Guildhall School of Music & Drama announces short courses for autumn 2022

A girl wearing a green jumper sits at a table with a pen in her hand

Online and in-person evening courses for autumn 2022 include singing, music production, acting, theatre history and screenwriting.

Returning courses include:

Brand-new courses include: 

  • Writing for Screen with writer and actor Emma Dennis-Edwards, a participant of the Royal Court, Soho Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith and Oval House writers programmes and BBC Writers Academy 
  • Stanislavsky: A Practical Introduction with freelance theatre director Polina Kalinina, former Resident Director of the Orange Tree Theatre, where she made her professional debut with Dutchman starring Paapa Essiedu and Sally Oliver
  • Greek Plays: The Ritual of Theatre with Cheek by Jowl Creative Associate Lucinda Dawkins, who trained as a director at the Yale School of Drama and is currently working on a new version of Aeschylus’ Agamemnon at Theatre for a New Audience in Brooklyn, New York 
  • Singing for Beginners with voice and dialect coach Esi Acquaah-Harrison, lead singer of Cirque du Soleil's Totem from 2010–2019

Priority booking is open from today, to the Short Courses & Summer Schools mailing list. The courses will go on sale to the general public at 1pm Thursday 4 August. The deadline for courses is 9am Sunday 18 September. 

The 9 in-person courses and 3 online courses, which are for ages 18+, will run for a duration of six-weeks and eight-weeks, during weekday evenings from 7pm. 

Sign up to the Short Courses & Summer Schools mailing list to get priority booking for future new short courses.

 

In-Person Courses

The following courses will take place at Guildhall School of Music & Drama: 

Music 

Singing for Beginners
Tuesday evenings on 27 September–1 November, 7pm–9pm

This brand-new six-week in-person evening course for beginners, will introduce you to a number of techniques to improve your singing and build confidence. 

Led by voice and dialect coach Esi Acquaah-Harrison, the course will cover breathing exercises, vocal warm-ups and expression through song, and will equip you with tips for looking after your voice and maintaining good vocal health.

Through practical exercises, you will experience how to sing independently and with a group, covering a range of musical genres including gospel, musicals and traditional folk songs.

The course will be mostly practical and you will be encouraged to have fun whilst putting your new skills into practice with the rest of the class, in a safe and relaxed environment.

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Writing for an Orchestra
Wednesday evenings on 28 September–02 November, 7pm–9pm

This six-week in-person evening course will introduce you to the fundamentals of orchestration and the pivotal role it can play in the communication of musical ideas. You will learn how to write idiomatically for the instruments of the orchestra, as well as how to balance and blend them with one another.

The topics and techniques discussed during the course will be illustrated with excerpts from the orchestral repertoire, demonstrating some of the ways in which the orchestra can be used to create atmosphere, drama, and emotion.

Participants should have a minimum level of ABRSM Grade 5 Theory (or equivalent).

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Introduction to the Music Business
Tuesday evenings on 27 September–01 November, 7pm–8.30pm

This six-week in-person evening course will provide you with a thorough introduction to the music business. The course will cover a broad range of topics, including copyrighting, processes around performing, advice on recording contracts and how to apply for public funding to launch your own project.

Please note that the course will focus on the UK music business.

Further details can be found on the course page. 

Drama 

Introduction to Acting Practice, Level 1
Wednesday evenings on 28 September–02 November, 7pm–9pm

This six-week in-person evening course for beginners, will explore what "good acting" might be and how actors can achieve it. During the six sessions, you will work with the course tutor to develop truthfulness and connection to text.

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Shakespeare: An Experiential Workshop, Level 1
Wednesday evenings on 28 September–09 November*, 7pm–9pm
*No session on 05 October. 

This six-week in-person evening course for beginners will give you the tools you need to approach and perform Shakespeare with confidence. The course will unravel and demystify Shakespeare’s language through practical exercises, identifying key acting clues within the text.

The course is taught by Guildhall School alumni Mariah Gale, one of the UK's leading classical actors and a recipient of the Ian Charleston Award (First Prize), the Time Out Live Award and the Critic's Choice Award. 

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Improvisation, Level 2
Wednesday evenings on 28 September–02 November, 7pm–9pm

Take comedy and drama improvisation to another level in this six-week in-person evening course. Whether you aspire to be on a comedy panel show, want to develop your acting skills, or simply enjoy a pressure-free creative outlet, this course will help you think on your feet, realise your potential, and work on more sophisticated scenes and exercises. 

After a refresher of the basics, you will progress with confidence to scene-work.

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Writing for Screen
Wednesday evenings on 28 September–16 November, 7pm–9pm 

This new eight-week in-person evening course will develop your creative writing skills and provide you with inspiration to translate an idea into a screenplay. The course, which will be led by writer and actor Emma Dennis-Edwards will focus on the techniques required for screenwriting for Film and TV.

Emma, who has a wealth of experience in the industry, will share her knowledge of writers rooms, how to pitch and write treatments.

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Stanislavsky: A Practical Introduction
Tuesday evenings on 27 September–01 November, 7pm–9pm

This new six-week in-person evening course will equip you with acting techniques set out by Konstantin Stanislavsky, considered the father of modern acting. The course, which will encourage you to build and develop character through exercises created by Stanislavsky, is designed to take the fear out of what can sometimes come across as a daunting system.

You will be encouraged to have fun through play and imagination, and will leave at the end of the six-weeks with a new-found confidence for how to approach a character from scratch.

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Greek Plays: The Ritual of Theatre
Tuesday evenings on 27 September–01 November, 7pm–9pm 

This new six-week in-person evening course will delve into the merciless and colourful world of Greek Theatre, through a relaxed lecture series involving live performances with actors, Q&As with visiting theatre practitioners, recordings of Greek Theatre and group discussions.

Led by Cheek by Jowl Creative Associate, Lucinda Dawkins, you will explore the work of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes, authors of some of the most famous plays in Greek Theatre. You will discover more about the way that theatre and democracy have been intertwined from their inception, and how plays more than 2,000 years ago still influence the stories we tell today.

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Online Courses

Music 

Film Music Composition for Beginners
Tuesday evenings on 27 September–01 November, 7.15pm–8.45pm

This six-week online evening course will equip you with an understanding of how to write music for film. You can expect to analyse scenes from different films and explore how a particular genre of music complements a film visual.

The topics addressed will include orchestration, composing with instrument sample libraries in Logic Pro and the composition of original music to a given clip.

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

In the Studio: Music Production with Glen Scott
Tuesday evenings on 27 September–15 November, 7pm–9pm

This eight-week online evening course will give you a unique insight into the work of award-winning British music producer, songwriter, engineer and musician Glen Scott, whilst sharing the tips and tricks needed to succeed within music production and the music industry.

With a vast discography of artists including Craig David, James Morrison and Beverly Knight (to name a few), Glen will share his experience of working in all areas of music production and the music industry for over 3 decades.

Sessions will include audio engineering, song arrangement and writing, production, instrumentation, arrangements and harmony, recording budgets, planning and execution and preparing a song for release.

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Drama 

Reading Theatre: A Play a Week
Wednesday evenings on 28 September–02 November, 7.15pm–8.45pm 

This six-week online course will see you form your very own theatre book club. You will read a different play text each week, in your own time, and each session will give you the opportunity to discuss and explore it with your group, course tutor and industry professionals, including actors and directors. The plays will cover a range of playwrights, genres, styles and subjects.

Further details can be found on the course page. 
 

Bookings 

Further details and fees can be found on the individual course pages.