What do the West End Kids and WEK Parents have to say about West End Kids?
Some testimonials from current and former West End Kids & parents of West End Kids:
Click on the name to read the testimonial
"Joining WEK is probably the best thing I’ve ever done. I could tell from my first session that I was going to have a lot of fun, and learn a lot. And i was right! Since being in WEK, i feel i have improved massively on my vocal technique, dance technique, fitness and stamina, and all round performance. As well as improvement, I’ve had some really great experiences such as singing at the Royal Festival Hall, the 02 Arena and I have made some really good friends. This is all thanks to Emma Griffiths and Martin Williams, who put so much effort in to make this happen for every student that is willing. Obviously, this hasn’t happened without hard work. With rehearsals every week and rehearsal tapes and videos to practice with every day at home, it’s easy to get tired. But the hard work really does pay off and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to do this and the work that goes in so I can."
Millie Caffull, WEK: Training Red Company
"Since Hannah joined WEK in September 2007, she has made amazing progress in singing, dancing and her ability to ‘tell a story’ and this is due to the time, effort and dedication that Martin Williams and Emma Griffith put into West End Kids. This includes videos of choreography, so WEK can practice, audio files for every song and for all range of voices and, of course, rehearsals.
Hannah enjoys the challenge WEK provides and was beginning to get bored and frustrated at local dancing and singing classes. WEK enables Hannah and other talented children to work hard, be pushed and continually improve performances. Being a member of WEK is like being part of a family of like-minded youngster who are prepared to work hard and enjoy being stretched to continually improve. Since joining WEK, Hannah has played the lead role in ‘Annie’ with a local amateur drama group, had a main part in ‘The King and I’ locally and will be starring as ‘Oliver’ next year. In addition, Hannah auditioned and made the final recall for two West End shows earlier this year. These were ‘The Sound of Music’ and ‘Oliver!’ Hannah is convinced that she would not have got that far without attending WEK.
WEK is ideal for talented youngsters who have a passion for musical theatre, who enjoy working hard and who have the determination to succeed. Hannah feels that with WEK, she will be given the right support, help and encouragement to succeed as a musical performer in adult life."
D. Fearns, Parent
"As a parent of a young lady who loves the performing arts, I have done extensive research to try to find a program that would fulfil, and professionally train her in the many avenues she wished to pursue. West End Kids topped my list, and we were very excited to have our daughter accepted into the company. Every week that she goes to West End Kids we are more and more impressed with the professionalism and extremely high calibre of teaching. These people really care about the kids and are determined to help each one fully reach their potential. My daughter, who has had some years of training with different companies, only seemed to progress and grow when she arrived at WEK, due to the expertise and genuineness of the teachers.
I continue to be amazed by the quality and sincerity of the performances of these kids. Thank you WEK for giving so much of yourselves, and for providing such a wonderful opportunity for young people, passionate and dedicated in achieving their very best."
D. Hull, Parent
It will be coming up to my fourth year at West End Kids in September, and I still continue to love and enjoy being there! As cheesy and cliché as it may sound, WEK has grown to be a huge part of my life! I turn up to every rehearsal excited, and every term the material gets better and better! The singing has always been challenging, but I love learning tricky harmonies, and the more I learn them, the easier it becomes to pick them up. I have always thought of myself to be a stronger singer than a dancer, but Emma Griffiths has taught me to be a better and more confident dancer!
One of the best things West End Kids has taught me is how to story tell! Martin stresses about just how important it is to us as a company, and possibly the most important thing. I watch back videos of myself when I first started at aged 10, and it is generally down to them how much I have improved and grown in confidence!
The best time at West End Kids is the Review! I love them so much and always look forward to them. Learning all the material throughout the term is very hard, but it all definitely pays off once we all know it and do a great Review!
I actually feel quite privileged to be a part of West End Kids, and if I didn’t come here I would not be the same performer I am today, at all! WEK is growing in population all the time! We performed at the 02, and what better arena is there to perform in than that one!? We often do recordings, and shows for people as well as doing the Reviews, which is great fun, and great experience! It has taught me how to be an all-round performer, which I never was before!
Another thing about WEK which is great is the people! I have found true friends there, that hopefully I will never lose contact with and it’s great being with like-minded people who are interested in the same things. It’s hard to watch old WEK’s leave, but I plan on staying until I feel that it is my time, and right now, i still feel I have some more to learn.
Emma Lucy, Main West End Kids Company
"One of the luckiest moments of my life was when I came across the West End Kids website, I, like many others of my fellow West End Kids, was unmotivated and disheartened by my local theatre school, I wanted a professional environment, proper training and some one to push me, all of which and more I found in West End Kids.
To find these three things was a blessing but, personally I think the most amazing thing I have found in my years at WEK is a truly incredible group of friends, becoming a West End Kid is like being invited into a family. In my first day as a West End Kid I expected to find a group of highly motivated, talented people who had no time for fun or small talk however as much as the first two things are true are the latter two are entirely false. I was welcomed with open arms into a family that I know, even when I grow too old for West End Kids, I will always be a part of. One of the most shocking things for me is the amount of work our Choreographer Emma and Musical Director Martin put into West End kids. We have: rehearsal tapes and videos to help us learn the material, extra singing lessons, workshops, management and master classes where we can learn different types of dance, such as tap, Lindy hop, lyrical, modern, flossy style, body combat and so much more as well as classes in vocal technique all aimed to make us better performers. For me the great performance opportunities and skill learning aside it is the people who make West End Kids the wonderful group that it is and the reason why I look forward to it so much every week. "
V. Sheldon, Former West End Kid
West End Kids has been very good for Lucy. It has taught her that it is not just talent that is needed to achieve but a lot of hard work and dedication. WEK has made Lucy very focused and we feel that she is taking on the challenge wholeheartedly. Lucy looks forward to the weekend when she can attend WEK and works hard in the week in preparation. It is clear that Lucy is receiving professional teaching at West End Kids as she is improving.
Andrew & Lesley Tinker, Parents
Auditioning for West End Kids is the best thing I have ever done. WEK has helped me and improved me so much. It has made me incredibly motivated and has really shown me that this is what I want to do in the future. At WEK there is such a great atmosphere full of hard work and fun. I have made so many new friends at WEK and have generally had a really great time. I am looking forward to WEK in the future and hope that I keep improving.
Lucy Tinker, WEK: Training Red Company
West End Kids and WEK: Training has been the best thing that’s happened to me regarding all aspects of musical theatre training. I came to the audition with no voice coaching and little dance training but being placed in WEK: Training helped me develop these skills and include others like story telling and song and dance combination that are essential for West End performance.
I found vocal technique really useful and how dances were broken down at a pace we could all cope with. The end of term report was something I had never encountered before I started West End Kids and the individual comment and grades helped me focus on what I needed to improve and therefore secured me a place in the Main Company.
I feel very honoured to be performing with such a talented, hardworking and dedicated group such as West End Kids and I am very grateful of the extra help that’s on hand such as additional dance lessons, vocal lessons, rehearsal tapes and rehearsal videos.
Rachel Wilmot, Main West End Kids Company - promoted from WEK: Training
