Lucy's blog

When we train our teachers for Perform classes, one of the sections we spend the longest time working on is their voices. I'm not talking about their singing voices here; they are, after all, trained actors and singers and wouldn't get to the training stage if they...

No, this blog post is not about the toe-curling anti-drugs eighties-fest that is the Grange Hill Just Say No video (though it's worth having a look if you fancy a nostalgia-based giggle). It's about a much more prevalent problem in primary school at least -...

It’s nearly back-to-school time and that means that some children will be starting school for the first time, others will be moving to new schools and most will be moving up an academic year to new classroom surroundings and a new teacher. Now, I’m a confident...

I really enjoyed watching this clip the other day. It's about whether you stuff your children's summer holidays with activities or just go with the flow and just chill. It's an interesting subject and it got me thinking about where I stand on this as a...

Like everyone else, I was shocked and saddened to read about Amy Winehouse yesterday. With hindsight, looking back at that footage from the Belgrade concert a few weeks ago, it was pretty clear that something was definitely not right - even more so than over the past few...

On January 8th 2000, I opened my first Perform class. Me, a teacher and four children. It went pretty well - all things considered. But, afterwards, when I was talking to the parents about my plans to eventually open Perform all over London, one of the mums said that my...

I remember being very small and really not wanting to go to my ballet class (isn't it weird how certain childhood memories just stick?) I was standing at the top of the stairs and my Dad (a bit of a softie) was quite happy to let me skip the class. But my Mum told him...

Louisa was five when I first met her a year ago. She turned up looking small and terrified. In fact, I'd never seen a child so nervous before. Children often get a bit teary at their first session but Louisa was distraught. Her mum was in a similarly panicked state...

With half term approaching and the British weather being what it is, it's always a good idea to be prepared and plan some activities to avoid finding yourself with a house full of grumpy bored faces. So here are my top favourite 'rainy day' activities purloined...

It's probably no surprise to you that I'm a big believer in the power of song. So I was really pleased to read this Guardian article that a friend forwarded to me this week; http://bit.ly/moqAbc. It's about a new book written by Sally Goddard Blythe, a...