When your child tells you they want to be an athlete you sign them up for weekend sport. If they tell you they want to be a politician, you encourage them to try debating. When they say they want to be the next Ariana Grande,...
When you are growing up, it's important to experience the magic of performing. If you had the privilege of this experience when you were younger, you may be filling up with fond memories of standing excitedly under lights. There is a special atmosphere back stage...
The *blissful early childhood and primary school years can seem like an unending period of our lives. It's a time when our kids are still dependent on us for most things. But then all of a sudden, you are thinking about high school. How will...
On Thursday afternoons I teach two back-to-back philosopher classes. The first group has been in our philosophers program for only a term, let’s call them group rainbow, while the other I’ve been teaching for a whole year, group magic. Over the time I’ve built a...
If we focus on being perfect all the time, we hear that little voice in our head that says, “not good enough.” When I listen to the voice, I buy into what it’s telling me, and end up jumping down the rabbit hole of blame....
I started Speak Up when I was 20 years old. Looking back, I think I had more confidence than I do now. Or maybe it was naivety? Or blind faith that I could build a performing arts studio from nothing. Some of my early goals were...
How to spark imaginative play and keep you and your child interested. Photograph: Fotofox Images When you’re a parent, you may find a time when you need to dig deep to remember how to use your imagination. When the tiredness sets in, excited imaginative play wanes. Am...
Kids have some amazing brains in those heads of theirs and as a boring old grown up myself, I am easily envied by their natural ability to imagine fantastical worlds around them and play pretend. As our students grow it’s not uncommon to see them...
Did you ever have a teacher when you were growing up who felt like a different kind of parent, a second parent or a wise older sibling? When I was growing up I was at the dance studio nearly every day. I got to know my...
Every year at Speak Up we say solemn goodbyes to talented kids as they make the transition to high school. Many leave us to try new extracurriculars or for fear of overcommitment. And as they walk out of the studio doors they share those familiar...