LAMDA Lessons – The London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art

In collaboration with Jo Barrington, LAMDA Teacher, we are very pleased to be able to offer a NEW series of extra-curricular lessons which will work towards building confidence & technique for students who would like to gain further experience towards their Drama lessons at Lytchett Minster School. These lessons will run in a similar way to the Music lessons we already run and an application form will need to be completed for individual or group lessons.   

We would like to gauge interest for these proposed sessions, could you please complete the linked form if your child would find these weekly (term-time) sessions of interest. These lessons will run throughout the school day and will change each week to avoid missing the same part of a lesson each time.

Jo Barrington is an ex-professional performer with years of experience in the industry, a trained teacher of the Performing Arts and also qualified LAMDA teacher. 

Studying For Acting and Musical Theatre exams offers far more than simply the opportunity to gain a certificate and grade.  Your training prepares you to go into an exam room and perform songs or acting monologues to a stranger- and then answer questions – much like an interview for a job might require you to do in the future.

When preparing for an exam you learn extracts from plays or musicals and must understand the context of the pieces - what the show is about, how the extract fits into the context of the story, who the character you are playing is and how they are similar/dissimilar to yourself. Alongside these skills being integral to performing arts careers they also help with empathy, confidence and understanding of yourself and others in general.

It is worth remembering that an exam is one person’s opinion of your performance and how you represented yourself on that day and time slot. Another day /another person might be different – art is, by its very nature discretionary and we all perceive brilliance and beauty differently. However, learning to recognise and manage your own idiosyncrasies and nerves, managing feedback you didn’t expect, respecting other opinions are life skills that are relevant to us all.   It’s also so important to be resilient and to never ever be afraid of trying.

Important things to remember when applying for LAMDA lessons 

(LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) is the UK’s oldest and most prestigious drama school, offering professional training in acting, musical theatre, directing, and performance arts.)                                            

It is the student's responsibility to find out the times of and attend their lessons. Refunds will not be given for missed lessons.

If you wish to terminate lessons at any time, you must provide written notice by the dates provided in the terms and conditions below. Lessons will not stop immediately - they will continue after notice is given until the termination date provided in the terms and conditions. This is roughly half a term after the notice date.

Terms and Conditions

Staff obligations
It is expected that staff will:

• Organise an up-to-date rotating timetable and make alterations if necessary.
• Encourage and motivate students to learn, practise and improve.
• Reward students for good work using the schools’ commendation systems.
• Prepare students for performance assessments
• Enter students for external examinations if appropriate.
• Keep a weekly lesson register, to be submitted half-termly to the Drama Office
• Undergo annual performance management

Student expectations
It is expected that students will:

• Check noticeboards for lesson timetables.
• Attend their lessons on time.
• Bring their notebook to lessons and refer to it during the week.

Parental expectations
It is expected that parents will:

• Pay bills promptly
• Remind their child of their lessons.

Examination entries
Associated Board LAMDA Exams will be held at Lytchett Minster School in the Spring and Summer term of each year. Students may be entered for external exams by their school each term at the recommendation of their teacher – this is handled by the Music / Drama Office.

Arrangement of lessons
We will endeavour to meet your group-size requirements, but this may not always be possible. The staff may need flexibility during the academic year to alter group sizes for the following reasons:

1. Individual pupils’ progress within the group.
2. Commencement/termination of lessons by pupils.

Any alteration of these group sizes, for whatever reason, will only take place at the beginning of each half term. You will be consulted prior to any changes taking place.

Payment for lessons
You will be billed independently by your son’s/daughter’s LAMDA teacher. In each case fees for tuition at the rates stated on page 1 of the application form will usually need to be paid half-termly, in advance, on an ‘average billing’ system of 5.5 lessons per half term (we aim to provide your child with 33 lessons over the course of the academic year). You will usually be billed in or around the second

week of each half term. You also have the option to pay by direct debit. Failure to pay promptly will result in the possibility of your son/daughter’s LAMDA lessons being withdrawn. If your son / daughter does not receive 33 lessons over the course of the academic year, we will alter the final bill of the year to reflect the correct number, or if necessary, provide you with a refund.

Attendance
It is the student’s responsibility to attend their arranged lessons. Staff cannot be expected to deal with absence, although the Head of the Drama Department will be notified by the teaching staff for persistent absence and will deal with the matter accordingly. We are unable to provide refunds when the teacher is available and the student is absent for whatever reason (including sickness, lateness or forgetfulness!). In exceptional circumstances (for example school trips and examinations) with at least two weeks written notice given directly to the teacher, the teacher may try and provide the lesson at another time.

Stopping lessons
If your child wishes to discontinue lessons for any reason, please be aware that the Drama Office requires notice in writing as per the dates listed below. If you do not let us know by these dates, lessons will automatically continue and you will be charged accordingly.

Students in examination years
Students in Years 11 and 13 will automatically have their lessons terminated at the end of the first half of the Summer Term unless their parents wish them to continue (if so please put this in writing to the Drama Office). Year 12 students will normally continue during exam leave, but will have the option to stop lessons during this period if notice is given. They may wish to negotiate with their teachers to try to ensure, where possible, and with adequate notice as detailed above, that their lessons do not clash with their examinations.