Our Singing Lessons for Beginners provide an excellent foundation for absolute beginners, as well as for those who have had some basic vocal training but want to develop their singing technique and vocal skills.
Don’t worry if you’re a little nervous - this singing course focuses on singing as a group and building your confidence. And it doesn't matter if you don't get it right first time round; it's all about practising and enjoying singing!
WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT ON SINGING LESSONS FOR BEGINNERS?
During the Level 1 course you will learn to control your voice. We will give you practical exercises to help you gain confidence using a varied repertoire - from pop to musical theatre to jazz, blues and soul.
Course content will include:
- Practising a series of varied vocal warm ups and technique exercises to improve your vocal range
- Learning about body awareness through focus on posture and alignment.
- How to develop a secure breathing technique
- Group singing and developing good listening and blending skills
- Learning how to achieve a good quality vocal performance while using your voice in a safe and healthy manner
Students will typically learn 3-6 songs during the course and will receive friendly feedback from your tutor throughout the course.
Drawing on material from the world of Musical Theatre, there's something for everyone in our Musical Theatre Singing Lessons - Level 3. The course is open to those who have completed any Singing - Level 2 classes, or equivalent, who wish to further their skills while focusing on a wide range of Musical Theatre repertoire.
This advanced level singing course digs deeper into the performance elements of these genres. You will develop more confidence in solo, ensemble and singing in harmony as well as further understanding of the origins and development of these vibrant singing genres. The course will culminate in an informal showcase of individual solos and group ensemble.
WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT ON MUSICAL THEATRE SINGING LESSONS - LEVEL 3?
The course will cover a range of carefully selected material to ensure it is challenging, varied, and above all, enjoyable.
Course content will include:
- Developing a deepened knowledge of the musical theatre genre.
- Extensive vocal warm-ups and introducing more advanced singing technique and technical terminology.
- Exploring challenging ensemble work with a focus on harmony, musicianship and dynamics.
- Solo Masterclasses - focusing on acting through song and musicianship skills with personal feedback about vocal technique, performance and style.
- Performing in an informal showcase at the end of the course.
Consolidate your techniques as you rehearse and perform in a duologue and/or a monologue from a published play text in this intensive practical course.
These practical sessions are for students who wish to consolidate and develop their acting skills while focussing on script work and rehearsal. You will continue to develop the fundamentals of stagecraft, work with text and to build character, relationships and the world of the play. Your work will culminate in an 'in class' presentation of a scene or monologue, performed from memory, to the rest of the group in the final session.
What will we cover?
• Character work
• Text analysis
• Scene Rehearsal and performance.
Please note that acting classes by their very nature can involve exercises and the exploration of material that some students may find challenging.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Work cooperatively with other actors and the director
• Explore and analyse text confidently
• Develop character
• Perform in a scene from a play or screenplay with confidence.
Explore the fundamentals of acting on this practical course, designed for people with little or no experience of acting. Increase your confidence and discover your potential in a safe and exciting environment.
This course will introduce you to the craft of acting. Through a series of warm ups, games and practical acting exercises you will develop your creativity and find the freedom to act in a friendly and supportive environment.
What will we cover?
• Drama games and group exercises
• Improvisation and scene work
• Character work
• Performing truthfully and believably
• An introduction to text work.
Please note that acting classes by their very nature can involve exercises and the exploration of material that some students may find challenging.
By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Work collaboratively and confidently with others.
• Present yourself confidently in the space.
• Develop and play character
• Prepare and perform a short scene.
Deepen your understanding and emotional expressivity as you work towards deeper levels of practice in this workshop. Suitable for beginners and experienced students alike who wish to develop greater sincerity, authenticity and depth in their acting. Explore the principles of psychological realism pioneered by Stanislavski and developed by the Method practioners to enrich and enhance your performances and characterisations. Learn new skills and hone existing ones in this supportive and expressive environment.
An exploration of Stanislavski's acting technique - learn, extend and challenge existing approaches. Sometimes, suddenly in performance, all around you feels alive and real. Impulsive responses arise spontaneously and rich, detailed behaviour emerges without effort. Stanislavski called this ‘experiencing’ the role. This course trains the elements that support the emergence of this creative state in performance. Making use of the approaches to preparation and characterisation developed by Stanislavski, as well as the Method practitioners who elaborated his work further, your ability to generate rich, detailed performance choices and the range and depth of your characterisations will be extended and strengthened. The course is designed as a workshop studio that provides a focused and supportive arena in which to develop your talent, hone your craft, tackle the problems that you may experience that prevent its full and free expression, and learn new skills.
We will explore exercises and training techniques that develop your ability to experience real responses from imagined stimuli and to mobilise subconscious creativity in your work. You will learn how to create more vivid and affecting inner images to justify action, to develop the use of oneself as a creative resource, and to avoid more consistently mechanical acting, conventional choices, and the faking or forcing of emotional expression. We will explore characterisation techniques that target the specific qualities that separate you from characters very different to yourself, along with psychophysical processes that facilitate a more expressive embodiment. We will also examine the means by which blocks and inhibitions to a freer expression of impulses and a more connected and vulnerable mode of performance may be addressed. As actors progress through the training, we will explore the ‘active analysis’ of drama and a deeper engagement with the structure and dynamics of dramatic action.
Please note that acting classes by their very nature can involve exercises and the exploration of material that some students may find challenging.
It's time to top up your vocal skills! This thorough and fun improvers' course will benefit your further vocal development as an actor or professional speaker. You will consolidate work on breath support and explore pitch and resonance. The course will be held in the college.
It's time to top up your vocal skills! This thorough and fun improvers' course will benefit your further vocal development as an actor or professional speaker. You will consolidate work on breath support and explore pitch and resonance. The course will be held in the college.
What will we cover?
Breath support, control and pressure, resonance, pitch awareness, articulation and techniques of communication.
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Identify your own vocal weaknesses and develop ways to address them.
- Display improvements in breath capacity and support using more advanced breathing exercises.
- Apply articulation pitch and variety to a whole range of texts and material.
- Further develop the resonance of your voice by examining secondary and tertiary areas of resonance.
Improve the quality of your voice and standard of speech; relaxation and alignment; breath capacity/control; articulation, forward placement and vocal expression, primarily aimed at performers. This course will be taught in the college.
What is the course about?
To improve the quality of your voice for increased confidence in communication and performance. To develop vocal skills and thus an understanding of how the voice works. The course is primarily aimed at the actor/performer.
What will we cover?
Physical alignment.
Breathing - diaphragmatic, lower abdominal and lower intercostal.
Relaxation techniques, opening the channel for sound.
Forward placement work.
Jaw and tongue; opening throat.
Vowel work and consonant drills.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
Demonstrate an awareness of the body and its effect on the voice.
Demonstrate effective relaxation techniques.
Demonstrate deep breathing/support of sound.
Demonstrate a more powerful voice and richer tone.
Articulate clearly in speech.
Demonstrate vocal confidence and awareness.
To work on your existing skills of imagination, voice, body, movement and space in order to develop character relationships and create scenes from the play. Relevant section/s of the play will be made available in class and there are some copies in the library. Please get your own copy if you can. The course is for people who: have little or no experience; who want to refresh skills; more experienced practitioners. The emphasis, where possible, is on larger scenes and the collaborative work demanded by them.
You will need to complete an Individual Learning Plan and be prepared to work in a group. You must be prepared to work with other people.
Improve the quality of your voice and standard of speech through relaxation, stance, breath capacity/control, articulation, forward placing and expression. This course will be delivered in the college.
What is the course about?
To improve the quality of your voice for increased confidence in communication. To develop vocal skills and an understanding of how the voice works with practical focus on relaxation, stance, breath capacity/control, articulation, forward placement and expression.
What will we cover?
Relaxation, alignment and posture, breath support, control and pressure, resonance, pitch awareness, articulation and techniques of communication.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
Demonstrate more confidence in your voice and how you use it.
Display an awareness of the technique of supporting your voice and controlling your breath.
Practise articulation exercises to improve clarity and diction.
Discover how to return your body to its natural state of balance and poise in this beginners' guide to the Alexander Technique. Learn how to relieve stress by becoming mindful of muscular and mental tension.
What is the course about?
This course is a general introduction to Alexander Technique, which is concerned with how a person uses themselves as a whole - mind and body - in everything they do. The technique can help you move and breathe with less effort, improve posture, be more focused and efficient, cope with stress better and be calmer and more confident. The Alexander Technique involves no specific exercises, requires no special equipment and can be practised wherever you are. It is suitable for people of all ages and levels of physical fitness.
What will we cover?
- How to become mindful of and how to use your body better during everyday activities, including sitting and standing, walking, lifting, bending, sitting at desks, lying down, speaking and breathing.
- Spatial awareness, balance, co-ordination, developing powers of observation and focusing.
- Anatomy and physiology where applicable.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Identify the Alexander principle that the way you use yourself influences how you function in everyday life
- Recognise at least two habitual patterns of posture and movement which may be causing excessive tension, aches and pains, shallow breathing, restricted movement or stiff joints.
- Recognise how applying the Alexander Technique can help eliminate tension habits that interfere with poised natural body alignment and overall functioning and well-being
- Practise the Alexander Technique in the classic semi-supine lying-down position.
