Need help finding funding for my daughters fees for dance college!!

chirop45

:(Hi I'm new to this so please help not exactly sure what i'm doing lol!!!

My daughter has recently been offered a place at Performers college in essex to study for a diploma in musical theatre after studying for one year on a a foundation course.She had a tough audition and after 900 people went through the audition process they offered 55 lucky people places she being one of them. There are some awards called DaDa's(dance and drama awards) which cover almost all of the fees but unfortunately she didn't get one (not even half of the 55 were offered one!!) We now have the difficult task of trying to raise the money for the next 3 years she has worked so hard how can we say no as it has been her dream since she was a little girl. As the course is not at a university she is not entitled to help at all from student finance(which to my mind seems ridiculous as she would have paid it back just like anyone else!!) My LEA couldn't help either!! The cost of fees for the first year are about £11400 astronomical i know and thats not including living!!!!!! We are trying charitable trusts and local sponsership she has a part time job for the summer but it won't be enough we don't think? I'm not sure whether she can have a Career Development Loan either cos her course is for 3 years although we have told her we will take one year at a time. I would be really grateful if anyone has any ideas because all I see at the moment is her dream slipping away. Thanks

Oldernotwiser

You can't get a CDL for courses like this, I'm afraid.

If you do a search on this board you'll find a poster who has a website about fundraising for your studies - you might get some ideas from that.

She might be better looking at a degree or Foundation degree instead as she'll be able to get normal HE funding and a more flexible qualification. £35,000 is an enormous investment in such a risky area.

chirop45

Thank you i know its a risky career she has chosen but a degree won't give her the chance she needs these colleges are specialist places with agencies within. we've really looked into this but was hoping for a scholorship sadly not to be! Thanks for yourhelp hopefully something will come up hey you never know might get those 6 lucky numbers!!!!!

soon2be_student_wife

hiya. i study dance at uni, nearly at the end of my first year after an expensive gap yr in london (didn't even try for one of those scary colleges, not enough experience!) is it to study in september? cus it may be a bit too late now, though where there's a will, there's a way. BBC do a performing arts bursaries - www and bbc and co and uk/ performingartsfund/ musicaltheatre/ [please replace the ands with . it wont let me post links ]
but applications have closed for 2009 entry. may be worth getting in touch, I'm not sure. A good thing to do is to write to your MP, they can often help a little (though with the recent rows - they should give a lot more) as long as you don't then tell everyone you know as they receive too many requests then. Also, phone or email a copy of your daughter's story to your local press - there might be businesses or individuals who want to help. www and ukperformingarts and co and uk/ music/ mbf and asp .
This page is quite helpful but again, the only musical theatre bursary deadline was May by looks of things - you may still get in there - scroll down. I'm assuming it's musical theatre as it's performers college, is that right? I think British Council may do something but not sure as I know Arts Councils aren't very good in wales where I am but may be worth looking www and artscouncil and org and uk/ index and php
Maybe write a letter to these people; they say they are reviewing their Awards at the mo. www and leverhulme and ac and uk/

Hope my garbled message makes sense; I'm trying to finish off my last assignment and succesfully putting it off - makes me mad when there's not enough DaDa's to go around.

Good luck, keep us updated

Nenen

Have you tried these two sites?
https://www.scholarshipsearch.co.uk
http://www.family-action.org.uk/section.aspx?id=1037

chirop45

Hi thanks to both of you yes she filled in the musical theatre bursary for the BBC just waiting to hear.If succesful even have to attend for an audition for that!!! Thought about my M.P will def try that now and gona do the local press too. Have found lists of charitable trusts so gona get letter writing over the next few days and thinking of doing some sponsered events-any good ideas??? We might be cutting it fine cos she is starting in September but the fees are split into 3 terms which makes it easier.

Will keep you updated thanks again!

andyrules

Hi chirop

Can't be much help, but just to say I'm truly shocked that the course doesn't attract the usual loans. And that's from me, the stalwart cynic and critic of the whole student loan thing.;)

But then again, maybe not. Your DD clearly is a talented and hard-working young woman with a vision, and I'm afraid that counts for diddly squat in the eyes of New Labour.

The only advice I could offer is to encourage her to up her hours over the hols and earn more. Some councils take on students over the hols in libraries/student loan departments etc, or if you have any factories in your area they often offer 12 hour shifts. Has she signed at an agency? they may offer several different opportunities that she could return to each summer. Or, very drastically, get a big press coverage on her success and blatant elitist system that is being ignored. You never know, there might be a sympathetic millionaire, or maybe some bursary advice. Finally, there is a book available in all reference libraries listing all the charitable trusts that you could approach. Can't remember its name but the librarian will know. And yes, approach your MP, they should be in the business of serious grovelling right now.

Good luck, sounds like you need it:D

Oldernotwiser

andyrules wrote: »

Hi chirop

Can't be much help, but just to say I'm truly shocked that the course doesn't attract the usual loans. And that's from me, the stalwart cynic and critic of the whole student loan thing.;)

But then again, maybe not. Your DD clearly is a talented and hard-working young woman with a vision, and I'm afraid that counts for diddly squat in the eyes of New Labour.

The only advice I could offer is to encourage her to up her hours over the hols and earn more. Some councils take on students over the hols in libraries/student loan departments etc, or if you have any factories in your area they often offer 12 hour shifts. Has she signed at an agency? they may offer several different opportunities that she could return to each summer. Or, very drastically, get a big press coverage on her success and blatant elitist system that is being ignored. You never know, there might be a sympathetic millionaire, or maybe some bursary advice. Finally, there is a book available in all reference libraries listing all the charitable trusts that you could approach. Can't remember its name but the librarian will know. And yes, approach your MP, they should be in the business of serious grovelling right now.

Good luck, sounds like you need it:D

You do realise that the tuition fees for this are over £11,000 pa and it's not a degree level course, don't you? If the daughter did a degree in Performing Arts/Musical Theatre (which she doesn't choose to) she'd get the same funding as any other HE student.

andyrules

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

You do realise that the tuition fees for this are over £11,000 pa and it's not a degree level course, don't you? If the daughter did a degree in Performing Arts/Musical Theatre (which she doesn't choose to) she'd get the same funding as any other HE student.

I did pick up on that - but this is the course, one she won an audition for. I'm assuming it is different from an ordinary degree in PA. I don't know much about dance/drama - but I do know that in the performance industry picking the right course is massively more important than many other courses.

onw - am I the only one here that finds it frustrating to read about the gvt hurling money in all directions - except an ambitious and presumably talented youngster with a possible bright future? (and others) One who knows the meaning of hard work. You don't want me to juxtapose her and the monetary bribery of a sulky and workshy teen to come and disrupt some lessons, do you :D ? I wouldn't :mad: so much if it was fair and no-one got the money!



Have to wonder though about the £11000:eek::eek:

Lokolo

andyrules wrote: »

I did pick up on that - but this is the course, one she won an audition for. I'm assuming it is different from an ordinary degree in PA. I don't know much about dance/drama - but I do know that in the performance industry picking the right course is massively more important than many other courses.

onw - am I the only one here that finds it frustrating to read about the gvt hurling money in all directions - except an ambitious and presumably talented youngster with a possible bright future? (and others) One who knows the meaning of hard work. You don't want me to juxtapose her and the monetary bribery of a sulky and workshy teen to come and disrupt some lessons, do you :D ? I wouldn't :mad: so much if it was fair and no-one got the money!

And anyone in any sort of degree isn't ambitious, talented youngster with a bright future?

cardiffforthefacup

Actually you win a place on a university course as well, just the same as an audition in a sense, except you don't usually dance just use you're noddle instead,plus you can get rejected in the same way.