Performing Arts

The Performing Arts at Sydenham High are incredibly strong and provide invaluable opportunities for girls to get involved in some exciting and memorable clubs, activities and events. Every year, the school holds a Performing Arts Dinner to celebrate the incredible achievements, talents and contributions of the girls to this area of school life.

Music at Sydenham High is vibrant and exciting. We aim to provide a platform for all our musicians to shine and develop their musical talents and potential. We believe that girls can make a lasting contribution to society through their music and so believe that music should be enjoyed, cherished and appreciated. We offer a rich co-curricular programme which provides excellent opportunities for our budding musicians to perfect the art of ensemble and to perform at our many concerts and events, be that as a soloist or as a member of one of our many groups or ensembles.

As well as the dedicated Music Centre, the School has its own purpose-built Recital Hall with access to professional sound recording equipment. Concerts, both in school and in the local community, are a regular feature of the school calendar. A wide range of ensembles for musicians of all abilities rehearse every week either in a lunch time or after school. These include Orchestra, Concert Band, String ensembles, Jazz Band, Year 7 Choir, Whole School Choir and our Chamber Choir, Serenata.

There are opportunities for girls to take individual lessons in all orchestral instruments as well as singing. Over 200 instrumental lessons take place in the school every week, supported by 15 experienced peripatetic staff with instrumental specialisms. The music department regularly offers music tours and outings to enrich the musical experience here. The school offers two Music Scholarships to girls joining in year 7 and scholars take a leading part in the musical life of the Senior School. For more information about scholarships please click here.

Our philosophy is that Drama is an art form as well as a creative and cultural activity. That’s why our productions are challenging, both in their content and theatrical form, and also in the exceptionally high performance standards. Our examination work has been commented upon by examiners as ‘highly professional’ both in terms of performance and staging.

Drama flourishes here. Not only in the classes, which are vibrant spaces, rich in imagination, experimentation, personal endeavour and joy, but also in the co-curricular provision that characterises every week in the life of the school. We offer a variety of co-curricular clubs and activities which include: Year 7 Drama Club; Musical Theatre Club; Technical Theatre Club; Masterclasses with professional actors; LAMDA (the gold award is highly-respected and gains points that count towards university entrance); and Stagecoach after-school club on a Friday.

Our Westwood Theatre and the Longton Hall are ideal venues for all sizes of productions and help ensure our pupils not only gain confidence in their own ability to perform, but work with energy and enthusiasm together to produce quality work that they can take pride in sharing with others.

The Making of Billy Elliot

Dance is extremely popular here and we hold our annual Dance show which has now been running for over 10 years. This is one of the highlights of the year and showcases solo, group and class performances.

In addition to our Annual Dance Show, we offer street dance and have a Contemporary Dance Company that regularly rehearses and participates in local and national events and competitions.