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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Come & join me in general chat all you patents of performers - be it dancers, actors, singers or musicians

319 replies

Picturesinthefirelight · 29/08/2013 13:07

There are quite a few if us onhere though I know done if you from NAPM & Balletcoforum too

Here we can have a general chit chat about what our children are up to so we don't clog up the threads on specific topics

So Sparkly, Katy, Cory & loads more. Come chat!

OP posts:
NigellasGhost · 02/11/2013 17:38

my DD is 15 - has been doing associates and will be auditioning soon for 6th form!
She did prof. panto 2 years running at age 10 and 11 - and my goodness she LOVED it. It was a fantastic experience and she got wonderful knowledge of stage craft... despite ballet teacher slating it
I am certain your DD will love panto and will learn so much from it! Good luck!

KatyMac · 02/11/2013 20:51

DD got 2 semi-finals at Blackpool; she just isn't right for Ballroom somehow Sad

teacherwith2kids · 03/11/2013 11:30

Nigella, DD did prof. panto 2 years ago (complicated story - she is tall, and dance teacher thinks she is older than she is - 37 performances of panto at 8 was ... professionally interesting but socially and tiredness wise an enormous strain!) so she at least knows what she's in for this time.

Keep thinking about associates. It is uncommon to enter for such things at her dance school - despite the standard there being very high, with lots going on to vocational study at 18 and a few younger, and great success at ISTD ballet awards and similar - so I've been a bit reluctant to push it. Suspect DD is too tall for ballet, by far her best discipline, though.

NigellasGuest · 03/11/2013 11:52

KatyMac how does DD feel about Ballroom?
Is this a competition or an actual school?
I must say your DD sounds inspirational.

teacher- why push the associates - your DD is young still. It sounds like she is getting very good quality training where she is. What does her dance teacher say about it? Re. being too tall, at age 10 it could be that she's had a growth spurt and won't grow like that again for a bit, so all her contemporaries will catch up and it will even out! I've got 3 DD's - dancing DD is the middle one. For a long long time she was very very short for her age - now at 15 she's average height, and may well end up being taller than her older sister who was always the "tall" one but now looks like being quite short. Sorry - a bit rambling. Just trying to say - early days (and you might not be that bothered about it anyway...)

IndiansOnTheRailroad · 03/11/2013 12:28

DD2 has been doing professional panto since she was 7 - this will be her 4th year. They've been rehearsing since the end of August (made for very full Sundays what with the Annie rehearsals in the afternoon (yes it's me, hoping to stick with this name now) and the 11+ exams too!) She loves it though. I don't know what we will do about next year, my feeling is she should give it a body swerve once she's at the grammar but her feeling is quite the opposite.

JimJams DD1 is going to audition for YMT:UK specifically for the misinterpreted piece - originally she was going to audition as a musician but this piece looks right up her street as a singer/songwriter too. I don't expect her to get in though, but, good experience. DD2 is furious but at the end of the day she won't be 11 till the end of August so that's that. She doesn't get to audition or go on any of the courses till next year at the earliest. Exciting news about your DSs film! And another tour too. He's clearly very talented. Grin

teacherwith2kids · 03/11/2013 13:06

Indians,

We've said 'not once you're in secondary' to DD.

As the 2 big dance schools do it year and year about, the next time she'd be eligible she'd be in year 8. While missing 9 or 10 days of Y4 / Y6 isn't too much of a disaster (though tbh I was surprised that we got permission for this year - i was v. dubious but her headteacher was all for it), missing that amount of Y8 would be more of an issue - especially as long term I suspect DD is not going to make a career out of dancing.

Original poster
Picturesinthefirelight · 03/11/2013 13:13

Tracherwith2kids & anyone else

Head teachers are not allowed to not give time off for panto/other performances regardless if their personal opinion

The rules for time off & granting of licences are set down in law

A parent of a child in Emil & the Detectuves has just won her battle with the school as the LEA have over ridden the schools wishes (as they have to by law).

OP posts:
Original poster
Picturesinthefirelight · 03/11/2013 13:14

Two girls at the very academic senior school dd would have gone to had she not gone to H had time off during their a levels for panto.

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teacherwith2kids · 03/11/2013 13:28

Ah, OK.

What happened for us was that I asked the head for his opinion, based on DD's class work, the views of her Y6 teacher, and the experience of children doing panto in Y6 in previous years as to the possible impact on her academic work of doing panto this year.

Had he said that it was a concern, we would not have asked for the time off - she would just not have auditioned.

Equally in Y8, even if permission had to be given if requested, we will not be allowing DD to audition - she has had the experience twice now, further years in the same company's panto won't 'add anything'. If for whatever reason she had the chance to dance in something completely different, that might change the situation IYSWIM?

Original poster
Picturesinthefirelight · 03/11/2013 14:16

Yes iswym

Dd has done panto once (in year 5) & whilst it was a fab experience it seriously impacted on the family Xmas. We have ds to think about too.

The following year she was in a musical (lead role) & although that necessitated a few days off school and me & dd staying over in a hotel it was easier to manage.

Now she isn't allowed to audition for external performances as her new school have to vet anything. & make sure it isn't detrimental to her training.

OP posts:
saintlyjimjams · 03/11/2013 14:59

I have to ask for permission for one day off for the film. I'm not expecting a problem as the LEA have already said they'll issue a licence & the head is as supportive as he can be. The cartoon doesn't need time off as it's done around school & if he does the tour again the timing means he shouldn't need time off.

IndiansOnTheRailroad · 03/11/2013 16:24

Pictures I know that schools have to give time off and that's not why I'm feeling that maybe I would prefer her not to do it next year - it's that panto wouldn't be the only thing she would be doing and need time off for. And there's a limit to how much time off school I'm prepared for her to have (me, not the school - who have never once been an issue over DD1 having time off for this sort of stuff (and she does a LOT of performing)). I just think that next year there will be competing opportunities and she won't be able to carry on doing everything like she has done up until now. Just, you know, physically.

saintlyjimjams · 03/11/2013 16:26

I know what you mean Indians. Ds2 didn't even audition for the panto as we felt it would be far too much on top of everything else he has on at the moment.

IndiansOnTheRailroad · 03/11/2013 16:34

Jimjams I think it's important that she settles well in the school, I don't think missing one panto will kill her. But we'll see. :) Your DS2 seems to be making a brilliant job of balancing everything though.

saintlyjimjams · 03/11/2013 17:23

Well I did feel the same tbh. We thought about going for Charlie & the Chocolate Factory during the summer round of auditions, but although he was very unlikely to get it so further thoughta were almost certainly irrelevant I thought it would be too much settling into year 7 of a new school as well. And it's a grammar so I wasn't too sure about workload etc. So anyway we didn't bother auditioning - which was the right decision. He's settled in well to year 7 and that really was my main concern this year.

He has been very lucky - the cartoon is 10 mins from home, doesn't clash with school & it's very rare to do more than a few hours a week (too intense otherwise), & each tour date has only been one week. Panto would be a whole different ball game commitment wise! Makes my head spin to even think of it with 2 other kids as well. Nevertheless I feel ds2 has enough on at the moment & I'm not inclined to suggest much more up him!

IndiansOnTheRailroad · 03/11/2013 17:29

I must say I really don't care about Y6 though. God knows she needs something to extend her and keep her in the routine of being a hard little worker. So for this year, any opportunity that comes up she's taking.

saintlyjimjams · 03/11/2013 17:33

I felt the same tbh. Year 6 is An odd year. 11 plus was done by September & most of the kids spent the year just waiting to move on.

Original poster
Picturesinthefirelight · 03/11/2013 17:43

My dd really enjoyed year 6 in sine ways but in other ways it emphasised to us that she really didn't fit in at school.

She too had done her entrance exam by October & she was in a show in May. At school they doesn't a lot of time rehearsing the leavers play & going on trips. Our huge change of mind meant a Late audition just before may half term.

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teacherwith2kids · 03/11/2013 17:56

Not a fully grammar area here (DD passed well for grammars but is going to the local comp - a story for a wholly other thread). DD's primary school - DS was there too - has a really good attitude to Year 6, in that 11+ is a minority interest and SATs are a minor interruption to the important business of learning new and exciting things (they do, incidentally, get a huge number of Level 6s at SATs, but I think that's just because they keep teaching and learning, rather than revising).

It's only the last few weeks of the year when they stop working at full speed, in order to do the Leavers' Play and the residential.

It seems to stand them in really good stead, as they hit Year 7 running rather than having to re-energise themselves after a year of standing still, which I do know happens in other schools.

saintlyjimjams · 03/11/2013 18:38

They did quite a lot of extended curriculum work in year 6, but ds2's school was very small & I think he was just ready to move onto something a lot larger & get all the independence - travelling by bus each day etc. He's loving year 7.

Original poster
Picturesinthefirelight · 03/11/2013 19:33

Dd went to an independent junior school where the majority of children go on to the linked senior school so the few who didn't felt a bit out of it I think.

They didn't do sats but they must have worked ahead if the curriculum as she is ahead at her new school in terms of things she has covered though I guess a lot of year 7 is consolidation anyway.

The school was very very sporty & dd hates sport do she's so mych happier.

OP posts:
KatyMac · 04/11/2013 09:10

Just asked for time off for auditions...........Gulp - let's wait & see

Original poster
Picturesinthefirelight · 04/11/2013 09:17

It's only the same as someone who is applying to other college/uni courses

I was sneaky & told school dd needed time off for entrance exam/assessments/interview!

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saintlyjimjams · 04/11/2013 09:22

Oh Indians good luck to your dd1 for the YMT:UK audition. I'm not expecting ds2 to get in either (and also thinking htf will we afford it if he does Grin ) but thought it would be good practice for a workshop style audition.

HSMMaCM · 07/11/2013 08:49

DD suddenly blurted out over dinner yesterday that her (dance) career will be over by 30 and then what will she do? She then went on to tell us that she will have 2 children by the time she's 32 and then go to medical college.

She's 14 at the moment, so we'll see.