The Sylvia Young Theatre School places great emphasis on high standards and on excellence in the Performing Arts. Our aim is to provide a unique opportunity for students with potential in the performing arts to train and to perfect their skills. Expectations will be high.

The vocational curriculum offered is designed to:

• Enable students to develop skills and confidence in their talent.
• Instil the importance of self-discipline and a strong work ethic in achieving success.
• Prepare students to progress to further vocational training in the Performing Arts.
• Prepare students for the possibility of professional opportunities in the Performing Arts once they have finished their studies.

Vocational classes take place on Thursday and Friday.

Students will be exposed to as wide a variety as possible of styles and techniques in the various disciplines, regularly receiving tuition from more than one teacher in a particular subject. We also encourage guest teachers from the profession as we believe this provides our students with invaluable experience. Students must attend classes in all vocational disciplines.

The 'Lab' (Drama group) & Acro classes run after school and are available to all students who sign up.

Drama:

Drama encourages students to be inspired, moved and changed through a broad, coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study. Students work imaginatively in collaborative contexts, generating, developing and communicating ideas as well as gaining and demonstrating competence in a range of practical, creative and performance skills.

The essentially collaborative nature of drama and theatre underlines the importance in which students are given the opportunity of working and learning together either as an individual actor or as a group.
Together, students experiment with ideas and theories, theatrical styles, acting methods, technical elements, text and script in order to shape their professional career within the performance media. Staff will equip students with acting techniques, personal preparation and confidence building.

This syllabus is designed for students to experience, understand, enjoy and value drama as a social, collaborative and creative art form and as an expression of culture through group and solo performance.

Students study many aspects of drama including:

• Improvisation
• Audition Techniques
• Sight Reading
• Characterisation and Stagecraft
• Breath Control
• Note
• Tone
• Word

Singing:

Introduction to a piece (or pieces) of musical material (selected to demonstrate and practise required skills) with an initiated discussion of the style, setting and possible interpretation of the piece. Harmony maybe added where appropriate, with corrections to general technical details along the way, pointing out the use of developing technical facilities where appropriate.

Group performance of the work with an encouragement for individuals to present part of or the whole work in front of the class with constructive criticism aired at the end of each performance, to produce graduates who:

• Are confident in their own voice
• Have developed sound technical vocal skills
• Are developing an individual vocal style
• The areas which are of paramount importance to a young singer are:
• Care of the voice
• Correct posture
• Correct breath control
• Correct pronunciation of vowel sounds and use of diphthongs
• Accurate and genuine interpretation of the lyrical material encourages individuality
• Confidence

Music Study:

Music Study focuses on developing skills and gaining knowledge in areas which will prepare those students who choose GCSE as an option at Key Stage 4. 

Understanding and recognition of important time signatures, their association with dance, their notation;

• Aural Awareness
• Basic musical forms-binary, ternary etc
• The Physics of Sound

Ballet

The SYTS follows the R.A.D syllabus which is designed to cover all areas of ballet, and its vocabulary.

A classical dance form characterised by grace and precision of movement. Ballet is considered the foundation of all dance. This specification focuses on the aesthetic and artistic qualities of dance and the use of dance movement as a medium of expression and communication in the performance, creation and appreciation of dance.

Point Work
Students will be asked to undertake point work at the discretion of their teacher, who will determine if the student has reached a suitable level of strength and technique to undertake pointe work safely. A certain amount of pre-pointe training may be necessary before pointe work begins and students may be ready to start pointe work at different times depending on each child’s previous experience.

Boys Work
Boys do not partake in pointe work but will be given the same class time so that they can be' be trained in increased Allegro, boys vocabulary and the development of strength needed for the specifics of style.

The syllabus covers basic to advanced classes in:

• Formal ballet training
• Posture, placement
• Turnout
• Free movement
• Character work
• Correct body/foot work
• Combinations
• Terminology
• Style and technique
• Strong emphasis on learning skills

Dance Fusion

Dance fusion incorporates Contemporary, Lyrical, Musical Theatre and Audition classes for our upper school students. Dance styles and music are united to create new styles of movement and choreography. 

• Working with a variety of tempos and rhythms
• Working with a variety of styles of dance and music

Jazz

Jazz dance combines techniques of ballet and modern dance with the current forms of popular and even incorporates commercial dance. Jazz also has its own movement vocabulary, isolation, accented beats and musical rhythms. Jazz takes on many characteristics and styles, including Street Jazz, Percussive, Broadway, Contemporary and Lyrical.  Emphasis is on the importance of energy, rhythmical accuracy, and style. The Syllabus aims to:

• Develop the students' dance ability through a series of exercises based on co-ordination and isolation
• Including routines/combinations of varying styles
• Develop student’s own choreographic routines and style
• Develop style, performance and presentation
• Developing musicality and dynamics in all work
• Routines to develop different styles that can be encountered in Jazz/street
• Developing the student’s knowledge of stage, screen dance musicals
• Studying the dance style of various influential choreographers

Tap

Tap is an essential skill for a professional dancer. Tap dance is one of the most enjoyable and rhythmic forms of recreational dance. This is reflected in providing extensive syllabi from beginners to advanced tap. 

Classes are based on developing students:

• Rhythm appreciation
• Strength
• Style
• Increasing vocabulary of steps, combinations in exercises and routines
• With a variety of tempos and rhythmical variations.