Lessons

Mainstream's specialist performing arts classes in schools are designed to:

• provide high quality training in performing techniques
• enhance and give more variety to the normal school curriculum
• touch on elements of the National Curriculum in a fun way
• provide real education and not just a break from the normal school day

All classes to specially-devised curriculum

All of Mainstream's work in schools during curricular time is based on a specially-devised curriculum created by our theatre education experts that takes into account elements and recommendations from:

• the National Curriculum
• the National Literacy Strategy
• the Arts Council of England's Drama In Schools

It is also based on our company's twenty-five-year experience of providing performing arts education both privately and in the state school sector.

Although our classes are grounded in this solid academic base, we add many more ingredients from the curriculum we teach in our own performing arts school classes—practical training in a wide variety of areas of drama, dance and singing essential to anyone who wishes to perform for a hobby or as a future career—to give a solid introduction to performing skills in a disciplined but enjoyable format.

Provides educational and social benefits to pupils

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We believe that although drama and dance are not represented as discreet subjects in the National Curriculum, they are, nevertheless, valid subjects for academic study and as sets of skills that can be enjoyable and challenging to learn.

They also provide numerous benefits to students in many other areas, from elements of subjects that are included on the NC to social skills, dealing with difficult issues in a safe format, learning how to work non-competitively as a group, creativity, objective criticism, fitness and health, posture, verbal and physical expressivity and many other skills that are directly transferable both to the academic environment and to life in general.

Linking in with the National Curriculum

As well as providing a comprehensive syllabus for drama or musical theatre tuition, our curricular work also covers other areas that we know are important to schools:

National Curriculum English (drama and musical theatre)

• Speaking and listening
• Group discussion and interaction
• Drama
• Language variation
• Some elements of the literature section

Some elements of the following areas of the National Literacy Strategy (drama and musical theatre)

• Reading comprehension
• Writing composition

National Curriculum music (musical theatre and music)

• Controlling sounds through singing
• Responding and reviewing

National Curriculum PE (dance and musical theatre)

• Acquiring and developing skills (dance activities)
• Selecting and applying skills and compositional ideas (dance activities)