A Message From The Director Of Studies
There is a saying in our country that goes like this: 'if you have a problem and need some help, always go to the busiest person.' Well, I have certainly found that to be excellent advice! Naturally, the loss of Leah has caused indescribable sadness – for forty years we were blessed by her inspiring influence as our Examiner. Her sympathy for all and sundry became legendary, but most of all we will miss the quiet, thoughtful concern that was going on in the background, whatever we happened to be struggling with at any given time. At times like this, I like to remember the words of William Blake – 'and we are put on earth a little space, that we may learn to bear the beams of love.'
There is a need, though, to move on as quickly as possible, for the suffering that we seek to relieve - particularly that of children 'in difficult situations' - stops for no one. And that is why I am truly delighted to be able to announce that 'someone' – a very busy lady, yes! - has agreed to take on at least part of Leah's role as examiner. She is brilliantly qualified in exactly the areas we need, and when she studied with us a few years ago she showed exceptional understanding of the artistic and creative needs of children and young people. She is the 'perfect choice' – a huge blessing right now.
Yes, we can now set a diploma exam date in London in November as we hoped to do. This will give current students ample time to prepare, and those still thinking about enrolling will still be able to participate if they are keen to do so. But it is important to emphasise that taking a diploma exam is by no means compulsory. Not everyone needs to do this. On successful completion of each of the three theory courses currently on offer, a Theory-only (interim) diploma is automatically awarded, recently this has been almost always 'With Distinction.' Those looking for opportunities to work under supervision, medical or educational, usually find this certificate is sufficient to allow them to 'get started.' . The work they do is usually on a voluntary basis until the value of those skills is firmly established, but most find this a satisfactory way to 'get oneself noticed.'. If already in employment, an interim diploma from our school can lead to permission to add 'working with dance therapy' to an existing workload, and so progress one's career.
But we have always offered a 'Full Diploma' too, which involved candidates in a half-hour one-to-one interview with Leah, demonstrating examples of their best work (which had already been approved by their one-to-one tutor) and discussing with her their ideas for its future development. At her own once-a-month workshops in London, Leah was also able to offer on-going self-development training to help build up inner strength. But with students coming from all corners of the UK and also from overseas, trips to London are not always convenient and we had been looking for a way to 'change the system'. Within the next couple of weeks, details of the new Full Diploma requirement will be published on our site and hopefully this will be fairer and easier for all.
Many will be pleased to learn that our plan for a mini-cultural-Olympics stands a good chance of going ahead. We hope that students working in different countries will be willing to submit, after a few weeks of practical experience, short videos of their artistic and creative work with children's groups locally. These will be of great interest to other students and the public as a whole. To our delight, a popular TV programme has expressed an interest in providing coverage, if the standard is good enough. This could be a real boost to the morale of children in a number of countries, their 'dance leaders', parents, friends and supporters. More news on this later!
