is the school being mean or am I being pfb

[brighton9]

So my dds school runs a drama club for year 5 and year 6. Good so far. However they hold auditions for places as the club performs at the end of the year to the whole school.
Dd went for an autition with 8 of her class mates and she was the only one not to geta place.
Aibu to think that they should be able to find something for each child wanting to be involved.
I can understand auditions for secondary aged children but these arr primary aged children.
Or am I being pfb.

It's an upper KS2 club, so they are preparing for secondary. My school does auditions and selects, but there are non-acting roles as well, from lighting to scenery and props.
It depends on the reasons behind the club, are they inclusive or are they focused on the quality of the end product? rather like the sports clubs and teams.

Is your child actually any good at acting/dancing/singing though?

Hmm ... tricky. If they'd already selected a play and it had eight parts, and nine turned up, yanbu. I think our school would have probably created a part to accommodate, or finalised choice of play afterwards, to avoid this situation.

However, you said class mates, so I assume there was another class of children involved apart from your dd and her year?

Ridiculous, there are always big numbers or crowd scenes in which everyone can take part. I really disagree with this at any level- even secondary. Not everyone can have a starring role, but everyone can be in a production.

Having said that, my friend's dd didn't get a part recently in a primary production- which was so daft as there were so many options for extras/bit parts/crowds. She dropped out of the production, unsurprisingly. Mine had a non-speaking part anyway- so why couldn't there have been two non-speaking parts!

I think it's mean and counter-productive to exclude a child from taking part in activities if they have a genuine interest in them and are prepared to put the work in.

Seems strange (and I'd say this about secondary, not just Primary) to have a club that everyone can't go along to (obviously numbers being manageable). Surely they are not rehearsing for July now? I'd have thought they could be doing workshop type stuff now, and then audition for the main parts later. Those who don't get the main parts can then take supporting roles, or even off stage roles if they still want to be involved.

Mean
Our school managed to find parts for everyone as did the external drama club.

I think it's unreasonable for them not to find something she can do. Fair enough if there are limited parts but surely they could have involved her in the scene making or lighting or something.

I'm surprised they'd do this at Primary school age :(

The word "club" suggests to me something anyone can go and join in with. They could let all children be in the club and then hold auditions for parts within the club couldn't they?

Those who don't have a part or a big part would still be in the club and could help with the production doing other things surely?

They should have created a part for her even if it was only small in a crowd scene or as a silent animal. YANBU.

Mean and bad practice. I run a drama group and if we have 30 turning up for the Lion King audition, then I just take the script home, add in a load of extra zebras and elephants and rejig the lines so everyone gets a part. At this age, drama should be for confidence building and teamwork (unless your school is putting on Aida at Covent Garden or something)

Completely agree with creepylittlebat. What a shame for your dd.

They should find something for all as art and drama is not a question of being good at it but wanting to participate and enjoying this

If it is an after school club there should be parts for all.

Dd is at secondary school and they audition for parts but do more than one performance so have different children play the same part on each performance e.g. the would be 2 Tallulah's in Bugsy Malone.

Going againstthe grain but I have to say I agree with the auditions and selections process, regardless or whether its primary or secondary school. In the same way a child wouldn't be selected for a sports team if they were strong in the event.

I feel that a school play is like a birthday party. If you are going to be selective then you should not single out one child. For example in excess of 100 children autitioned for a party in my son's (secondary) school play and only 40 of the children got parts. There is a huge difference between rejecting 60% of the applicants and one child. At secondary school age they understand that not everyone can be in the play and it doesn't feel so personal. There are other opportunities open to the rejected 60% children who are less talented/ not ready.

I feel that at primary school they should be more flexible and care less about quality.

I am not sure what you should do. I suggest you look for drama opportunites outside school if money allows. This charity is brilliant if you are anywhere near Hertfordshire. I am sure that there are similar charities around the country.

www.dacorumyouthproductions.co.uk/details.php

As far as the school being mean, I doult there is much you can do as a parent. Certainly I would not go storming into the school demanding that my daughter got a part as it would get you nowhere. Prehaps I would write a letter saying that if they are going to be selective it is important to reject at least 3 children who autitioned so that no child feels singled out.

Going against the grain but I have to say I agree with the auditions and selections process, regardless or whether its primary or secondary school. In the same way a child wouldn't be selected for a sports team if they were strong in the event

I actually agree if it's for a school team or orchestra etc... but I think the fact it is a club makes it different.

I'd imagine a club as something you go to to learn about an activity but any teams/productions would still be auditioned for.

Mean. I'd be paying the Head a visit.

We experienced something similar. DD was in year 3, so aged 7 I think. They were allowed to 'audition' for the school choir. All her friends got in and she didn't. She wasn't a hugely talented singer, but she could hold a tune, and was no worse than the other kids. She was already being bullied and this was a further knock to her confidence, plus it meant that she was alone at lunchtime while her friends were in choir practise.

I went to ask politely if there was any chance she could join the choir, thinking perhaps if they knew how eager she was, she would get another chance, but there wasn't. I was given lots of reasons, one of them being something about entering competitions and only being allowed to enter a certain number of children. They didn't enter any competitions the whole time my DC were in the school.

So, I was basically told that the choir was full, and they were not accepting any more auditions, but she could try again next term. As I came out, another mum said to me that her DD wanted to join the choir. I told her that I had just been told that the choir was full, but perhaps she should ask anyway. Well, the next day, her DD auditioned and was allowed to join the choir. My DD was even more upset after hearing that.

I do think that at that age, all the children should be allowed to join the choir, no matter what their ability is. If they don't turn up for practise or mess around, then they should have to leave the choir.

I don't think you are being pfb, OP, I think that in primary school, all children who want to take part should be encouraged.

YANBU. There's always some way everyone can be included.

It's a club though, primarily, isn't it? So presumably has a finite amount of places.

The end of year performance is a bit of a red herring really, as that's just a by product of the actual club itself and not it's main purpose.
Presumably they selected the children who would the get most out if it, as well as those who would enhance the end of term production.

Piano I have a niece that's in an out of school hours sports club and its the same rules there. If they don't hit the mark/grade they don't get in the team to compete. I honestly don't see anything wrong with including competition as part of the development process in children.

LittlePeaPod I have to disagree about sports teams - it is only by getting the opportunity to train and practice and play matches that the children will be able to develop their skills. Fortunately the teacher that ran the sports teams at my dd's Primary School agreed with this - if you came to practice (which was open to all) then you got to play in the team.
At the start of Yr5, my dd was enthusiastic, but not skilled at any of the sports she went on to play for the school (7 in total), but she has become good at some of them because she has had the opportunity to go along every week to train, and to play in competitive matches against others. If there had been some kind of "standard" you had to achieve to even go along to training, then she probably wouldn't have made any of the squads, let alone developing enough to be invited to play for the District and County sides.

Primrose123
I'm sorry that your dd had such an awful experience, it seems brutal to reject a child at such an early age.

Our church choir sings to a very high standard, far higher than any school choir. The organist believes that he can teach any child under the age of 10 to sing if they are prepared to work hard. He uses a 6 week probation period and sees whether the child is prepared to put in the work.

I actually disagree, if your child can't act - its more mean to put them into a school play where they might look silly compared to the other children.