Andrew Killian's well-known course is now run by Simon Catchpole at Bishopsgate, London, In two parts: each one day coursecalc
NEW DATES ANNOUNCED BOOK NOW: Prices held and good vallue Early Bird Rate
Monday November 10th 2025 - Level One BOOK NOW: Prices held and good vallue Early Bird Rate
Tuesday November 11th 2025 - Level Two
Dates also available in February 2026 : Monday 9th (L1) and Tuesday 10th (L2)
Register your interest for February dates or book these dates at GREAT VALUE early bird rate.
Bishopsgate Institute 230 Bishopsgate London EC2M 4QH (opposite Liverpool Street Station)
Hours 0915- 1630 Each course is one day. Book either one or both (Reduction for both courses booked)
Course Fees for November 2025:
LOW Prices held for the November course
£130 SMA member and affiliate rate £190 non member
Combined both one day courses booked together
£220 SMA member and affiliate rate . £350 non member
Early Bird: GREAT VALUE! Members book before October 14th and receive an additional 10% discount on one or both courses in November OR IN February
BOOK NOW: for November or Early Bird for February
Prices to be announced in December 2025 for February 2026 (except early bird bookings)
Register your interest in the courses in February
Caldicot Stage Management Training Bursary support places will be available for these courses (conditions apply).
Contact SMA Office for more info.
No prior musical knowledge required for Level 1; Level 2 builds from Level 1 to an opera company test standard. The music cues will be from musical theatre and opera scores of appropriate complexity for the course level
The courses in Feb and July 2025 were very well received and reviewed. We know however that a lot of people who wanted to take these courses were not available for those dates
BOOK NOW: for November or Early Bird for February
Cueing to Music One-Day Course Level 1
Course Aim: To enable a potential DSM or Showcaller, one without musical knowledge, to Q from musical scores and thus feel confident enough to undertake such work with opera, musical and ballet companies.
Course Objectives
- To examine the basic elements of musical notation and the function of piano reductions in relation to the rehearsal process.
- To understand how singers, as opposed to actors, impact on the role of a DSM/Showcaller
- To undertake Qing exercises numerous and complex enough to instil confidence.
09.30 Welcome, housekeeping, introductions and Day 1 overview
Understanding what is represented on the page
Basic Grade 1 Music Theory and Notation
A short test to summarise
Break
Referring to locations in music
Starting to give cues
Tempi and Dynamics
Repeats
13.00 Lunch
14:00 Working with Singers
Following and cueing exercises
Break
How to approach a score reading test
A few tricky overtures
16:30 End
Cueing to Music One Day Course LEVEL2
Course Aim
To enable a potential DSM or Showcaller, one with basic musical knowledge and understanding, to cue from complex and problematic music scores with confidence.
Course Objectives
- To reinforce understanding of musical counting and notation.
- To practice cueing from music with unusual time signatures.
- To simulate performance issues with a mixture of Musical Qs, visual Qs and clearances.
- To build familiarity and confidence with a wide variety of music styles
09:30 Welcome, housekeeping, introductions and Day 2 overview
Conductor monitors
Writing cues in the prompt book
Cueing with many repeats
Looking away then finding your place
Break
Faster and faster
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Snaps, Difficult music & Dance sections
Break
The final exercise as a “book cover”.
16.30 Finish
All of the SMA-run courses lead to a certificate of achievement from the SMA, include course notes/materials and, if you are an SMA Member, completion of these courses can be added to your CV and listing on Spotlight Contacts.
All SMA Courses plan to finish by 4.30pm to allow for evening show calls. Earlier times or one-to-one courses can sometimes be arranged.
Please register your interest in an SMA course as soon as possible, to allow us to plan the logistics and confirm details
Level 1 & 2
Bishopsgate Institute 230 Bishopsgate London EC2M 4QH (opposite Liverpool Street Station)
Hours 0915- 16:30
Each course is one day. Book either one or both.
No prior musical knowledge required for Level 1; Level 2 builds from Level 1 to a full opera company test standard ____________________________________________________________________
Please Note: The Course descriptions are from recent courses. Music content may vary- in particular some scores from musicals may be included- both opera and musical theatre music is included as appropriate to the teaching aims of the course.
All of the SMA-run courses lead to a certificate of achievement from the SMA, include course notes/materials and, if you are an SMA Member, completion of many courses can be added to your CV and listing on Spotlight Contacts.
All SMA Courses and most others plan to finish by 4.30pm to allow for evening show calls. Earlier times or one-to-one courses can sometimes be arranged
BOOK NOW: for November or Early Bird for February