Stagecoach

It is with great delight and pride, that I am able to announce that all four groups within the two Further Stages classes in Yarm and Darlington achieved MERIT grades in their Trinity College London exams in “Musical Theatre in Production”, after their performances of extracts from “Blood Brothers”, on Sunday evening. The standard was fantastic, even at the higher grade levels of 6 and 7  that they were sitting and I think that they were unlucky not to get distinctions - but then I`m a bit  biased!! Well done all of you. You made me very proud.  

Thank you to the Stage Three visitors and Kate Ruddick who came to support Further Stages.  A special mention must also go to Catherine Whitehall, the previous Singing teacher of the Further Stages groups who drove up for 2.5 hours from Southport to support the students and then at 10.00pm after the shows had finished, was driving alone for 2.5 hours back home again - and that after she has so recently had such a terrible crash in her car last January.  I am sure that all Further Stages really appreciated Catherine`s support and it was really lovely to see her looking so well.

Thanks also to both the audiences for being  supportive and receptive. It certainly helped the students. You also raised £130 for the Hands of Love Orphanage by your collections. A big thank you from the charity`s organisers. I sent the cheque today. 

Trinity exams are accredited in these higher levels which mean that they are worth UCAS points for university entrance. At Grade 6 for our “white” groups, their merit has earned them 35 UCAS points and the equivalent of a `D` grade at AS Level. The red groups with their Merit at Grade 7 have earned 50 UCAS points and the equivalent of a `B` grade at AS Level or an `E` Grade at A Level.  Well worth working for - I`m sure you`ll agree.

Unlike after the main school Trinities when I couldn’t be certain of the verification of the grades until the certificates arrived, this exam is a different format and has been verified by the examiner to me so I can therefore quote the final comment box for each group.

DARLINGTON

Well done all of you - you told the story with care and evident concern and pride in what you did. Many performances were touching and inventive and the group dynamics were very good. The actual staging didn’t help you, in as much as you were distanced from the audience, and the episodic short scene structure caused moments of predictability and allowed the flow to be interrupted. None the less this was very enjoyable with some of the group choreography stimulating and vivacious. There was much integrity evident in your collective work.

YARM

Whilst some of the staging hindered the narrators and affected the timing of scenes, this was in the main very well performed with excellent concentration and awareness of individual responsibility within a collaborative venture. Confident, secure work throughout with lively choreography, touching performances, with mainly tuneful singing, humour and pathos identified and mostly realised.

Catherine Whitehall, who taught Singing and Early Stages is doing well after her head-on car crash, on the first day of term, as she was coming in to Stagecoach. Catherine had to be cut out of the car, with leg injuries and impact injuries to her chest. Catherine went home to Southport to convalesce at her mum`s house when she was released from hospital and we have had regular updates from there. Any of Catherne`s students who wish to send her a get-well card should hand it in at any Stagecoach session and we will forward them on.

Catherine will not be returning to teach with us because prior to her accident, she had put in notice of leaving for after Easter because she wanted to return to live in Southport, to be near family. I am sure that you would join with us in wishing Catherine all the very best for her continued recovery. We will miss her because she has been a fantastic teacher.  Details of who will be taking over from Catherine in her varied roles will appear on a separate posting - “Changes of Staff”

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Catherine will be unable to continue as the Singing tutor  in the Darlington Thursday School next term.  Catherine`s other teaching commitments are unaffected. I am hoping that Catherine will be able to come to the Thursday school one evening, early in term, to say goodbye to the Thursday school students and be presented with a leaving gift. 

Janie Lavelle will be taking over as the Singing teacher at the Thursday school - at least in the short term - so that we can get our students comfortably through their Trinity exams.

Whilst Janie has worked for us, principally as a Dance teacher, she has taught Singing for several years to Early Stages classes and was herself  a professional Singer, headlining on cruise ships, before she had her family. Janie`s  choreography skills, which are renowned with STARE and Further Stages, will make for some great settings for the songs. Janie has agreed to teach the Singing for this Spring term and will then review how she is coping with the increased work load caused by this new venture and her covering for Claire`s maternity leave. I know our Thursday students will make her welcome.

Catherine’s time in Disney was an eventful one and I’m sure she’ll really appreciate us putting these photos up!

Yes who would have thought our very own singing teacher Catherine was actually a Princess!

Hi,

Trudy, the Stagecoach Principal, asked me to send my songs for publishing on
the Stagecoach 10th anniversary website.

Katie

Track 2…

Track 4…

I would like to give a special mention to Katie Coleman who has just passed her Grade 3 Rockschool Singing exam with Distinction. Katie sang 5 songs for her exam and 2 of those were her own compositions! Well done Katie, you worked so hard and deserved to get such a high mark. Brilliant!

Thanks Trudy, from Catherine Whitehall x

Catherine comes from Washington and is a working singer who has also had Dance training at a high level. She came to me upon the recommendation of Maggi Ballantyne who used to work as the Singing teacher at the Friday school. Catherine was taken on to teach the Friday main school, which Maggi was leaving and also for Yarm Further Stages Singing, which was a new group at the time.

Later, Emma left as Singing teacher at the Darlington Further Stages group and Catherine took that over too. Catherine has proved her talent and teaching skill repeatedly when she was able to take on new areas of teaching and with new age groups. She took on Emma`s Early Stages classes in Singing and Drama at Darlington, took on the training of Singing STARE - our regional entertainment troupe and now has taken on some teaching of Drama with Further Stages and private tuition for Stagecoach students in Singing - where she has had to attend courses to learn about how to enter the students for  exams in Pop Singing and Musical Theatre.

Such commitment, professionalism  and friendly adaptability happened, alongside her continuing her Music degree in Newcastle and working in other areas too! I feel exhausted just writing it.

Trudy.

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Hi everyone!

Happy 10th anniversary! Well I’ve been working for stagecoach for just 2 years now and I have to say it’s almost taken over my life!!! I had planned to be jet setting around the world still singing, dancing and acting but my plans all changed when I moved to Newcastle 4 years ago for a singing job originally for 6 months but I never left because I fell in love with my fiance Steve who is a musician and teacher like me! Priorities changed and now I’m teaching 7days a week and still squeezing in performances twice a week - I need a holiday!

I absolutely love teaching at stagecoach, it’s so refreshing to teach students who love the performing arts as much as me!

Each class is unique - early stages are just delightful and it’s so nice to see them every week with new stories to tell and every week you can be sure that someone is off to a party! They have a better social life than me! And of course there are those who get tearful but after a few weeks the tears stop and mine start because I’m so happy that they’ve stopped! I’m such a softie! Main school are fab, it’s great to see their progress as they move up a stage. Of course I can’t leave out the further stages - I know I drive you all mad with harmonies but wow what a talented bunch of performers. There are most definately faces to watch out for in the future!

I would like to take this oppurtunity to wish all some of my private students ‘GOOD LUCK’ with their singing exams, Katie Coleman, Adam Allinson, Lauren Power, Georgina Cornelius and Gabrielle Green are all due to take Lamda Musical Theatre or Trinity Rockschool exams very soon!(I do have two spaces coming up in September for private lessons if anyone would like to take an exam.)

Well that’s all from me, thankyou to Trudy and all the staff who have made me feel really welcome at Darlington and Yarm. Enjoy your holidays everyone and good luck to those further stages heading off to university or travel the world!

See you all soon

Love Catherine x