Reviews
“Shahnaz really taught me a lot about speaking in front of people and how to express myself through facial expressions and using the space around me. I feel much more confident in school now when i need to speak in front of the class. The class was fun, but when it was time to work, we really focused. The kids all helped each other to work together and improve. It was a very supportive environment. Shahnaz gave really great feedback all the time, but was nice about it and never made us feel bad about ourselves. I will definitely consider the Trinity test next year. Now that I know what its all about, I think it would be great." - Student
"I was thrilled to see my daughter's tremendous progress in speech and dramatic techniques during her time in the class at Westchester School of Speech and Drama. She loved performing already, but the class escalated her excitement about theater, and helped encourage her to try new styles and take theatrical risks. The class helped her confidence, her skill set and her love of theater. I highly recommend WSSD to any parent looking for a class for a child interested in theater. While there are other organizations that focus on specific preparation for a particular show, WSSD helps students sharpen performance skills like reading aloud, delivering monologues and being confident on stage." - Parent
"Before the first speech and drama class, I had many different feelings then I did at the end of the last class. In the beginning, I had a few goals that I wanted to accomplish. My goals were to be confident in myself, creative, and in general improve my acting skills. When I came to the first class, I wasn't very confident that I was going to be able to reach those goals, but by the end I had reached them all. Some things I learned this year were improvisation, storytelling off of a picture, reading a poem with feeling, reading extracts, and many more. This year, I took the Trinity Test. I performed a poem, an extract, and a mime. I enjoyed picking out pieces and practicing them many times until they were perfect. I would like to take the Trinity Test again next year. When you come into class, you feel welcomed. Shahnaz's teaching style is fun. She makes the classes fun, but at the same time without realizing, she's teaching you a lot. She makes the classes very enjoyable and exciting because you never know what you're going to learn next class.
My year at the Westchester School of Speech and Drama was largely successful in my opinion. I came into the class looking for a way to work on my speaking and articulation, which was one of my major weaknesses. Throughout the year, I worked on improving my weaknesses as well as further improving analysis and conveying emotions, which I viewed as my strengths going into the class. In addition, I learned a lot about how to set, introduce phasing into, specify emphasis, and memorize pieces effectively. These skills allowed me to better prepare for the Trinity Exam, in which I performed a piece from King Lear by Shakespeare, a prose piece from East of Eden by John Steinbeck, the poem 'Daffodils' by William Wordsworth, and Night of the Scorpion by Nissim Ezekiel. My preparation for the exam allowed me to confidently perform in front of an examiner and do well. My skills were enhanced by a great classroom environment, with a great balance between having fun but also being serious and preparing our pieces to the best of our ability. Shahnaz was a great teacher, allowing us to explore our pieces and make them our own and helping us to do so. She, like I mentioned earlier, managed to introduce a great balance between fun and being serious, and I had a great time in her class this year and look forward to working towards my diploma next year" - Student
“…she loved coming every week and is always talking about the class with such a glow and we have seen such Growth in her ability to present herself !! Thank you so much and we can't wait until September... " - Parent
"I wanted to thank Shahnaz for this wonderful opportunity. My daughter Sarah loves the class, her fellow students, and the teacher :) She is thriving and wants to continue. The school is a fantastic addition to our area, I hope it continues :)" - Parent
