Posts Tagged ‘Singing’

Spotlight on…Co- Director Faye Willingale

Wednesday, February 5th, 2020

This week we caught up with Faye one of our amazing Co- Directors to find out what originally sparked her interest in the performing arts, what she believes makes Spotlights unique and how excited she is for our upcoming shows!

What sparked your interest in the performing arts?
‘Iโ€™m lucky to have been brought up by my Dad who loved a wide variety of music and who could sing and play several instruments. My mum also loves the theatre and musicals, she started taking me to see shows from a young age and we still go the theatre together’.

What do you think makes Spotlights unique?
‘The environment that we create at Spotlights, which is a family run business, gives both our students and our teachers the feeling of being part of an extended family. We are successful in retaining many students for long periods of time; they start at the age of  4 or 5 and stay for ten years, sometimes even longer!. Spotlights started in April 2006. Since then, weโ€™ve really grown. We run classes 6 days a week in 17 different venues. With our growth, weโ€™ve managed to maintain close relationships with all our families. Weโ€™re still very โ€˜hands onโ€™ and we know our students personally.’

What is your favourite aspect about teaching Little Stars?
‘I love the variety of teaching them drama, dance and singing every week. Our Little Stars are creative and imaginative and so much fun to teach!’

What is your favourite aspect about teaching Main School?
‘I focus on teaching drama to students aged 7-18. I love teaching such a broad age range of children as theyโ€™re all so different. The spring term productions are a highlight for me! Thereโ€™s lots to think about, itโ€™s a busy time of the year but incredibly rewarding. Show weekend is the best! Being in the incredible theatre space that we use and seeing everyoneโ€™s efforts come together is thrilling!’

What do you hope to inspire in the young people who attend your theatre schools?
‘Self-confidence. I want our Spotlights students to believe in themselves, to recognise their strengths and feel proud of their achievements. I want them to look back at their time at Spotlights and remember the fun theyโ€™ve had and the friends theyโ€™ve made’.  

What would your advice be to a young person who is keen to join a drama, dance or singing class but doesnโ€™t know where to start?
‘Come for a trial at Spotlights and give it a go! Weโ€™re very welcoming and youโ€™ll be well looked after’.

Finally, how excited are you for โ€˜We will Rock Youโ€™ and โ€˜Frozen 2โ€™?
‘Beyond excited! Iโ€™m loving both projects! The students are doing brilliantly, theyโ€™re going to be awesome!!’

If you would like to find out more about our classes and how we help students realise their potential please get in touch.

Top Tips for helping your child learn their lines!

Wednesday, January 29th, 2020

Some children can find learning lines to be a little difficult, with that in mind we have put together a list of our Top Tips. We donโ€™t want our students to feel like learning their lines is a chore or that its more homework to add to the pile. Therefore, we hope our Tips will help make learning lines fun and enjoyable. Remember being part of a production is so exciting and every one of our students has their own chance to shine!

10 Minutes
Helping your child learn their lines doesnโ€™t have to take hours and hours, simply set aside 10 minutes each day. Remember your child can practice wherever, whenever. You could ask your child to read you their lines in the back of the car, or even whilst youโ€™re doing the washing up. Helping your child with becoming familiar with their lines will speed up the process of learning them when they need too.

Record the Lines
Use a device to record your child saying their lines, this can either be done as their character or simply just reading the lines without any expression. This is an easy yet effective way of your child being able to listen to their lines repeatedly. Studies have suggested that our brain absorbs information quicker in the evening before going to bed. You could even listen to them in the evening together before your child goes to sleep.

Learn the cue Lines
We always suggest to our students that as well as learning their own lines they should attempt to learn the cue lines as well- these are the lines that lead into your childโ€™s. From them knowing their cue lines they will be prompter and more confident when delivering their lines on stage.  

Quiz your child
Use a scrap piece of paper to cover up everything but one of your child’s lines. Ask them to keep reading the line to you. Once you think your child feels comfortable enough, ask them if they feel confident enough to try and recite the line without looking at it and if they can move on to one of their next lines and repeat the steps.

It is important to remember that we are a team, who support each other. It is important to us that our students have fun in their rehearsals. We do encourage that our students attend our classes during the rehearsal period, as this will also help them with learning their lines through active learning.

Children who attend Spotlights Theatre School regularly have opportunities to take part in musical theatre shows. Your child is welcome to attend aย FREE trialย class at any of ourย venues.

We will Rock You Competition!

Thursday, December 19th, 2019

We have an incredible opportunity for your own pop-star aged 7-18 to win a professional recording studio session with โ€˜Singsationalโ€™ in London. This is a wonderful and unforgettable experience for any budding singer.

‘Singsational’ willย provide the backing track and lyrics to the chosen song and their professional soundย engineer will record the vocals and guide the singers through the entire recording process.ย At the end of the session, the mastered tracks will be given on a USB wristband, which will also contain photos taken throughout the session by a studio hostess.

Click here to enter this fantastic competition the more times you share, the more likely you are to win. Good Luck!

It’s Panto time! Oh no it isn’t. Oh yes it is!

Wednesday, December 4th, 2019

Panto season is fast approachingโ€ฆ oh no it isnโ€™t! Oh yes, it is!

Going to a pantomime is often a childโ€™s first exposure to theatre. They are a great family event to enjoy together during the festive season. A Pantomime has many classic traditions. The main male role is often played by a woman. A Pantomime always has a dame, a man dressed as a woman in an often-eccentric dress with very exaggerated make up. Although the story-lines are classic fairy-tales the jokes are always contemporary, bound to make you laugh your socks off! Audience participation is hugely encouraged during a Pantomime. So, youโ€™ll find yourself easily getting involved amongst all the action. From shouting โ€˜Heโ€™s behind youโ€™, โ€˜Oh no youโ€™re notโ€™ and booing loudly at the evil characters.
The end of the year simply wouldnโ€™t be complete without going to see a pantomime.

To help you weโ€™ve put together a list of some of our Pantomime picks for 2019.

London Palladium, 7th December โ€“ 4th January
If you are looking for a premium Pantomime then the London Palladium is for you. Qdos Entertainment is the worldโ€™s biggest pantomime producer. The production this year is Goldilocks and The Three bears starring regular headliners Julian Clary and Paul O Grady. Sophie Issacs stars as the title role who recently starred in โ€˜Heathersโ€™ (Theatre Royal, Haymarket).

Fairfield Halls, Croydon 10th December โ€“ 8th January
After being refurbished the Fairfield Halls has reopened its doors to theatre goers. This year however the story of Cinderella will be held in the brand-new Phoenix Concert Hall. Starring Strictly come Dancing champion Ore Oduba, actor and comedian Tim Vine. It’s one not to be missed.

Churchill Theatre, Bromley 7th December – 5th January
Starring Pantomime royalty, Christopher Biggins as the iconic Widow Twankey. The Churchill theatre presents Aladdin, a classic tale of the โ€˜magic carpet rideโ€™ that sees Aladdin and Jasmine enter a whole new world. This pantomime is guaranteed to bring plenty of festive magic.

Broadway Theatre, Catford 20th -29th December
With a star cast featuring Soul singing legend Mica Paris as the Fairy Godmother. Broadway Theatre present the tale of โ€˜Beauty and the Beast. The production features fun dance routines, plenty of jokes, slapstick comedy and heaps of Christmas magic.

We also appreciate that buying Pantomime tickets can be expensive so why not try some cheaper productions where you can still have lots of fun. The Beckenham Theatre Centre are performing Aladdin with tickets just ยฃ8! Help support your local amateur theatre group and let them put a smile on your face this Christmas.

5 Top Tips for Auditions

Wednesday, November 27th, 2019

In January 2020 our Main school students aged 7-18 will have the exciting chance to audition for our production of โ€˜We Will Rock Youโ€™. Weโ€™ve put together our top 5 tips of how to do well in an audition whilst still enjoying yourself and having fun!.

  1. Think about doing some research about โ€˜We will Rock Youโ€™ before the audition and familiarise yourself with some key characters within the story-line. Even give some of the songs a listen especially โ€˜We will Rock youโ€™ and โ€˜Bohemian Rhapsodyโ€™.
  2. Have Confidence! During the audition try and stand with a good posture, give us your best smile and make eye contact with our teachers. Be yourself remember all anyone wants you to do is your best. However, if you are feeling a little anxious our teachers are there to support you. Having some nerves is good though it shows that you care!
  3. Come to the audition room with lots of energy and enthusiasm – we are all excited to see you perform. Whatever the part is you are asked to audition for you, you should show you are willing to take and follow direction, showing us your professional attitude.
  4. Listen to each other. Remember we can all learn and help one another.
  5. The most important tip is to have fun! Remember not to put too much pressure on yourself during the audition.

Every student is included in our production. It doesnโ€™t matter if you are 7 or 18 years old everyone will have a speaking part to learn. Everyone can help to make the production as fantastic as we know it will be. If you would like to be a part of our production then book a free trial for January 2020.

Autumn term classes for 7-16 year olds

Thursday, September 26th, 2019

Autumn Term classes for 7-16 Year Olds

Itโ€™s the start of a new term at Spotlights.ย  That means for our students in Stars 1,2&3 (age 7-16) itโ€™s time to develop new skills and techniques in drama, dance and singing.ย  At the end of this term they will present a showcase of class work to family and friends.

We are now working on an exciting mix of musical theatre numbers as well as the latest pop songs and street dance tracks.ย  In drama we are working on some classic scripts and every child will have a part to play.

This term is a great opportunity for existing students to get their skills up to the next level.ย  For new students it’s really exciting to see how much they can pick up in a short time when they present their classwork at the end of term showcase.

If you would like to find out more about our classes are how we help students realise their potential please get in touch.

Peter Pan for 4-6 year olds

Thursday, May 16th, 2019

Peter Pan for 4-6 Year Olds

Every term our pupils age 4-6 at our Little Stars classes take part in a mini-musical.

This summer term our Little Stars will be having an adventure in Neverland with Peter Pan, Wendy, and all their friends.

They will be introduced to the characters in this story by our amazing teachers through fun games and drama techniques.ย  As the weeks progress, all the kids will have the chance to learn funky dance routines and songs from this classic tale.

Every child has a part to play with their own script and lines of dialogue.ย  At the end of the term family and friends are invited to come and watch an awesome show.ย  We provide the kids with a costume thatโ€™s just right for them and their character.

If you would like your child to take part in our next mini-musical project please get in touch to arrange a free trial class.

 

Summertime classes for 7-16 year olds

Thursday, May 16th, 2019

Summertime classes for 7-16 Year Olds

Itโ€™s summertime at Spotlights.ย  That means for our students in Stars 1,2&3 (age 7-16) itโ€™s time to try out new skills and techniques in drama, dance and singing.ย  There is no pressure of a show this summer term so itโ€™s time to get creative with our class content.

We are now working on the absolute freshest material from artists such as Ragโ€™nโ€™Bone Man and Calvin Harris in singing; Zookeper in dance and movie scripts from Hollywood blockbusters in drama.

We change up the content every few weeks in each class to keep everyone excited about the next mini project.

This term is a great opportunity for our students and teachers to try out new techniques.ย  Some examples include a โ€œhot seatingโ€ technique in drama.ย  This allows every child the opportunity to develop a character from a script.ย  The character is brought alive away from the dialogue that is set in the script.ย  Each student can make the character their own and this develops their confidence in performance.

In singing, we are focusing on solos and duets and some beautiful harmonies in class groups.ย  We have even found that without the pressure of performing to an outside audience some of the shyer singers are happy to try solo singing.ย  We will encourage those individuals and maybe they will sing a solo in their next show to family and friends.

In dance, the students are learning how to dance as an ensemble which requires teamwork.ย  Individually each student is being encouraged to perfect their own street dance technique.ย  Our professional choreographer is putting together some dances with a street attitude.ย  We are looking forward to developing these techniques further ready for our next showcase at the end of the year.

If you would like to find out more about our classes are how we help students realise their potential please get in touch.

 

Mary Poppins Term for 4-6 year olds

Thursday, April 6th, 2017

This April the theme of our Little Stars classes for 4-6 year oldโ€™s is based on P.L. Traversโ€™ classic story โ€“ Mary Poppins.

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Each week we will be looking at the characters from the story and through drama games and exercises your child will have the opportunity to role-play a day in the life of their favourite character.

Whether your child loves Bert, Jane, Michael or Mary Poppins herself we will inspire them to explore this magical world using their imagination.

Our drama games are specially designed to fully engage your child and we only measure how much fun they are having and not who the โ€œwinnerโ€ is!

The first building block of our STAR system is โ€œSโ€ for Self-confidence and whether your child is a natural performer or a little shy we make sure they have the opportunity to shine in class.

We develop your childโ€™s self-confidence each week.

Each class includes singing and after we have carefully warmed up your childโ€™s voice they will start to learn some of the songs from this story.

We know that some kids love singing and others are less confident.ย  The โ€œTโ€ in our STAR system is Teamwork.ย  Teamwork is really effective in group singing.ย  We allow all the children in a class to work together as a group and help each other learn lyrics.

Your child will learn how to tell this story in a creative way by singing in character.ย  The confident singers in the class have the opportunity to sing solo or in a duet.

The โ€œAโ€ in our STAR System is Active learning โ€“ this is learning by doing.ย  This is really key in dance.

Each Little Stars class includes dance training.ย  Your child will learn how to warm-up their body correctly.ย  They will learn a dance in a musical theatre style and another dance to some of the latest pop tunes.

Your child will learn dance steps taught by a professional teacher with a background in performing arts.

Itโ€™s then our job over the course of the term to bring all this learning together.ย  The โ€œRโ€ in our STAR System is Realising potential.ย  Your child will realise their own potential by attending these fun and creative classes each week.

So why not give your child the golden ticket to our fantastic training in drama, dance and singing this September.

Classes in Beckenham, Bromley, Croydon, Orpington and West Wickham.

We offer a no obligation FREE trial class to all new students.ย  Get in touch to book or sign up for our monthly newsletter to be first in line for our performing arts news and our latest offers.



Calling all 4-6 year old Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Fans

Friday, August 12th, 2016

This September the theme of our Little Stars classes for 4-6 year oldโ€™s is based on Roald Dahlโ€™s classic story – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

 

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Each week we will be looking at the characters from the story and through drama games and exercises your child will have the opportunity to role-play a day in the life of their favourite character.

Whether your child loves Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop or Willy Wonka himself we will inspire them to explore this magical world using their imagination.

Our drama games are specially designed to fully engage your child and we only measure how much fun they are having and not who the โ€œwinnerโ€ is!

The first building block of our STAR system is โ€œSโ€ for Self-confidence and whether your child is a natural performer or a little shy we make sure they have the opportunity to shine in class.

We develop your childโ€™s self-confidence each week.

Each class includes singing and after we have carefully warmed up your childโ€™s voice they will start to learn some of the songs from this story.

We know that some kids love singing and others are less confident.ย  The โ€œTโ€ in our STAR system is Teamwork.ย  Teamwork is really effective in group singing.ย  We allow all the children in a class to work together as a group and help each other learn lyrics.

Your child will learn how to tell this story in a creative way by singing in character.ย  The confident singers in the class have the opportunity to sing solo or in a duet.

The โ€œAโ€ in our STAR System is Active learning โ€“ this is learning by doing.ย  This is really key in dance.

Each Little Stars class includes dance training.ย  Your child will learn how to warm-up their body correctly.ย  They will learn a dance in a musical theatre style and another dance to some of the latest pop tunes.

Your child will learn dance steps taught by a professional teacher with a background in performing arts.

Itโ€™s then our job over the course of the term to bring all this learning together.ย  The โ€œRโ€ in our STAR System is Realising potential.ย  Your child will realise their own potential by attending these fun and creative classes each week.

So why not give your child the golden ticket to our fantastic training in drama, dance and singing this September.

Classes in Beckenham, Bromley, Croydon, Orpington and West Wickham.

We offer a no obligation FREE trial class to all new students.ย  Get in touch to book or sign up for our monthly newsletter to be first in line for our performing arts news and our latest offers.




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