Each week we will be choosing one of our dramatic classes to highlight for our #ClassoftheWeek! This week we have chosen our Wednesday Colonie Lower Primary! “If there is one Drama Kids class that embodies the word “FUN,” it’s this one! Their energy, creativity and zeal for all things “dramatic” make this class so much fun to watch and teach. I admit, it’s hard for me to stay out of the classroom! Their personalities are so engaging and their positive energy is simply contagious. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for this creative crew!” - Drama Mama "I love teaching this class for many reasons but the biggest reason is they are all so dramatic! They each have a personality of their own and always puts a smile on my face. I can't wait to do all the fun things planned for the rest of the year with them! " - Miss Destiny In-Class Photos!WATCH & SHARE OUR #FILMFRIDAY VIDEO!
0 Comments
Each week we will be choosing one of our dramatic classes to highlight for our #ClassoftheWeek! This week we have chosen our Thursday Clifton Park Upper Primary! "I expect great things from our UP class in the future! They work well together and also standout on their own individually when they need to! Each student is creative and unique." - Miss Lita "It amazes me how every time this class has been very time efficient, happy to be here, and totally accepting of each other! Can't wait to see how the year develops with them! :) " - Mr. Josh "I look forward to teaching the Thursday Clifton Park UP each week. They are the most attentive and engaged class that I have! It's often easy for a class to get a little noisy when they are having so much fun - but we haven't had to quiet them down at all this year! (Us teachers like to joke that they should be in the Drama Kids instructional videos!) Not only are they well-behaved, they are also talented and enthusiastic. Many of the students come into class dressed in a costume and bring in props to use for our Play of the Day. And even if they don't bring in a costume, each one of them is always wearing a smile! We have a great mix of new and returning Drama Kids that will surely bring the DRAMA for the Spring Performance, and I can't wait to watch them grow and develop their skills as young actors!" - Miss Kristyn In-Class Photo Gallery!On our first day of class we asked our students, "What is the most FUN thing about Drama Kids?" Look through our photo gallery below to see their answers! Check back in at the end of the week to watch our #FilmFriday video starring the students of the Thursday Clifton Park Upper Primary class!
Each week we will be choosing one of our dramatic classes to highlight for our #ClassoftheWeek! This week we have chosen our Tuesday Clifton Park Senior Acting Academy! "Whenever I teach this class, it amazes me how well they work together and support each other!" - Miss Destiny "If I had to pick one word to describe this class, it would be family. They are such a talented, tight knit group. Being a Senior Acting Academy class, they have formed a bond with each other that, over the years, has created a safe place for them to explore their talents. This safety net has allowed them all to flourish as actors. I am so proud of all they've accomplished thus far, and I can't wait to see all that they create this year!" - Miss Jillian Class photo galleryDo you want to learn how to win a FREE Drama Kids hoodie? You may have seen your Drama Kids teachers wearing our hoodies last week in class! They are brand NEW this year, and oh so comfy and warm - perfect for a chilly October day! They will be available to order when we start taking orders for our popular T-Shirt Sales, but keep reading to learn how you can win a FREE hoodie by entering our Halloween Photo Contest! Miss Kristyn caught a ghost - but who could the ghost be?
We want YOU to submit a photo of your Drama Kid in his or her most DRAMATIC, ghostly pose to our Halloween photo contest! Costumes are encouraged but not required - what really matters is the DRAMA and the character! What kind of ghoulie will your Drama Kid be? A friendly spirit? A scary apparition? A sad, mad, sick, hyper, crazy ghost??? The possibilities are endless! All you have to do to submit a photo to our Halloween contest is to post a photo of your Drama Kid on YOUR Facebook page, and tag us @ Drama Kids of the Capital Region so we can see it! (You can also email us a photo the old fashioned way if you would prefer!) The deadline to submit a photo to our contest is October 27th. Once we have received all of the submissions, we will post an album of the submissions on our official Facebook page. Whichever picture in our album gets the most LIKES wins! The contest ends at 12 AM on Halloween - October 31st! The winner will be announced on our FB page Halloween morning, and will receive a brand NEW Drama Kids hoodie! There will also be 2nd and 3rd prizes awarded - so don't miss out! Enter today! As you have probably heard, this year we are going back to our #FUNdamentals! Of course, we never actually stopped teaching our fundamentals. After all, it's what makes our program unique and different from the rest! But this year we are really trying to put the "fun" in our fundamentals with all new plays, activities, and games that our students are positively loving! They are having so much fun in class, and learning so many valuable lessons along the way. But... what ARE the fundamentals of Drama Kids, and what makes them so much fun?
CONFIDENCE Our number one goal in Drama Kids has always been (and always will be!) to build the confidence and self-esteem of our students. Every child is capable of accomplishing great things, so we encourage each of our Drama Kids to spread their wings at their own pace in a positive and caring environment. We want each of our students to feel accomplished, proud, and excited for the next week when they leave our classroom. The most rewarding part of our job is seeing the pride and smiles on our Drama Kids' faces at dismissal time. Our praise is never fabricated - our students truly accomplish so much in just one hour each week! It takes a lot to get up on a stage and perform for an audience. Just the fact that so many of our students can get out of their comfort zone every week is a HUGE achievement! Plus, our students always give our activities and plays their all - which makes for some seriously entertaining stuff! Children of all personalities and abilities can shine on our stage. Whether your child is a jokester, a total drama Queen, or more reserved - they are sure to find their own unique voice in our class. SPEAKING SKILLS Speaking of voice - what you say is important. And how you say it makes all the difference! That's why at Drama Kids we pride ourselves in a curriculum that encourages good public speaking. It's so important that our children learn to speak eloquently and confidently at a young age. After all, the leading fear amongst adults is public speaking! Whether our students are destined for Broadway or the boardroom, they will be prepared to shine! So how do we teach our students to speak confidently? Well, our students learn all of the FUNdamentals of speech every week in class! They learn how to properly project their lines so their voices can be heard by everyone. They learn how to correctly articulate their words clearly and concisely so they can be understood by everyone. (There are no "mumble-bees" in Drama Kids!) And they learn how to express their thoughts so they can inspire everyone! CREATIVE THINKING In Drama Kids there are no wrong answers, and the possibilities are endless! We always encourage creative thinking and imagination in our classrooms, and not just with our youngest students! The creative process is a vital skill that every child should learn, because it applies to much more than just the arts. From scientists to architects, there is no shortage of creative thinking in the workforce! Our curriculum is full of creative opportunities for our students. Many of the activities we do are improvisational, and many of our scripted plays offer up plenty of creative thought. (Sometimes they don't even have an ending, and our students are able to try their hand at playwriting!) There's never just one way to play a character, and we encourage our students to explore their ideas to the fullest! TEAMWORK & LEADERSHIP Being a good team player and leader takes risk, courage, and empathy. Our classes are designed to provide opportunities for our students to work with, and to lead, their fellow classmates! Often we will have fun group work activities full of creative problem solving and collaboration. Our students must embrace each others' ideas in order to create a successful piece to perform for the class. This is no easy task, and I'm sure you could name a few adults who have trouble with this skill! ;) In class we remind our students that they are an ensemble. Our biggest rule in Drama Kids is that everyone must treat each other with respect. Our students learn to trust and encourage one another in our classroom through many ensemble-building activities and games. This is the only way we can all accomplish the GOLDEN rule of Drama Kids... to always HAVE FUN! Each week we will be choosing one of our dramatic classes to highlight for our #ClassoftheWeek! This week we have chosen our Guilderland Jr. Acting Academy! "I love this junior acting academy! I can't wait to see them each week - they always have me laughing and smiling." - Ryan Woods, Teaching Assistant "Inspirational class alert! This group of kids have shown Kristyn and I what it means to come together to create some amazing improvisations. We have a great group of kids that have just started working together, and in a short time they have become an ensemble and completely support one another. This class is sure to have some great moments that Kristyn, Ryan, Samijo and I will be able to brag to everyone about! Can't wait to see where this class leads us this year!" - Miss Kathryn "We never know what to expect with our Junior Acting Academies at the start of each Drama Kids year. As many of you know - middle schoolers are a species all in their own! However, our Guilderland Jr. Acting Academy students continue to knock our socks off with their instinct and maturity! Improv can be very hard to tackle for some adults - but these tweens are fearless! They are never timid to raise their hand to volunteer for a scene or admit when they've broken a rule of improv. Their thirst for learning and performing is contagious, and I look forward to seeing them in action at our Live Improv Night in November!" - Miss Kristyn IN-Class Photo Gallery!On our first day of class we asked our students, "What is the most FUN thing about Drama Kids?" Looks through our photo gallery below to see their answers! FUN! That's the theme of our 11th year teaching Drama and self-confidence here in the Capital Region. Last year we asked a lot from our students - and the pay-off was great! Our teens and tweens came up with some very inspiring, challenging, and thought provoking characters for their monologue showcase. However, we realized something very important throughout the process. Our students have a lot of pressure put on them outside of Drama Kids. School, standardized testing, sports, homework, and part-time jobs can certainly take its toll on a teen. So why load on more "drama" at Drama Kids? We always strive to be our students' safe place - a place where they can be themselves and feel the pressure of the day fall off their shoulders! That's why this year we decided to go back to our #FUNdamentals and focus on improvisational work with our teens and tweens!
WAIT! Before you think, "Well that sounds all well and good - but I want my child to actually learn something from his/her class," we want our Drama Parents to understand that improv is so much more than what you see on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" (Which is absolutely hysterical!) To start, improv teaches our students the very fundamentals of what Drama Kids is all about. It encourages our students to jump out of their comfort zones! They don't get the safety blanket of a script - instead, they use their instincts and imagination. Actors in an improv must also trust their scene partners and share the spotlight in order for a scene to be successful. Not to mention all the creative thinking, public speaking, and spontaneous action they have to use in each activity. (Do you want to know the best part? Our Drama Kids don't even realize how much they are truly benefitting from our improv games because they are busy having so much fun!) But that isn't all! Participating in improv also teaches you some great lessons that anyone, at any age, can use in their day to day life. Rule 1 of Improv: Always say "Yes!" The first rule of improv we teach our students is to always say "YES"! This simply means that if you are in a scene and your scene partner says "There's an alien behind you!" you should accept the scenario your partner gave you, and react accordingly! If you say to your partner, "No, there's no alien behind me," the scene doesn't progress and falls flat. Easy enough, right? Now, think about YOUR life. How often do you say "yes"? How often do you step out of your comfort zone? Maybe you've declined an invitation to a hot yoga class recently, or you said no to trying sushi for the first time. Aren't you just blocking yourself from new experiences - and, in turn, blocking your own "scene" from progressing further? Remember to be open to new experiences that come your way, and to always have an open mind. Next time someone asks you to step out of your comfort zone - say, "yes!" Rule 2 of Improv: Say "Yes, and..." Add details! Often in a scene it's not enough to just say, "yes". An actor must add details to keep the ball the rolling! Using our previous example, "There's an alien behind you!" - a scene partner shouldn't respond with, "Yes, there is." This gives an actor as little to work with as a flat out, "No, there's not." An appropriate response would add in more details to the situation. For example, "Yes there is an alien and he's about to release his tractor beam! RUN!" is a much more interesting and playable response. So how does this rule relate to the real world? Well, how many times have you been stuck in a conversation with a person who will only respond with one word answers? Probably quite often! It's like talking to a wall - So. Frustrating. Adding in details to a conversation and avoiding those dreaded one word responses (fine, good, okay, etc.) will not only make you more interesting, it will also make you a better public speaker! Rule 3 of Improv: Don't Block your partner Another important rule we teach our students is to avoid "blocking" your partner. This means making it harder for your scene partner, in any way, to progress the scene. An actor can block their partner in a few ways. For example, if your scene partner tells you, "A zombie is heading this way!" and you say "Hey look, a unicorn!" that's blocking! An actor can't just ignore an idea and pretend the scene partner didn't say anything. Another way you can block a scene partner is by asking too many questions. Questions put an actor on the spot, and gives them the sole responsibility to progress the scene. So what about your life? Do you ever find yourself "blocking" someone else, or being blocked in a situation? Has your child ever been upset by all the questions you ask them when they get home from school? "How was your day?" "What did you learn?" "How was lunch?" "Did you see Aidan today?" Questions, questions, questions! We all understand why we have the desire to ask our children about their day - it's only natural! You want to know all the little details of their day! However, giving them the third degree as soon as they walk through the door or get off the bus can put pressure on them. Try to get them talking with other tactics; for example, when your child walks through the door greet them with, "Hi! Welcome home! I'd love to hear about your day." instead of bombarding them with questions. Or if your child likes to play video games to unwind, ask to play with them. You'll be surprised at how much they open up when they are doing something they enjoy! Rule 4 of Improv: Stay in the Moment Perhaps the most important rule of improv is to stay in the moment. This means an actor shouldn't break character or laugh if something funny happens. This breaks the "fourth wall" and takes both the actor AND the audience out of the moment. It's totally frustrating! The actor should be living in the present, they should be completely engaged in the situation, and be ready for anything! I'm sure you know how important it is to stay in the moment in life as well! Life goes by pretty fast - and we all must learn to enjoy every second of it while it's happening! Always dwelling on the past or thinking ahead to what's going to come next takes you out of the moment in the present. So stop and look around you and be engaged in the now - you'll thank yourself in the future! :) Our students are doing a truly amazing job incorporating all of these techniques into their improvisations, and we look forward to showing you the fruit of their hard work at our LIVE Improv nights in November! See you then! Each week we will be choosing one of our dramatic classes to highlight for our #ClassoftheWeek! This week we have chosen our Loudonville Lower Primary drama kids! "This is the start of my fourth year teaching the Loudonville LP. I have watched them grow from shy, little ones, into dramatic, confident stars! They are so accepting of one another, including our newest students, who have made a great class even better! All I know is, these guys definitely keep me on my toes!" - Miss Jillian "Our Loudonville 5-8 year olds keep me young! Their energy is palpable, their laughter contagious and their bright ideas light up the room! Who would have ever thought that aliens puke “sparkles” when they are sick?! (They did!!!)" - Drama Mama Behind the scenes class photos!#FilmFriday Video! |
Categories
All
Archives
October 2023
|