Child 1 Age 5 - 13 (Male)
Program(s) focused in Musical Theatre
Child 2 Age 11 - 15 (Female)
Program(s) focused in Musical Theatre
(5) Overall experience
Bravo Academy is my children's 'happy place'. My son started in the Saturday classes at the age of 5, and now at age 13, is in the advanced troupe program. My daughter started in the troupe program at age 11, and now at almost 16, is not planning to leave until she graduates.
When younger, they also enjoyed the summer/March break camps, and now my daughter has volunteered with them.
Bravo has given my children friends, mentors, confidence, joy, challenge, and esteem. I cannot recommend Bravo Academy more highly to any family who values arts education.
(5) Reason for choosing the program
My son, at age 5, already loved musical theatre, and it was hard to find a kindergarten-aged program that was appropriate. I had seen one that did weekly lessons and tried to do an hour-long performance at the end, but it was not great!
Bravo Academy understands child development and what a very young artist can handle. The musical theatre classes are fun and educational, and the really young ones do a 10-15 minute performance at the end, which is wonderful! They know their songs and choreography. The instructors guide them through when appropriate. And as the children get older, they are given more and more independence and confidence to do longer shows.
Bravo is worth the money. It is definitely an investment, for sure. In our case, it's our only extracurricular, but what Bravo has given our children and our family is worth it.
(5) Program quality and activities
My children are now in the audition-based Troupe program, which has been wonderful. This is REAL arts education. My kids have a vocabulary to discuss music, theatre, performance, stagecraft, and artistic collaboration. The instructors/artistic staff really get to know the children and will challenge them where needed and pull back when appropriate. I've always found them very approachable. Of course, not everyone gets the role they want in a show, and disappointments happen. But we feel that this is a great life lesson. On with the show!
My daughter has also taken private voice lessons and has really improved her technique. Even as an initially shy singer who didn't want to sing in front of the teacher, a rapport was built, and from there, her confidence grew.
(5) Social dynamics and experience
After coming out of her first troupe rehearsal, my then-11-year-old daughter said, 'Mom - I found my people!' A lot of their best friends are fellow 'theatre kids,' and they are all wonderful.
A few years ago, my daughter and some friends had an issue with a castmate that they tried to deal with on their own. After still experiencing issues, they collectively (with parent assistance) wrote a letter to the artistic staff. The issue was dealt with immediately. They were taken seriously, and the castmate was dealt with firmly but compassionately.
(5) Skills and growth
My kids have learned so much! Aside from the arts education - learning better singing and dancing technique, acting with others, creating a character, even when they have few or no lines, working backstage, dealing with quick changes, microphones, etc., they've learned how to collaborate. How to work with others. How to share artistic opinions and how to manage when their opinion is not the majority. They've sometimes had to 'pivot' to another way to do things when the group decides differently, and they've had to get over it and continue to work together. These are the most valuable skills they've learned - real-life skills.
(5) Staff/Instructors/Counsellors
In our experience, Bravo staff have always been easy to communicate with. They've been responsive to any concerns and dealt with more serious issues in a way that gave closure.
They've taken the time to get to know our kids and know when they can handle a challenge and when they need to back off. And if unsure, I've been contacted as the parent to ask what I think.
(5) Advice and tips
Definitely give Bravo a try! My kids have truly been enriched by Bravo Academy and even have done volunteer hours there as they move into high school. If your kids go into the troupe program, try to get to know other parents—it can help with carpooling, sourcing costumes, or having get-togethers outside of Bravo.
Last thing—I live in Thornhill, and Bravo is near Yorkdale mall (ish) - TOTALLY worth the drive for us, and I wouldn't change to anywhere closer. We love it.
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Both my kids have consistently come out of Bravo rehearsals feeling uplifted, challenged in the best way, and excited about the shows they are working on. Both gained numerous musical theatre-related ...
