Has anyone had any experience of Perform drama classes?

[SarahOK]

I have a very shy 4 year old and have received their information which looks good but it is quite expensive.

They offer a free trial but I am worried he will not go in or hate it so it could make things worse.

Any personal experiences would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

My ds went to stagecoach for a year. He was never shy, but he absolutely no inhibitions now! Try it and see. It's not likely to make him worse.

Check out the experience/qualifications of the adults who are leading the classes.
The quality of theatre arts franchises differ drastically from one area to the next.

AFH

whoa re oyu

Well, one of the things that appealed to me about Perform was that it is centrally run rather than a franchise. Perform say good things about their staff but I'm wondering if anyone's actually been to a class. They have over a hundred schools in London and the home counties apparently.

I can't speak highly enough about Perform. If you have a shy child, Perform is definitely the answer - it's changed my kids' lives!

The teachers are so friendly and nice and encouraging and the whole thing is a much higher standard than other drama schools. (We tried Stagecoach and it seemed completely disorganised and unprofessional).

My two have been attending for almost two years and absolutely love it. Plus they have really been brought out of their shells and made loads of friends doing it too.

And yes, Perform schools are all centrally run so, if you miss a class, you can make it up at another school which is really great. BTW, they also do holiday courses and parties. We're doing the Neverland one in St John's Wood which they are really looking forward to and we're thinking of booking one of their Mermaids and Pirates parties this September.

My advice is go to the free trial session and see what you think - it definitely won't do any harm. CAT me if you want more information.

I agree. Perform really is a cut above the others. We joined in Tunbridge Wells last year and it has made such a difference to my daughter's personality. She's now much more chatty and confident and her teachers at school also say she's doing better at schoolwork and contributing more at class.

It's also been brilliant for a friend of mine with a really loud disruptive 5 year old son. She says it's calmed him down and now he's much better at focusing and concentrating and being more aware of others.

I would recommend Perform to every parent. Yes, it's a bit more expensive but you get a lot more out of than many other local activities.

Shy 4 year old is perfect for Perform.
We've done several terms of it with dd (now 6.5+ - she'll be 7 in October) and it's very well organised - you could say formulaic, but in this case absolutely nothing wrong with that!

What they do each term is take a theme - Under the Sea, or Fairytale Land, or Outer Space - and work up very gradually to a little 20-30 min performance of a play on that theme, with songs & dancing. The structure is always the same - a central character (boy, called "PF" for some reason) is at some kind of show/watching TV & "falls" into the screen, then goes on a very simple exploration round the place of the theme, meeting characters & having very gentle adventures. Every child gets a role in the performance - the confident child gets to be PF, the shy 4yos get to be a little group of angelfish (eg), all very thoughtfully assigned. The music & songs are quite well written - it's worth getting the CD of what the play will be - quite fun listening.

While they're working up to the performance they do little drama-y exercises, much the same every week. Dd particularly enjoyed a silly one where whatever question you're asked you have to reply "Banana".

So the effect of all that is - it's ideal for a shy 4 yo; but (though it says it goes to age 8) my feisty getting-on-for 7 dd has grown out of it & we've stopped.

My feisty dd is getting on for 8 and she is gutted about having to leave Perform in Guildford at this end of this term. Perform has been an absolute joy to have in our lives - we've worked through all 9 themes and the CDs are so well played they're all starting to skip! Have recommended it to loads of my friends and they are equally as thrilled. Plus their parties are also brilliant - see the full range of themes at www.performparties.org.uk

DD who's now 9 went to Perform for a couple of years before she moved out of London. It was fantastic, the teachers were great and really helped boost her confidence.
The CDs they produce each term to go with the theme are wonderful too, well worth the money, she still listens to them now.
I'd really recommend it.

My DD is 2.5 years old. I want a class that's not like a gym based thing, but does movement and songs etc. I've tried Monkey Music but althoug sweet thought that was just about a grubby monkey being passed around. Has anyone done Mini Ps? It's part of Perform. My friend says it did wonders for her 4 year old when she took him. Any Mini Ps feedback would be fab?

I've sent all my 3 kids to Perform. They loved it, it's definitely the superior of all kids drama classes. They are uber safety conscious also, most classes just let kids run out at the end but Perform is so strict. They even refused to let my husband collect them once, as I hadn't put his name on the Registration Form! I am really comfortable leavin them in that sort of environment. I only wish they did classes for older children as mine are getting too big for it now. We're doing the summer holiday Arabian Nights course as our final thing. Really recommend these if you are at a loose end in the summer, especially with this weather.

Just booked my two on Arabian Nights in Marlow venue. We did the Perform Free Trial in Maidenhead a few weeks ago and they haven't stopped talking about it. We're also going to book them for the autumn term - they are doing Under the Sea. It's really good for their confidence, my nephew did it for 3 years in Battersea and he's a changed boy. If you can get your child on a course, do it, it's really worth the money.

I send my daughter there and it?s the best thing I feel I can do for her. We are not a very rich family. We rent a house in Brixton at the moment and both my self and my husband have low income jobs.

My daughter was very shy before she started Perform and had a lot of problems concentrating in school. Since she started going, we?ve really noticed an improvement in her confidence and her general level of happiness. Her teachers have noticed it too.

We want our only daughter to have opportunities we never had so we make sacrifices to send her there.

It?s expensive, but it is really really worth it.

dd1 did their classes for a bit

they were PANTS

Yet another old Perform thread dragged up by another user!

yes, a poster with just one post

I actually used to think quite well of Perform despite working for a "rival".

However all these threads written by supposed parents are giving me a different impression.

They are also on netmums too and they talk disparagengly about other classes.

I would never criticise another class, it is unprofessional.

are they all advertising?

One claims to be a teacher who used to work for them. The rest claim to be parents.

It is just strange that in the space of two days they have dragged up lots of old threads in a "why don't you try Perform way I did and it's much better than x".

That sounds like an over zealous franchisee not a parent to me.

I can criticise them - dd went to them, the teachers were crap, the end of term "production" unintelligible (too hard for most of the kids, who er didn't all speak french) and marketing of their cds etc just vom-making after all you'd shelled out on the classes themselves.

Over expensive, glorified playgroup who bombard you with their products and badger you to buy into their ethos, product and brand and turn your kids into loud, rude and self centred little brats… If you want to pet with your hard earned cash to turn your kids into their little product pedlars… then go for it!