Stagecoach Drama Classes One Term On

My son has been attending the Stagecoach Drama School in Southwell for the past term, he has had a fabulous time and his teachers have had nothing but praise for his outgoing personality, eccentric voices and acting. So much so, that they gave him a special part in the end of term play.

The end of term play this time was their version of The Lion King, it's a well loved film and something most people know, all of the children had made or helped to make their own colourful masks and it was an absolutely amazing play that showed how much time and effort the children and teachers had put in over the 11 week term.

My son has really enjoyed his term at Stagecoach and he has developed some wonderful acting skills, as well as finding a love of dancing.  Stagecoach has definitely built some confidence in my son, to go on stage in front of a room full of people, standing out there with just two other actors is pretty good going.

Here is what Stagecoach have to say about the benefits of their classes, I wholeheartedly agree with what they say here and it has certainly has been the case with my son.

"Acting is a wonderful outlet for our emotions.  Whether it’s laughing together or acting out a tense and dramatic scene, Stagecoach drama classes are a great way to express your feelings.

Dance has always been a part of our culture as a great way to have fun and celebrate, but you may be surprised to learn just how important dancing is in shaping the bodies and minds of children and young adults.

Singing is a powerful tool!  There is evidence that participation in group singing can significantly improve your physical and mental health."

With a term costing a little over £300 I was worried about how much my son would get out of it for the cost, however, it has been great for him. So if you have a child that maybe needs a little more confidence, that little extra push with their abilities then these classes may very well be for them.

NB: We were given a term at Stagecoach in return for our view on the classes. All opinions and photos are my own 

Hoping to Build Confidence with Stagecoach Theatre Arts School

Last week my son started his first term at the Stagecoach Theatre Arts School in Southwell, I have high hopes for him to build his confidence by attending this. He loves singing, dancing and generally being silly. He was recently part of the Christmas in Concert at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham and is in the choir at school so I know he has something a little special going on, he just needs help with his confidence.

So with his t-shirt on and a belly full of butterflies, we headed to his first session. We arrived a little early, so we sat and chatted for a bit. Soon, another newbie arrived and since they looked to be the only two boys in the group, they were put together.

We'd read up on the website about what to expect however I was expecting a bit more info on the day as to what the layout would be, especially as it was our first time. Another of the new mums also mentioned they'd expected a little more, but I think thats just because we were a little apprehensive.

My son had a wonderful time and I needn't of worried, he explained all of what had happened with the different teachers and explained what they'd done. It sounded likes lots of fun though and when my husband went to pick him up the teacher asked if he'd done this sort of thing before because he was a natural #proudparent.

This was so exciting to hear and hopefully means good things for him, I can't wait to see how he progresses and what the next few months brings. I'll be documenting his journey so keep your eyes peeled for more in the coming months.

NB: My son has been invited to take part in a term at Stagecoach Theatre, all words and opinions are my own.

Barbie in Rock N Royals Doll Review

My daughter is growing up rather quickly and part of that means finding new toys that excite and engage her. She has an unbelievable imagination and can often be found playing the most wonderful games and telling stories.

Since she found my old Barbies at my mum and dads house she has loved dressing them up and using them as her play friends. So when we were sent the new Barbie in Rock N Royals doll I knew it would be a hit but I didn't know how much. From the moment we took her out of the box she was full of excitement and spent hours singing with her, it took only a few plays of the song for her to know the words to sing along to.

The Rock N Royals doll is a princess on one side but move her arm up and she turns into a rock star, complete with different outfit courtesy of some clever outfit trickery.

She has really enjoyed the song that Barbie sings and has loved playing and twirling round, we even dressed up for our own rockstar singing session in the garden whilst it was sunny.

The stand out feature is that this doll is 2 in 1, the fact that it sings a rather catchy song is an added bonus. My only issue with this type of doll is that you can't change their outfit, although because of the way the dress flips round and the music-playing part of the body, it means they need to stay in that outfit. But to be honest, she doesn't need more, the two that she has are so very different and so very funky and my daughter hasn't mentioned anything about changing her clothes, probably because "she is Courtney the Rock N Royals doll and thats what she does".

My daughter and I both love the pink hair on this doll along with the funky accessories and I think she is the perfect Barbie that someone who loves singing as thats certainly what she gets my daughter doing.

We've watched some of the clips for the new Barbie in Rock N Royals movie and we can't wait to finally see it, in this brand-new musical adventure two very different worlds collide, when a mix-up sends a princess and a rock star to the wrong camps where they must then face an epic sing-off, it looks and sounds great and I am pretty certain there will be lots of singing along and dancing.

NB: We were sent the Barbie Rock N Royals Doll for the purpose of this review, all words and opinions are my own.

Sshhhh!

My daughter loves visiting our local library for Rhyme Time on a Tuesday.

At first it was nice, everyone was there to sing but now it's like just a few of us are singing over several coffee morning groups.

Mums ignoring the fact their kids have walked off and are causing a nuisance somewhere else, whilst they chat loudly about the new coat they bought in the sale or what sippy cup is best to use.

The person I feel sorry for the most is the woman stood at the front trying so hard to sing over this racket.

I am all for a chat with people but really, when other people are trying to sing to their children at a session called Rhyme Time.

Shame on them if they can't find a more appropriate time for it! In the mean time I'll just flash the odd disapproving look and sing as loud as I dare.