WEA courses

On this course we will explore: ● How the ghosts of metre and rhyme may exist in free verse, and how to achieve this ● How rhythm is generated within free verse through sonic devices. ● How rhythms of conversational speech are related to the rhythm of free verse, and how this produces a form of elevated speech. ● Rhyme and Rhythm in traditional poetry. The course will explore one technique each week and concentrate on workshopping this via the development of a subject during each session. These sessions will be built from structured inspiration tasks, discussion and experimentation with ideas and languages.

Bring your imagination to life! This stop motion animation course guides you through the exciting world of creating animated stories frame by frame. Learn practical techniques, explore storytelling elements, and discover the magic of bringing characters and objects to life on screen. We will explore a variety of content including the principles of stop motion animation, from storyboarding to character creation. We will explore how to nbring the ideas to life and look into the post-production magic too. **This interactive course features engaging video demonstrations, step-by-step tutorials, and creative prompts to spark your imagination. Whether you're a hobbyist or aiming for a career in animation, this course is your launchpad to explore the world of stop motion animation!

Serge Prokofiev (1891-1953) composed some of this century’s most widely loved music – be it the ballet Romeo and Juliet or his work for children Peter and the Wolf. Yet due to his itinerant lifestyle and the secrecy that cloaked his final years in the USSR, he remains one of the least understood musicians of this century. This course will explore the full range of his 130 compositions in various genres through active listening, YouTube videos and live music, and will make comparisons with some of his lesser-known contemporaries. This six session course is face-2-face and is suitable for students at all levels. No previous knowledge is required and detailed background notes will be made available via Canvas, the WEA learning platform.

During Victorian times Nottingham was transformed from an elegant market town into a major industrial City. Industries like hosiery and Lace needed grand warehouses and offices, streets filled up the central parishes and countless houses soon spread beyond the traditional town boundary. This course will explore this evolution from town to City, discover why and how the urban landscape began to change, consider contrasting communities, including Narrow Marsh and the Park Estate and will pause to highlight characters like the ‘firebrand orator’ Feargus O’Connor who could be assured to rouse the crowds over justice and the right to vote.

There are many reasons to study this English functional skills course but you might be surprised to know that they’re not academic. Whether you want to feel more confident at public speaking or would like to study an apprenticeship or traineeship, this Level 2 English Functional Skills course can help you achieve your goals in a fun and practical way. Functional skills courses teach you English skills for learning, life, and work- not just to pass an exam. Enjoy the learning process as you watch your vocabulary grow, your spelling improve, and your confidence soar. If you’re fed up with academic courses and want to learn English in a practical and gratifying way, you won’t regret taking this English functional skills level 2 course. Functional Skills qualifications are free if you don't already have a GCSE in English or Maths at grades A*-C, or 4-9. We'll check your level and any previous qualifications before you start. This ensures you are on the correct course.

Unlock your inner writer! This 4-week Introduction to Creative Writing course will ignite your imagination and guide you in expressing yourself through the power of words. We'll delve into various writing styles, helping you observe the world around you with fresh eyes and translate those experiences onto the page. Whether you're a complete beginner or have dabbled in writing, this course is designed to unleash your creativity and deepen your enjoyment of the written word.

A history course based on some well-known musicals. Writers of musicals often dealt with complex social, political and historical issues while also providing an entertaining show with great songs, but in this course we’ll look at some unexpected, surprising and even ill-conceived inspirations for musicals, some of which were very successful, some of which were not. The course includes the background to musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Stephen Sondheim, but also lesser-known writers whose work has become very successful and has acquired a cult following.  At the end of the course, you will be able to: - Discuss how Evita and Call Me Madam are influenced by the writers' personal viewpoints of the societies they are describing - Give examples of how fairy tale conventions are overturned in Frozen and Into The Woods - Identify some of the classic films, stories and characters that fed into horror musicals like Rocky Horror Show and Sweeney Todd. - Discuss why "bad taste" is such a prevalent feature of modern musicals, like the Producers and Little Shop of Horrors. - Identify some of the issues that caused a few of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals to fail.

If you are thinking about a career in teaching, this introductory course is for you. Teaching assistants are an integral part of the classroom. Not only do they provide vital support for pupils, but they also support the teaching that takes place. This course is ideal if you would like to know more about working as a teaching assistant. The role varies widely with some specialising in certain areas of education such as literacy, numeracy, music, specific learning needs and other disability support, English as a second language or behaviour. Teaching assistants can be found in schools for Early Years right through to secondary schools, and the number of TAs in one school can vary widely depending on necessity and amount of funding provided. This course will give you information about working as a teaching assistant (also known as a classroom assistant, a pupil support assistant, a teacher's aide, or abbreviated as a TA) and how you can provide support to teachers by providing teaching and learning support in whatever way possible.

From Beethoven to Blur, or Metallica to Mongolian voices, music can lead us from one state of mind and body to another. This course looks at the power of music and how it can be used as a source of energy to improve our overall health, self-esteem, and wellbeing. You will be given the opportunity to explore your own personal relationship with music, considering the impression music had on you when growing up; including how you feel about singing and why? There is extensive research supporting the psychological, social, and behavioural benefits that happen when an individual finds their voice. We will consider this and how the benefits of singing, song writing, and voice exploration can give us a feeling of belonging. By experimenting in a group, you will experience what it feels like to be part of something that is bigger than yourself!

The early 20th Century witnessed an extraordinary flourishing of English musical talent – dormant since the death of Purcell 200 years earlier. With the premiere of Elgar's Enigma Variations in 1899, the country at last began to put paid to the German gibe of it being "The Land without Music". With the help of musical extracts, we trace the course of the Renaissance and the individuals who shaped it - featuring Elgar, Delius, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Britten, Walton and Tippett. We also explore how conscious they were of heading a revolution, and address the elusive issue of what we really understand by Englishness in music.