% Dance and 25% Singing. The aim was produce performers with many skills.

My DD did the MT option. However, as well as producing musicals they also did a fantastic production of Macbeth, and a dance production. there were weekly ballet classes, which many found hard but really usefull for a future in MT. they also did unusual courses on things such as preventing injuries, healthy eating etc. I was very impressed that the teachers had constucted courses that would benefit the students, not just what the students them selves would be interested in. the staff knew what things would help prepare those wanting to go on to vocational schools. In Year2 they did an excellent audition preparation unit - loads of help with monologues etc. Everyone had a mock audition with outsiders brought in from the industry and detailed feedback - which you don't get from the real thing but was very useful.

If the course is well planned, with teachers who know their stuff, BTEC is excellent. However, the converse is also true. Another nearby college ran the course and it was a shambles.