LAMDA

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roselyn
Posts: 61
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:07 pm

LAMDA

Post by roselyn »

Does anyone has DC(s) going for LAMDA course ?
What benefit does it give to the child other than the enjoyment?
Does it have grading exams?

Where do you send them for the lessons ? If you prefer PM, please do so.

Thank you.
Goodheart
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2015 12:15 pm

Re: LAMDA

Post by Goodheart »

Our DD attends LAMDA sessions. They take place after school on school premises, although they are run by a third-party. The main thing our DD gets out of them is enjoyment, although I'm sure they help with general confidence too. In theory that can be of benefit to provide evidence of ability if you'll be seeking a drama-based scholarship at an independent school at some point in the future. (We won't be - our DD just enjoys the sessions.)

Yes, they do exams but they are completely baffling: there are levels, stages and grades; solo vs. group; verse/prose vs. performance vs. public speaking; etc. If you can make any sense of all this (see https://www.lamda.org.uk/examinations/all-examinations) then you're doing better than I.
ToadMum
Posts: 11945
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: LAMDA

Post by ToadMum »

I hate to say this, but if your 'LAMDA' classes are being run by a third party, I would suggest checking that they are 'kosher' before signing your DC up for exams. I would love to think that our experience is totally unique, but a few years ago, the local drama teacher running after school classes at our primary school turned out to have a secondary business in running the 'LAMDA' exams she got us to put our offspring in for, completely unconnected to the organisation itself. They were even given authentic-looking certificates, which were probably copies of legitimate ones from a few years previously. The whole thing came to light when one of the older boys attending her community classes contacted LAMDA with a query, only to discover that they had never heard of him.

The perpetrator was sentenced to 80 hours community service for the fraud; she refused to give up the name of the accomplice who had acted as the 'examiner', claiming that she had only told her that she needed someone to provide practice exams for candidates. One of the things which worried me most was that although this had obviously been going on for years and involved many families, we were one of only five who were willing to give statements to the Police about the matter.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
Goodheart
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2015 12:15 pm

Re: LAMDA

Post by Goodheart »

ToadMum wrote:I hate to say this, but if your 'LAMDA' classes are being run by a third party, I would suggest checking that they are 'kosher' before signing your DC up for exams.
Our DD took some of LAMDA examinations last year (entry level, both solo and group) and they seemed legitimate enough, but I will certainly take a closer look at the certificates she received and follow-up with LAMDA themselves it anything looks dodgy. Given that the sessions are part of the schools co-curricular programme (albeit provided by a third-party) I'd have hoped that the school would have checked them out before hand, but you never know.
ToadMum
Posts: 11945
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: LAMDA

Post by ToadMum »

Goodheart wrote:
ToadMum wrote:I hate to say this, but if your 'LAMDA' classes are being run by a third party, I would suggest checking that they are 'kosher' before signing your DC up for exams.
Our DD took some of LAMDA examinations last year (entry level, both solo and group) and they seemed legitimate enough, but I will certainly take a closer look at the certificates she received and follow-up with LAMDA themselves it anything looks dodgy. Given that the sessions are part of the schools co-curricular programme (albeit provided by a third-party) I'd have hoped that the school would have checked them out before hand, but you never know.
In our case.I I think she just told the school that children would be able to enter the exams. I doubt that the HT or whoever would have felt the need to grill the woman on the mechanics of this. And to be fair, as soon as the issue was brought to the Head's attention, the classes were suspended.

We were told that as the teacher entered so many of her pupils for the exams at any one time, LAMDA allowed her to book exam sessions separate from the 'public' dates. All very plausible. Once we heard about 'X's experience, though, I also contacted the exam board, only to be told that no LAMDA exams had been held at that venue on the dates I had quoted, the person concerned was not authorised to organise 'extra' exam sessions and no, they had never heard of my DS1 or DD either. The local - genuine - LAMDA coordinator was very supportive and it was he who suggested that the certificates that had (after enough of a delay for the teacher to agree with us that it was a bit off, she would have to chase them up :shock: ) been issued were pretty plausible copies of genuine but now out of date ones.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
quasimodo
Posts: 3854
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2014 2:47 pm

Re: LAMDA

Post by quasimodo »

roselyn wrote:Does anyone has DC(s) going for LAMDA course ?
What benefit does it give to the child other than the enjoyment?
Does it have grading exams?

Where do you send them for the lessons ? If you prefer PM, please do so.

Thank you.


Both my dds at their former prep school (and many nieces and nephews at the same school) have been taking LAMDA exams at the school as part of speech and drama.These have been as part of the school curriculum and also extra lessons after school by a third party at school.My youngest dd participated after school as well.The exams were taken on her own and with a friend.They are great for confidence and building up public speaking skills for the limited cost.They are not going to add to the CV.

On the schools website they offer preparation for Grade 2 and 3 LAMDA examinations in Spoken English and/or Verse and Prose at the end of the Spring Term for children in year 6.
These are recognised examinations.I would recommend them to any parents for their children.

The lady doing the LAMDA lessons has organised extra theatre trips with the children and the children have been able to stay after the plays and question the actors and learn many things about the actors and what brought them into this field and their experiences.
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln
roselyn
Posts: 61
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:07 pm

Re: LAMDA

Post by roselyn »

Many thanks Goodheart, ToadMum and quasimodo.

All your replies are very helpful.
Much appreciated.
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