Thinking about growing your child’s confidence through LAMDA but not sure how it all works? Find out what’s involved in preparing and taking one of these prestigious qualifications.
LAMDA offer a wide array of exams and students are able to study in groups or one to one. The most popular solo exams are Acting, Speaking Verse and Prose and Speaking in Public.
When studying Acting, students play characters and present scenes to the examiner. In Speaking Verse and Prose exams, students present poems and a piece of text from fiction. In Speaking in Public exams, students write and present their own speeches.
Although each exam involves a different route of study, they all aim at the same destination – an increase in confidence and a mastery of communication skills.
Learning in Lessons
In your child’s weekly lessons, they will work with their tutor to choose contrasting pieces or write speeches which fulfil the criteria set in the LAMDA syllabus. They will rehearse their pieces and commit their material to memory whilst ensuring that they can still perform with spontaneity.
There is also a ‘Knowledge’ portion for each LAMDA exam where students gain a deeper understanding of their material as well as theory or performance techniques. For instance, at grades 6 of the Acting, Speaking Verse & Prose and Speaking in Public exams, students are expected to know about voice production and projection.
In addition to the Knowledge portion, some of the Speaking in Public exams require students to hold a conversation with the examiner and even present an unprepared, impromptu speech on the day.
Students gain important lifelong skills whilst preparing for any LAMDA exam. By taking full responsibility for the choice, creation and presentation of their material, students acquire a mastery of leadership, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills.
In the Exam
In the online or in person examination room, students will introduce and then present their pieces to the examiner. They are then assessed on their Knowledge by answering the examiner’s questions.
The examiner assesses several criteria of a student’s performance which fall under ‘Interpretation’ or ‘Technique’, such as communicating the sense of the written word’ and ‘speaking with clarity of diction’.
Most importantly, examiners are looking for students to come in, own the space, and above all enjoy themselves. As I discuss in this blog post, LAMDA’s exams aren’t a formal test where the student demonstrates how much preparation they’ve done. Instead, they’re an opportunity for the student to share their work.
No matter the outcome of the exam, the student should walk away from the experience with self-belief and the proof that they can present themselves to anyone, anywhere. Preparing for any LAMDA exam, gives students skills which give them the edge in anything they turn their hand to in their school careers and in their future lives.
Would you like your child to gain important lifelong skills through studying LAMDA? Get in touch with Liane to discuss your child’s LAMDA journey.
