Performing Arts Courses & Classes in London and Online
City Lit offers performing arts courses in the heart of Covent Garden in Central London during the evening, daytime and at weekends. Explore our range of subjects including acting, (including accredited acting courses), dance, radio and screen, and voice, speech and communication as well as a full range of music courses, such as piano, singing, strings and wind instruments to jazz and pop, music technology, music theory and history
Most of our courses are currently delivered online. For more information about our live online courses, please see our guide to online learning . For face-to-face classes at the college, see our information about staying COVID-19 secure at City Lit.
Our courses are labelled clearly for beginners or those with previous experience and you can speak to a specialist advisor to help you choose the right level. If you would you like some help or advice:
For music courses email music@citylit.ac.uk. You can also view our music auditions and advice page.
For drama, dance and speech courses email drama@citylit.ac.uk
- City Lit gift vouchers - the perfect gift
Looking for that perfect present? Treat someone to the gift of learning with a course at City Lit. Available from £10, our gift vouchers can be used to book a place on any of our courses, from London walks and food tasting to museum visits, poetry and much more. Simply purchase your voucher and the recipient can choose from thousands of courses, at a time which suits them.From £10.00 - Ballet pointe: tasterCourse start date: Wed 6 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Dilek TaptikOur fun taster session is a great way to try a class and to meet our friendly team of professionals who will guide you through some of the basics and answer your questions, so you can be sure that a course is right for you.
You should have attended regular ballet classes for at least 6 to 12 months. Confidence and strength are key to be able to support yourself en pointe, you need strong feet and ankles. Pointe shoes can be provided free of charge for use in this session. Please contact the department if you would like to reserve a pair.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Musicianship for keyboard players: introductionCourse start date: Mon 11 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Polly HewettImprove your understanding of theory and musicianship in relation to the piano. This course is for pianists who have been learning for around two years.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £30.00 - Folk and pop guitar tasterCourse start date: Tue 12 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tony RowdenLearn the essential chords that will begin your guitar career, and develop the motor skill to strum pop songs. Please bring an acoustic guitar.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Great works: Bach's Goldberg VariationsCourse start date: Tue 12 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Karen Betley'Composed for music lovers, to delight their Spirits'. So wrote Bach in 1741 of his Goldberg Variations, a work which combines profound learning with expressive beauty. Come and explore this dazzling display of compositional virtuosity!
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £39.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £24.00 - Classical music: an introductionCourse start date: Tue 12 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Katy HamiltonAre you interested in finding out more about classical music but not sure where to start? This taster course will
introduce you to the history of music through a careful choice of works.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £18.00 - Classical guitar tasterCourse start date: Wed 13 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Tony RowdenEnjoy this introduction to playing classical guitar. Please bring a nylon-strung guitar.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Storytelling: TasterCourse start date: Thu 14 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Ariella EshedAll cultures respect the world of Story. We all like to hear stories! This short taster class will help you to tell them. Traditional, anecdotal, personal, fairytales, fables…they all require the key ingredient of confidence, and a basic understanding of structure. The class will be delivered online.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Wagner's Ring Cycle: an overviewCourse start date: Thu 14 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Katy HamiltonWagner’s ‘Ring’ Cycle is a mighty epic lasting many hours, full of armies of characters and multiple plot twists – not to mention the musical labels, or ‘leitmotifs’, that Wagner assigns to various people and ideas throughout. This course is intended for those who are keen to find out about Wagner and the Ring, and navigate the action across its four constituent operas.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £18.00 - Saxophone tasterCourse start date: Sat 16 Jul 2022 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David HarrisonDiscover how a saxophone class works, and learn about embouchure, breathing, and fingering. Bring your tenor or alto saxophone to this session.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Jazz guitar tasterCourse start date: Sat 16 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: David HarrisonA practical introduction to jazz style and repertoire, harmony and scales, time feels, accompaniment textures and approaches to improvisation. For guitar players with established technique who are new to the jazz idiom.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £19.00 - Pop piano introductionCourse start date: Sat 16 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Angele VeltmeijerDiscover what is involved in learning to play popular piano: how to voice and invert chords, play chord progressions from symbols, and get in the groove. For pianists at grade 4/5 and above.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £49.00 Concession £33.00 - Clarinet tasterCourse start date: Mon 18 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: George SleightholmeLearn the basics of clarinet playing and discover what is involved in learning the instrument: embouchure, breathing, articulation and fingering. Please bring your own Bb clarinet.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £29.00 Concession £29.00 - Music history book clubCourse start date: Mon 18 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Pauline GreeneThe music history book club meets towards the end of each term to discuss novels and biography with musical themes and references relevant to the music history programme. This term’s book is a biography.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Singing: daily vocal workoutCourse start date: Mon 18 Jul 2022
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Heather LongmanDo you find it diffucult to motivate yourself to practise singing? Do you get stuck wondering which warm-ups and exercises are the best ones for you? Or have you had a break from singing and need some encouragemnet to get back into practising? Then come and join us online for a week of daily warm-ups and exercises to get you on the right track.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £49.00 Concession £49.00
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