A new teaching organisation has moved to Bath, offering music and acting training to children of all ages.
Queen’s Parade Music & Drama is owned and run by Erin Simpson and Dan Glover, who moved to Bath from Twickenham when the Coronavirus pandemic hit the UK and the theatre industry shut its doors.
“The lockdown was a chance for us to reflect and consider our roles as music, dance and acting tutors,” explained Dan. “With Erin’s family living just outside Bath, we know the area very well and decided it could be a great opportunity to move to a beautiful new city and bring our skills and expertise to a different area.”
Erin is a professional singer and actor who trained at Arts Educational Schools, graduating in 2017. For the last two years she has held a position as Head of Musical Theatre for Marble Hill Dance School in Richmond-upon-Thames, teaching singing, dancing and acting both in a group and to individual students. This included submitting a number of students for the LAMDA acting exams, many of whom passed with distinction.
Dan, meanwhile, studied music at the University of Edinburgh and has over five years of experience as a professional musical director and pianist for a number of UK, International and West End musicals & concerts, including children’s MD on three major UK tours. Before lockdown he was the conductor for the UK tour and Hammersmith Apollo run of Nativity! The Musical, working with a cast of over 40 children and professional adults to bring this hit show to theatres across the UK. He has also taught at a number of prestigious drama schools as well as undertaking various work as a rehearsal pianist/accompanist across many disciplines.
For those interested in acting lessons with Erin, they will have the option of studying both contemporary and classic texts; a mixture of monologues (for single pupils) and duologues (for those who wish to attend lessons in pairs), with the possibility of entering students for LAMDA acting exams. For singing lessons, she will teach students how to warm up the voice and sing with safe and proper technique before working on a broad range of songs from pop to musical theatre.
Piano pupils will be taught by Dan at whatever pace is most suited to them. For those starting out, he will help them to develop a good musical awareness and basic technique, making sure students are always engaged and having fun. For those with a little more experience, he will work with them to build up their repertoire and tackle more challenging pieces, whether they be classical or contemporary. He also offers one-to-one music theory tuition for those needing an extra push to help them get through the ABRSM theory exams.
“We work with all ages and both of us have taught a number of adult learners in the past,” said Erin. “Having said that, we are particularly experienced with school-aged children from six years onwards. We recently moved to a new flat in Bath city centre, not far from Queen’s Square, which has a dedicated music room which is ideal for lessons.
Both Dan and Erin have recently completed Enhanced DBS checks, and will be following all the necessary procedures to make lessons Covid-safe and hygienic. A free trial lesson is available, after which singing lessons start at £25 for 45 minutes, acting at £15 for 30 minutes, and piano lessons at £35 an hour, with shorter lessons available.
For more information or to make an enquiry, head to www.qp-music.co.uk