Junior Stages

Age 4-7 years, 90 minute class, (30 mins of dance, drama and singing)

Junior Stages is a 90 minute voyage of creative discovery and fun each week! Your child will explore theatre through drama, singing and dance. Our friendly, caring teachers develop skills of acting, singing and dance with imaginative play! A gentle, enjoyable introduction to musical theatre and tremendous fun! Our mini performers learn about story telling through fundamentals of drama, dance and singing. This helps develop social skills, vocabulary, fitness, confidence and self esteem. This 90-minute high energy class works on short musical theatre extracts, popular themes and familiar characters for age appropriate, easy-to-learn material.

In our singing classes, children learn new songs and find out about rhythm, timing and how sounds are formed. Our dancing classes give kids the confidence to try new dance moves, while our acting sessions allow budding young actors to role play and practise improvisation and storytelling.

Weekly classes are held during term time and are split into three 30 minute classes with equal time devoted to singing, dancing and acting. Each term runs for approximately 10 weeks.

We recommend Junior Stages for children age 4 3/4 to 6 3/4 years. Students don't tend to move to Senior Stages until 7 years. Our aim is to nurture and develop young potential through singing, acting and dance classes in e, stretching young imaginations and helping to develop confidence, physical awareness, communication and articulation. Junior Stage perform a showcase highlighting skills developed in singing, drama and dance.

We find that 4 year olds already in school year attendance best cope with the 90 minutes demand of the classes. There are frequent opportunities for the children to show their newly learned skills in class and for parents. The emphasis is always that the children have fun and enjoy learning. Parents are not allowed in class, so students must be independent enough to be in a classroom without a parent.

Class Schedule and Locations

Sometimes, your first preferred class time may be fully booked and we may require a little patience. Thank you for your consideration and please look out for an emailed receipt and acceptance letter to confirm your child’s booking.

We are now enrolling on a 35 euro deposit for the  AUTUMN TERM 2024 in Dublin, Galway, Clare and Mayo Centres.

FAQs

My child is six, should they be in Junior Stage or Senior Stage?
Once your child is 6 3/4, they are eligible to be in the Senior class, however many six year-olds thrive in the younger class. The goal is to find the class that is the best fit for your child and allow them to grow and develop where most comfortable. You may consider whether your child is better around older children or younger children, or which class is the best fit for your schedule. Our quality team of teachers evaluate children in a short amount of time and help you with the decision.

The programme in which your child will have the most fun will be the right one! The two week trial period on deposit of 35 or 70 euro is a super method of testing. If you enrol in the younger class and after two weeks, we think they are ready for Senior Stage, you may switch on the third week of the term as long as a space is available.

My child is very shy, will StageSchool be a good fit for them?
Absolutely! Our mission is to develop each child’s natural ability through acting, singing, and dance. Our goal is to increase each child’s confidence and allow them to feel comfortable expressing themselves creatively. If your child is shy, or has never taken an acting, singing or dance class, we will work with them to make sure they are comfortable. We will continually offer them opportunities to come out of their shell, such as offering them a solo in singing class, or asking if they would like to lead an exercise in dance or drama. But our teachers respect the “no” of every child, and students are never coerced into the spotlight if they are not ready. We believe this can be counter productive to self-confidence, and it goes against everything we stand for.

What does my child need to bring to class?
Children should wear comfortable clothes they can easily move in, such a leggings or tracksuit bottoms, with a StageSchool Ireland T shirt and jazz shoes or trainers they can move around in. Boots, Crocs, and open toed sandals are not allowed. They should also bring a small snack and a water bottle. We provide all other materials needed for classes and the end of term performance.

How can I know how my child is doing in the class?
Your child’s teacher is always happy to speak with you before or after class regarding your child’s progress. We offer regular feedback to parents on how their child is progressing and when it’s appropriate for them to move to the next level of classes. As long as there is regular attendance and we ask eight of ten weeks ideally, students always see measurable results. However, the one thing we cannot give them is enthusiasm.

Can my child try the class before committing to the full term?
Yes! The deposit allows you to try the class for the first two weeks of the term. It also guarantees your place if you choose to continue. If your child loves the class (and we hope they will!), you arrange payment of the remaining balance on the third week. If you choose not to continue after the second week, you are under no obligation to pay anything further. At that point the deposit is not refunded.

Does my child need to have previous experience in the performing arts?
Not at all! We welcome children and teens with no experience at all and with more than 3,000 students through our doors since 2007, they need only enthusiasm and a positive attitude. It’s not however, for every boy and girl and important students do not feel like they have failed, if not for them. Sometimes, it’s not a good fit and no student will be made to feel uncomfortable in our centres. Parents should research us and other schools and trust their instinct. It’s generally right in our experience.