SPEECH & DRAMA REGISTRATION PACK

2015/16

SPEECH AND DRAMA AT DOWNE HOUSE

Introduction

Speech and Drama is a popular ‘extra’ subject at Downe House, with around one third of girls

electing to take lessons. This booklet is designed to provide you with all the information you need

to select the appropriate lesson type for your daughter.

Online registration can be found on the school website Parent Zone (www.downehouse.net). If you

would prefer a printable form please contact the Head of Extra-Curricular Drama, Rebecca Watson,

(watsonr@downehouse.net) or refer to the back of this booklet . Please note the deadline for

2015/16 enrolment is the 1st July 2015.

Speech and Drama encourages self-confidence and promotes creativity, imagination and team-

working skills in a supportive and non-threatening environment. Skills in acting and

communication help develop an ability to speak and to express views and opinions with confidence.

The lessons encourage an appreciation and understanding of literature and the spoken word

through speaking, reading and listening; they also promote technical skills such as clear

articulation, confident physicality and breath control.

Over the course of a year, a girl can expect to experience the following elements in her lessons:

Play reading

Poetry reading

Choral Speaking

Theatre History

Sight-Reading

Improvisation

Devised Drama

Musical Theatre

Mime and Physical Theatre

Breath support and awareness

Vocal development (ie: modulation,

projection, resonance and articulation)

Lesson Fees for 2015/16

Group Lesson (per girl) £17.11

Duologue Lesson (per girl) £21.99

Individual Lesson £26.74

LESSON STRUCTURE

Remove to Upper Fourth

Girls in the Remove to Upper Fourth will automatically be placed in group Speech and Drama

lessons. The girls enjoy the collaborative nature of the classes, and the co-operative effort involved

in preparing for the examination helps to build skills in a range of areas.

Group sizes are kept small and girls have a high degree of control over

their eventual examination piece. Depending on the group preference, over

the past few years we have had Remove to Upper Four examination entries

in Scripted Group Drama, Devised Group Drama, Musical Theatre and

Choral Speaking.

Remove work to Grade 2 level of the Trinity Guildhall Syllabus.

Lower Fourth work to Grade 3 level of the Trinity Guildhall Syllabus.

Upper Fourth work to Grade 4 level of the Trinity Guildhall Syllabus.

Speech and Drama lessons are timetabled once a week and take place

during a ‘prep’ lesson. Lesson content follows the Trinity Guildhall

syllabus, whether or not the girls are planning to take an examination.

Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth

We offer Solo and Duologue lessons for the Lower Fifth and Upper Fifth in

Speech & Drama, Musical Theatre and Communication Skills. Group

lessons are not possible due to timetabling restrictions. The girls follow

the Trinity Guildhall syllabus, working towards Grades 5 and 6. Some

Upper Fifth Speech & Drama girls may also be selected to take an

additional specialist Shakespeare examination called the RADA

Shakespeare Certificate.

Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth

In Sixth Form, the range of lesson opportunities

expands even further, allowing the Speech and Drama girls to specialise in

Performing Text, Shakespeare Skills or Individual Acting Skills. They may

also be selected to commence or progress to the next level of the RADA

Shakespeare Certificate.

At this advanced level, girls may be considering a career in a theatre-

related field, applying to read Drama at University or planning to audition

for Drama School. We can help prepare them for auditions and interviews

both on a practical level and through broadening their experience and

appreciation of literature and drama. In Sixth Form the girls typically

work towards Trinity Guildhall Grades 7 and 8, both of which attract UCAS

points.

MUSICAL THEATRE

Solo and Duologue Musical Theatre lessons are available to girls in Lower Fifth to Upper Sixth. Girls will usually have had, or will be undertaking Singing lessons, and may have experience in dance as well. The emphasis is on the holistic nature of these skills in creating and presenting a character. Musical Theatre exams are fairly demanding, and necessitate rigorous preparation and commitment.

Upper Fourth girls who are interested in Musical Theatre for the

following year can join a group trial Musical Theatre class during the

Summer Term. These lessons will give an overview of the skills and

musical styles needed for Musical Theatre exams. Group Musical

Theatre trial classes are charged at the Group lesson rates.

Please contact the Head of Extra-Curricular Drama, Rebecca Watson

(watsonr@downehouse.net), for more details.

RADA SHAKESPEARE CERTIFICATE

The RADA Shakespeare Certificate is offered by the Royal Academy

of Dramatic Arts and is designed for students aged 16 or over. It

allows students to focus solely on the work of Shakespeare and his

contemporaries and evaluates their ability to speak and perform

Shakespeare's language with accuracy and skill.

Girls sit the Bronze RADA Shakespeare Certificate in Upper Fifth, the

Silver Certificate in Lower Sixth and the Gold Certificate in Upper

Sixth .

Please note, this is an advanced level examination and should only be

considered by girls who feel a genuine passion for the works of

Shakespeare and are able to commit to an intensive examination

preparation process. Participation in these exams is by invitation

only, based on the students’ ability and previous examination

performance.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Trinity Guildhall examinations in Communication Skills are designed to allow candidates to develop and refine expertise in different types of communication through spoken English. Examinations assess a candidate’s ability to engage with analytical and critical concepts, to persuade, to negotiate, to summarise and to communicate information, ideas and opinions in a variety of contexts.

At most grades candidates are required to respond to a range of imagined scenarios and employ verbal and non-verbal skills and responses appropriate to them. Candidates’ levels of success in these examinations depend on their ability to recognise and employ the different communication skills appropriate for each task.

SPEECH AND DRAMA EXAMINATIONS Trinity Guildhall Examinations

We follow the Trinity Guildhall syllabus, and all girls have the opportunity to sit an exam at one of

the two examination slots each year; one in the Lent Term and one in the Summer Term. Exams are

NOT compulsory, and girls do not need to have passed one grade in order to sit the next – they can

join at any stage.

Remove: Exams take place in the Summer Term.

Lower Fourth: Exam term is dependent on when the girls are in France.

Upper Fourth: Exams take place in the Summer Term.

Lower Fifth to Upper Sixth: Girls will normally sit their exam in the Lent Term.

Trinity College London is a leading international examinations board with an excellent reputation.

All Advanced level exams (Grades 6-8 inclusive) attract UCAS points, and thereby provide a tangible

reward for the very hard work that the girls put into preparing their performance pieces.

Exam Fees for 2015/16

Remove Group of 4 - £65.00 (£16.25 per girl)

(Grade 2) Group of 5 - £71.75 (£14.35 per girl)

Lower 4 Group of 3 – £61.25 (£20.42 per girl)

(Grade 3) Group of 4 - £66.00 (£17.00 per girl)

Upper 4 Group of 3 - £68.25 (£22.75 per girl)

(Grade 4)

Lower 5 Duologue - £80.00 (£40.00 per girl)

(Grade 5) Solo - £53.00

Upper 5 Duologue - £89.00 (£44.50 per girl)

(Grade 6) Solo - £59.00

Lower 6 Duologue - £99.00 (£49.50 per girl)

(Grade 7) Solo - £66.00

Upper 6 Duologue - £113.00 (£56.50 per girl)

(Grade 8) Solo - £75.00

RADA Shakespeare Examinations

Examinations take place in December, just prior the end of the

Michaelmas term.

Exam Fees for 2015/16

Bronze Solo - £42.00

Duologue - £79.00 (£39.50 per girl)

Silver Solo – £52.00

Duologue - £89.00 (£44.50 per girl)

Gold Solo – £69.00

Duologue - £111.00 (£55.50 per girl)

Exam fees correct at time of publication.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. How do I sign my daughter up for lessons? You can register your daughter for Speech and Drama lessons using our online

registration system, which can be found on the school website Parent Zone

(www.downehouse.net). A printable form can be found at the end of this registration pack. Please

note the deadline for 2015/16 enrolment is the 1st July 2015.

2. Can my daughter do more than one weekly lesson? Many of our students from the Lower Fifth to Upper Sixth do more than one weekly Speech and Drama lesson. Some choose to combine solo and duo lessons while others want to do both Speech and Drama and Musical Theatre lessons. We will always do whatever possible to accommodate these requests for multiple lessons although they cannot be guaranteed. In the event that we are unable to fulfi ll all lesson requirements, we will contact the girl to ask what her preferred lesson would be.

3. How will my daughter’s lessons be managed whilst she is in France? Please register your daughter in the usual way at the beginning of the academic year, and we will manage the groups automatically according to the term they will be in France.

4. Is Speech & Drama likely to interfere with my daughter’s academic lessons? As Speech & Drama lessons take place during a girl’s prep periods, there is no interference with her academic lessons at all. Apart from learning lines, no prep is given for Speech and Drama and there is no requirement for practice outside of lessons, although girls will tend to get together to rehearse in the evenings in the lead-up to an exam. Occasionally, a girl will find that due to the number of extra lessons she is taking (Speech & Drama, Individual Music, Tennis coaching etc), that her prep periods are considerably reduced. In such a case, it may be advisable to reduce one of her extra lessons.

5. My daughter has done LAMDA/ESB exams – how can she transfer to Trinity? Most of the Speech & Drama boards have similar requirements in the lower grades so your daughter will be at a similar level to everyone else. There are no pre-requisites and your daughter can join Trinity at any level.

6. How can I ensure my daughter isn’t re -sitting an exam she has done before? Many Prep schools have their students undertake Speech as opposed to Drama exams, or Solo/Duologue as opposed to Group exams. Additionally there are minimum age-levels for the higher grades so it is unlikely that your daughter will re-sit the same exam. Occasionally it will be necessary for a girl to resit an examination grade that she has taken before. In these cases extra care will be taken to ensure that the student is suitably stretched and challenged in her lessons.

7. My daughter doesn’t want lessons now, but may wish to start later in the year. Is this possible? Due to timetable constraints and the nature of Group lessons it can be difficult to find a lesson slot once the school year is underway. However we run a waiting list and are always happy to accept registration for the following year in advance.

8. My daughter doesn’t want to take an exam this year, but may wish to in the future. Is this possible? Yes, this is possible. Non-exam groups/pairs/individuals follow the same syllabus as exam groups so that everyone remains at a similar level.

If you have any further questions please contact the Head of Extra-Curricular Drama, Rebecca Watson, (watsonr@downehouse.net).

I would like my daughter to undertake Speech and Drama lessons, and I agree to the Terms and Conditions below.

Daughter’s Name: _______________________________

Year Group: _________________________________ (from September 2015)

REMOVE to UPPER FOURTH Please register my daughter for:

Speech and Drama Group

LOWER FIFTH to UPPER SIXTH ONLY Please register my daughter for:

Speech and Drama Solo Musical Theatre Solo

Communication Skills Solo

Speech and Drama Duo Musical Theatre Duo

Communication Skills Duo

UPPER FIFTH & SIXTH FORM ONLY

I agree to my daughter sitting the RADA Shakespeare examination if she is nominated to do so:

Yes/No (Please delete as applicable)

Terms and Conditions I understand that examination entrance fees will be added to the fees invoice as and when they occur. I understand that a full term’s notice in writing must be given to the Head of Extra-Curricular Drama, or fees paid in lieu of notice if my daughter wishes to stop taking lessons. Where lessons are missed due to the absence of the teacher, a girl’s illness or unavoidable school commitments, no charge will be made. However the following should be noted: a) If the pupil is unable to attend as a result of long-term illness (ie: 10 days or more) and an alternative date for

the lesson cannot be arranged, no charge will be made. b) If the pupil is unable to attend because of examinations or other legitimate School business and an alternative

date for the lesson cannot be arranged, no charge will be made providing the pupil has given the teacher at least 7 days notice either in writing or by email.

I agree to my daughter sitting a Speech and Drama examination: Yes/No (Please delete as applicable)

Name:

Signature: Date:

Please return this form to the Head of Extra-Curricular Drama by 1st JULY 2015

REGISTRATION FORM

(September 2015)