BSB Students learning with Juilliard Specialists on campus 2025

We were delighted to welcome 2 Juilliard Specialists on campus！Brian Drye, our Juilliard Music Specialists and Nick Mahmat, our Juilliard Drama Specialists each spent 2 days here with our students and teachers these past 2 weeks.

The Juilliard School is one of the world’s leading institutions for performing arts education. This collaboration with Juilliard is exclusive to students at BSB and Nord Anglia Education schools. It allows our students access to the skill and experience of world-leading performing arts delivered by BSB’s outstanding teachers. Combined in our day-to-day BSB dance, drama, and music programmes, this inspires our students and sparks their passion to pursue their talents and interests.

Nick Mahmat, Juilliard Drama Specialist 13-14 January

Nick is a teaching artist, scenic designer, and Drama Curriculum Specialist for Juilliard’s Global K-13 Programme with over 14 years’ experience in arts education and administration.  Many students had the chance to interact with Nick in person during the 2 days he was at BSB, learning new theatrical skills and ways to expressive themselves. Nick also conducted lesson demos, observations, professional development and feedback sessions with the teachers.

Drama students and Nick

During one of his demo lessons, Nick worked directly with Drama students on the different scenarios and possible reactions when the imaginary “fourth wall” suddenly disappears. The fourth wall in the drama world, is an imaginary wall that exists between the actors and their audience. Everyone was greatly inspired by this lesson.

“Having specialist visits from Juilliard are great opportunities for the BSB performing arts department to engage with high-level musicians, drama specialists and educators. It's great to spend the time working to make our classrooms better by focusing on approaches to teaching and learning. As well, the students get to interact with another musician and artist giving them insight into real world music making, drama, and expression. These visits help create a robust performing arts programme at BSB.”  - Daren Burns, BSB Director of Performing Arts

Brian Drye, Juilliard Music Specialist 20-21 January

Brian is BSB’s designated Curriculum Specialists and works closely with our Performing Arts teachers throughout the year. He is a professional trombonist, the Director of the Community Music School at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and has performed with many famous musicians around the world. 

We are fortunate to have Brian here at BSB for 2 days working with the performing arts team on inquiry-based pedagogy using the Juilliard curriculum. Brian’s visit consisted of lesson observations of our music teachers in primary and secondary schools, providing demo lessons showcasing the Juilliard curriculum.

Secondary students and Brian

“Brian Drye came and taught an innovative lesson to one of our Year 9 class. It was inspiring to see him draw out creativity from the students, having them on their feet improvising directly from key words. We hope to connect this extensively to our own curriculum so that students can continue to build confidence and be expressive.” - Seungyoun Han, BSB Music Teacher 

Year 4 students and Brian

“During the Year 4 demonstration class, students learned how to be creative by composing a piece together and had the opportunity to share their work with one another. They also discovered how storytelling can help develop the narrative aspect of their music. Brian's visit significantly enhanced our skills as music educators. He observed our lessons and provided valuable feedback for improvement."  - Misuzu Burns, BSB Music Teacher 

Juilliard Specialists Performance Session

On Tuesday 21st January lunchtime, Brian hosted a fabulous performance session in the school’s foyer. He played jazz music with students, working on improvisation. Everyone who took part enjoyed the fun musical jam.

“One memorable aspect of Brian's visits was his performance with the students, which showcased their growth and talent in a truly inspiring way. Watching him collaborate and interact with them not only highlighted the joy of music but also fostered a sense of community and shared passion. These moments reinforced the importance of mentorship and the transformative power of live performance.“  - Ada Wang, BSB Music Teacher

Click here to read more about the NAE-Juiliard Performing Arts Curriculum at BSB.