GCSE options for a career is Musical Theatre.

[mumtomil]

Hay! Hope you are all well My DD is getting very stressed and upset because music, dance and drama are all in the ame catogory for her GCSE options. She is defenitly take drama, but she is unsure wether to take dance or music as the second option. Does anyone know which is more valued for a career in musical theatre?
Please reply if you know or ask any questions
Thanks x

[pg]

Personal opinion- based on what I have heard and what I have experienced - but not from a point of view of someone able to give your dd a job, so feel free to disregard!

I really, honestly, truly do not believe it matters WHAT subjects you study at GCSE if you want a performance career. Someone interested in performance is quite likely to enjoy drama/dance/music more but I don't think the colleges care! And I am quite certain the employers don't. In terms of a career in the performing arts, she would do well to consider a good broad base, for the jobs she will need to do in between...

What matters is your audition. It's that simple and that difficult. What matters in the profession is your ability and your contacts. It is far more important to get good training for dance and singing - and you don't need to get this in a school. It's the practical, technique-based stuff that needs to be covered and GCSE's cover more (and less, if you see what I mean) than this. GCSE's in some arts subjects are also notorious for having quite a lot of students who have selected them as a soft or easy option and for those that are really keen that can be very frustrating. My ds reckoned he learned very little of any practical value in his drama GCSE lessons - though he enjoyed some of it. He gained far more from his Saturday morning classes and most of all from his performance experiences. You don't need to do drama at GCSE at all. I can confidently say that you could cover all of the important drama stuff outside school - indeed, you would probably get more from the drama/theatre/practical skills you are likely to encounter outside school. English Literature would be very valuable and of course drama would be a useful addition to the mix, but you don't have to have it. Some schools don't offer it as a GCSE option (my dd's school didn't but she was still able to take Theatre Studies A level at a different school).

[Livy2]

Hi,

We were in the same problem last year in Y9, where DD could take 2 out of music, drama and dance but not all 3 as it meant she didn't have a language or a humanities subject. We went with 2 of these plus history initally then when DD was still unhappy we asked if there was anyway in which she could do all 3. The school said no but then the dance teacher she would do an after school class for DD in one year. In the end she did music and drama in school, her predicted grades are B and A (twinkly bit is optional, up to the student says the drama teacher) and I hope she will get A and A* next year. Dance GCSE is almost complete so hoping that will be good too.

If you can't get an after school GCSE locally and if you are able to get to London on Sundays, you can do Dance GCSE at The Place, over 18 months. We were going to opt for this but DD is already in London on Thurs Eve and Sat AM so were glad school was able to help in the end.

Hope you can resolve your dilemma.

[Caroline A-C]

When my ds was going through the drama school applications, there was a minimum number of GCSE's required but there was no mention of what subjects these needed to be in (perhaps English and Maths but couldn't swear by that). That was the only time GCSE's cropped up. They are totally irrelevant with regard to the audition and it is how you perform and what potential you have, so I would say, go with what you want. My ds did do Drama GCSE but that was the only performance related subject. Have a look at the requirements of the colleges on their websites/brochures and see what they say. Hope this helps a bit.

[paulears]

I tend to agree - GCSEs are really just entry to A level/BTEC Level 3, and if you are going to somewhere local to you, then it's standard that matters, rarely the subject.

If it helps - I've always found that the standard of dance from one of the old fashioned dance schools run by a "Miss Wendy" type person is ALWAYS better than GCSE dance. Remember that GCSE is designed to enable everyone who tries, to pass with a sensible grade. Dance school trained kids always get VERY high grades, because left footed, overweight lads with no sense of rhythm or grace can still get a D! Many colleges treat GCSE dance as a fitness qualification. The standard of teaching is also extremely variable, often run by the sports department because it's just PE with music - seriously!

To be very honest, many canny parents advise their kids to take the subject they already have skills in, which comes through in the grades. None of these subjects teaches the subject at any real depth any longer - so I'd not worry too much. Find out what they;re good at and find naturally easy - and go for that one and collect the A*!

[islandofsodor]

Dd is due to start at a secondary school that does not offer gcse dance or drama b&b teaches in vocational college and says it won't matter caveat will help her as pg said is her dance school & stagecoach training and singing lessons.

[mumtomil]

Thankyou so much ladies, I think my DD is going for dance, simply because dance is 80% practical and music only 60%. Thanks for all your advice I appreciate it!

[paulears]

Lots of people in this position make an odd choice - they pick the one that they're least good at, not the best. If somebody is a dancer already, then GCSE dance will be like going back a couple of years, because it won't be hard. I remember visiting one school and asking one of the kids how long they'd been working on the routine I saw - two entire terms on a routine the local dance school would have done in a week, making them work hard. Very often they do an hour class, then when they do it next week, everyone has forgotten it and progress is snail pace. The able ones get bored rigid! Music can be more difficult because it isn't all practical, and if somebody is intending to do musical theatre, then maybe some real music skills can be handy.

It doesn't really matter - it's not critical, but so much depends on the school. My own son did GCSE music, and at the time he was having drum lessons privately - and had got to the stage where his drum music reading skills had passed mine (it's VERY different). His teacher called me into school because he wasn't taking his course work seriously. This I thought was a bit odd, but I went in. He showed me his drum music and complained he was scribbling on it. I looked at it and hummed "bum-tiddly, tidily, bum, bum, didly, didly, crash?" He looked confused and said "what's this cross?" "snare drum", then "this circle and filled circle?" "Open and closed hi hat!" He told me this was very clever and he didn't know you could write down drum music! I had to wonder about the way they hand out teaching duties - somebody obviously had to teach the GCSE music, and this lad - about 22 knew nothing much about anything other than guitars! Sadly, the same thing happens with dance and drama. Maybe you need to go to school and ask some questions about the courses, and choose the best teacher, not subject?

[Borojo]

Have just read the messages on this subject as DS has just had to choose the subjects he will take at GCSE.
The school DS attends insists that all students must take at least one language and one humanities subject. Also, students in the top sets for science must take all three science subjects. Ds quickly decided he wanted to take 2 languages and history but this only left him with one space for either drama, music or geography all of which DS enjoys and would do well in. Eventually, the morning the form had to be returned after having had it for several weeks DS opted for music.
Ds is very determined to go somewhere like Arts Ed. He has weekly private singing and piano lessons, 3 hours of dance a week and attends a two hour weekly acting class and four hour weekly musical theatre class. In the end Ds decided that if this won't prepare him for drama school then it probably isn't meant to be! He has decided to keep his options wide open by taking traditional academic subjects which we are very happy with. Whilst I think it is unlikely, it is still possible that at some point in the next 4 years Ds may decide on a completely different career path. With the subjects he is doing this would not be a problem. We now just need to ensure that he keeps on top of all his schoolwork even when having time off to attend auditions or for any work he gets. Ds knows it will be hard work but this is his decision.We are so lucky to have such a supportive school who give him time off whenever he needs it!

I am not suggesting that what we are doing is the best option, I have posted this just because I always find it helpful to read about what others think and do. I feel at the end of the day our DC often know their own minds and what they are capable of and we as parents know our DC. What is best for one might not suit another. We have really just gone along with what our DS himself decided he wanted to do.

[riverdancefan]

Paulears and PG have it right and I agree with other posters here
I do appreciate it's a worry and I have a friend facing the same dilemmas and it will be us next year
I think it's a done deal DS won't be doing drama and dance at GSCE, I hope we can fit music in though
He needs to concentrate on the academic side and will be choosing those options. He is lucky to be grammar streamed and although it doesn't come really easy he finds it easier than some of his classmates do, but needs to work hard, and be kept on task and nagged to do homework!!

The standard of dance at his school is poor IMO for all the reasons Paulears writes about and I'm not prepared to waste the school timetable on it. He gets plenty of great tuition out of school for all the performing arts and dance he does. I want him to stretched and pushed at school and I know this wont happen, the classes will be geared to the majority and I've seen the school productions ... . Music however is good there, the head of department very experienced and motivated, lots of instrument tuition and learning to sight read.

Of COURSE if I could afford it I would have him at Tring or Contis full time, but that ain't gonna happen so we have to search out the best we can give him out of school hours.

I really think your DD will make it if she is meant to with or without drama and dance at school, it's all about the audition and the level attained with relevant exams like Trinity, Rad etc and on the job experience, confidence at auditions etc.
And not putting all your eggs in one basket as far as school is concerned ?

[Welsh Mum]

I agree - what you do outside school in terms of all 3 is far more important. However, if you want to have an "easier" ride in a subject then choose one of those (which is what my DD did - she did Music and Drama and gor A and A* much easier than her other subjects). But you do not "need" them in the same way as you need performance skills, good voice, good dance etc.

One thing I would advise - and if your DC is learning an instrument as well as singing they may well already be doing it - is to do music theory. This is a big help later when sight singing and learning songs etc. DD had a big advantage cos she had done this, in her college they organised lunch time classes to try and teach the basics to those who had not done any

[Hecouldshine]

My ds is predicted straight A/A*s for all his GCSE subjects EXCEPT drama at this stage in year 10 He has ended up in a class where 1/2 the class have little drama experience, and 1/2 appear to think they are brilliant and if they shout about it loudly they should get all the main parts, but that they can still muck about in the lessons and waste time . We are seriously thinking he has wasted a GCSE choice that may count against him in the long run. Our only hope is that the drama teacher has insisted on auditioning them for their latest piece, rather than let them sort it out between themselves, so she has given him the biggest part, to much grumbling from the cocky lot So beware - think what other careers or university courses might need in the way of GCSEs, as the drama/dance/music training is definitely better coming from outside GCSE courses.

I would agree with Welsh Mum over grade 5 theory. Ds recently passed this and it was a big milestone in his music understanding. Also playing an instrument in orchestra and band has been very useful. He played in the band for a school production of Oliver as his breaking voice made it pointless to audition for a singing part at that stage. He raves about the oversight it gave him into the work involved in putting on a musical Our stage school has used recorded music for its musicals for the last 4 years, so supplying the live music was a fabulous change from being on the stage.

[mumtomil]

My DD has done more singing than dance and plays piano, so we think it might actually be a good idea to focus on her least experienced one out of the 2! She probebly would benefit more. It is taught well at her school, they are even having a new studio built and all the girls reccomend it. Allthough a big con is that if you dont take music gcse, you cant do it for a level, but with dance you can. Food for thought eh!
Thankyou for your advice ladies x

[sapphire]

DD did dance and drama A levels without doing either subject at GCSE ... I really do think she would have struggled to have done the same with Music! She knew a lot more about both subjects from her out of school activities than most of either class who were almost all continuing from GCSE ... I know in terms of drama/dance school entry post-secondary school what DD learnt outside school was certainly more useful! To be honest she only did drama because initially she thought she would do drama at uni and then changed her mind after uni open days during Yr 12. Dance was just for fun and she learnt lots of contemporary. She found drama very stressful as most of the rest of the class didn't take it at all seriously and because you have to do group performances she felt she really struggled to get her grade! Heaven only knows how she would have found GCSE drama!!!

[Pearl]

My dd is doing GCSE dance with her dancing school as they don't offer it at her school.
DD does alot of dancing and is a good standard, however she doesn't do contemporary and I think that is probably the main thing she gains from doing GCSE dance.
Most of the work is of a contemporary style and although not necessary to have the qualification to get in to a college good to do if you don't normally cover this style of dance.