Student Expectations

All the academy instruction requires a weekly commitment of daily individual practice throughout the week in addition to lessons. The amount of daily individual practice commitment will vary depending on the student’s level and their ability. Preparation for Speech Arts also includes the need to read the entire play and/or novel from which a work is taken. Successful students in these disciplines are interested learners and enjoy reading. Please really consider this full commitment before registering for our academy: the full academy instruction time plus the daily practice regimen. This approach will help the student get the most out of the academy and truly have fun doing so. It is no fun getting up in front of a group of people when one is unprepared. On the other hand, it is extremely gratifying to one’s soul and psyche to deliver a well prepared selection in a public setting. We take tremendous satisfaction is helping every student perform to the best of their ability.

In addition to a daily practice regiment, there are reading assignments and study materials to master the theory components behind the art form. We have also found that successful students have supportive parents. Younger students require more support though we have found that as students grow in the program, they end up taking charge of their work themselves.

New Students:

Seek to develop a consistent daily practice time at home. Daily work on breathing, posture and even memorization of text can be done throughout the day, and certainly needs to be reinforced during practice. Always be mindful of your posture and breathing throughout the day. Are you sitting up straight in your chair at school, at home? Are your shoulders rolled back or are you slouching forward. Place your hand on your tummy, is your breathing relaxed into your abdomen? Are you taking time to memorize a few lines of text during a break at school or during transit to and from school. Small amounts of daily effort can add up to great returns. On the other hand, trying to do too much at one time will generally lead to less than satisfactory results.