Grace Studios - Speech, Drama, Singing & Musical Theatre
Sydney
(4)
Sydney
(4)
Grace Studios opened its doors in 2010 and is today an award winning studio. Grace Studios is one of the Sutherland Shire’s leading performing arts schools preparing students for formal, internationally recognised qualifications in the arts.
Show more
4 customer reviews
Dana
Two years ago my son switched drama schools, to train for AMEB with Lauren at Grace Studios. It’s been the best move we’ve ever made! He had lost his passion for performance and his confidence in his abilities but rediscovered it at Grace Studios. The teachers are professionals. They don’t just know the craft; they know teaching and they know kids. They know just how far to push my son to get him to shine. He’s challenged but in a supportive atmosphere. He loves going to class and I love seeing him perform! He re-found his passion and confidence at Grace Studios. More...
Steven
I started my drama journey with Grace Studios in 2011, being introduced to my teacher, Anna-Grace, through staff at my high school.
I was soon completing my first AMEB exam and preparing for a multitude of auditions for various theatrical performances. Anna was also able to help me overcome a few minor speech faults that I had developed as a result of being brought up around ESL family members.
Since graduating high school, I have been studying Engineering at UNSW - a field which may seem to have little in common with my drama studies. However, the speech and performance education provided at Grace Studios has been an immeasurable help in my career - giving me the soft skills that are so critical in developing professional relationships and conveying information concisely and intelligibly to clients.
Last year, I completed my teachers Associate in Drama and Performance (ADPA); a culmination of many years of hard work and guidance from Anna, who pushed me to achieve my best. Since then, it has been an absolute pleasure to be given the opportunity to teach at the very same school that helped nurture my talents and propel me into my future.
Grace Studios has given me a platform to truly express and develop myself, and one that I could not be more thankful for to be a part of.
More...
Stuart
There have been many positive experiences for us with Grace Studios over the years, the most enjoyable being the end of year concert which showcases the hard work, dedication and amazing talents of the staff and students.
Sarah
I have been a student at Grace studios for 7 years. I initially crossed paths with the studio director, Anna-Grace Millward when I joined Theatre Sports in high school. I wasn’t the finest at sports in school but I loved drama, so theatre sports was the perfect place for me to create collectively with like minded people in a safe and welcoming environment. It was through theatre sports that I discovered Grace Studios. Now being out of high school and at uni and being part of the work force, I can say my time at Grace studios has gifted me the skills to tackle life. I have been lucky enough to have Anna as my teacher, mentor and friend for 7 years now and my love for drama is stronger than ever. Anna is extremely patient, supportive and really pushes you to reach your full potential. I am now preparing to sit my grade 8 exam for the ‘Australian Music Examinations Board’ and hope to receive my teaching diploma in the future. All of the teachers at Grace Studios have completed their Associate Diploma in Drama and Performance, Australia (ADPA) and have a complex and strong knowledge about all things drama. The teachers at the studio are fantastic and really help to foster a respectful, colourful and exciting environmental for children and adults alike. I can’t recommend Grace studios enough and I am very grateful for all of the dedication and knowledge Grace studios has given to me. More...
What do you love most about your job?
There are probably few things on the planet more rewarding than being a performing arts coach. We get to see our students find their sense of freedom, overcome their fears, celebrate new achievements, and connect with that pure kind of childlike joy which comes with creative expression. As a teachers, we are right there beside them through it all!
What inspired you to start your own business?
Today you might see our studio director on the stage at an international conference or giving a TED talk, but she started out as a highly dyslexic child who found it difficult to engage at school and lacked confidence. It wasn't until her mother enrolled her in Speech and Drama classes where she was able to work one-on-one with an inspiring coach and find freedom in creative experiences that she realised she loved learning. Unlocking hidden talents as a performer gave Anna Grace the confidence, communication, critical thinking and creativity that she needed to excel in all other areas of her life. But none of this would have happened without the help of a dedicated mother who was willing to drive for over an hour to get Anna to and from her classes– classical training in the arts was not something on offer in her local community. Becoming a teacher meant that Anna could do more in her 'own backyard' and support people of all ages to pursue their passions, unlock new skills and gain formal qualifications. Today, online learning has allowed the studio to expand to new locations, and Anna's first students have grown into qualified teachers themselves who now lead the Grace Studios team.
Why should our clients choose you?
As government funded Creative Kids service providers, we offer $100 discounts on all tuition to NSW based students under the age of 18. All of our teachers are classically trained and accredited with AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board) and Guild Singing qualifications. For the past two years our studio director has been named in the top four most outstanding Speech and Drama teachers, with our students ranking at the top of the state. We have been dedicated to providing leading performing arts tuition for over a decade and bring passion, experience and commitment to all of our lessons.
Singing Lessons
Polish performance pieces, achieve a rich vocal tone, develop resonance, perfect your pitch, grow your knowledge of the stage and develop breath control. This one on one lesson allows the teacher to tailor classes to suit the student's needs. Whether you are looking to compete in eisteddfods, try out for musicals or just to develop the confidence to sing in front of others, this tuition covers everything you're after. Our teachers all have classical training and can assist with phonetics and accents.
Acting Lessons
Work with highly skilled AMEB speech and drama teachers to master the core components of acting. Join just for fun to get your creativity flowing, work with us on audition pieces for stage or screen, or let us help you prepare for formal examinations and qualifications in the arts.
We assist students in building on foundational performance skills from improvisation to polished theatrical monologues.
Our teachers are classically trained and will coach you in areas relating to the body, voice and intellectual understanding of theatrical texts.
Some core areas of learning include:
Voice: Articulation, breathing, projection, resonance, accent, vocal modulation and tone colour.
Body: Posture and relaxation, gesture, blocking, staging, characterisation and mime.
Intellectual: Developing a rich characterisation considering context, engaging with a wide variety of theatrical literature including prose, poetry, dramas and speeches, developing a knowledge of different classical and contemporary theatre periods including their socio/political history, conventions and styles.
Speech Therapy
As Speech and Drama teachers, we are empowering students of all ages to achieve natural and intelligible speech habits. As well as addressing functional speech disorders with closely guided speech exercises, our lessons provide students with an opportunity to apply this training in fun, creative speech and drama activities.
Common challenges we work on include:
The 'th', 's', 'r', and 'l' sounds;
Lip laziness;
Rapid speech;
Mumbling and throaty tone;
The elision (removal) of sounds;
Unnatural speech rhythm;
Inappropriate pause and stress;
Inappropriate intonation (rising and falling tunes);
Monotony (lacking vocal colour and expression);
Shallow breathing / breathy tone;
Faulty tones such as excess nasality;
Lack of resonance (speaks too quietly or too loudly);
Lack of non-verbal communication (eye contact, gesture and facial expression);
Accent for ESL students; and
Confidence to communicate.
Musical Theatre
For all of those who won't stop singing along to their favourite songs from Wicked, Frozen and all of the great classics, this is the class for you! There is only one thing better than a great singer, and that is a singer who can act! In this class we work on voice, body and our intellectual understanding of scene and character. Students will enjoy singing in role and harmonising with their teacher. Together, we will work on tone, resonance, breathing, pitch, and accent. We welcome students at all levels, beginners and experienced singers working on their repertoire.
Public Speaking
Lift your professionalism. Grow your confidence. Heighten your presence. Enhance your impact. Leave a good impression. Be remembered.
It is often said that many of us fear public speaking more than death and yet, it is an essential part of our adult lives. Whether you are pitching a product to a boardroom of clients, or trying to explain an idea to a team of colleagues, an awareness of voice and body is essential for effective communication.
The coaching Grace Studios provides will not only help you to deliver a prepared speech with confidence, but will also provide you with strategies to appropriately modulate your delivery for different environments, including impromptu speaking. Our teaching utilises the AMEB Voice and Communication Syllabus, which focuses on the individual speaker.
“The program nurtures a variety of transferable skills for life, including:
Reading out loud;
Presentation and interview skills;
Vocal clarity;
Confident body language;
Relaxation strategies; and
Eloquent interpersonal communication”
AMEB (2017)
