OUR FOUNDER - JULIA GABRIEL
Julia’s Story
Julia Gabriel (1951 - 2019) was the founder of Julia Gabriel Centre.
Her journey into speech and drama began at the tender age of 11 in England, driven by the need to overcome her extreme shyness. Over time, attending classes unearthed a profound love for language and performance, and these experiences imbued her with the courage and confidence to express her ideas before an audience. By the time she completed her schooling, Julia had earned Silver and Gold Medals for public speaking and acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
In the 1970s, Julia initially relocated to Singapore with her family before returning to England to pursue her aspiration of becoming a speech and drama teacher. She obtained licentiate teaching diplomas from both the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the London College of Music. Returning to Singapore in 1983, she began teaching in a room at her home with 21 pupils - who were her own children, and her friends' children. One thing led to another by 1990, the Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama Centre was formed comprising a growing team of motivated, enthusiastic, specialist educators who have been chosen for their shared belief in her teaching philosophy and aims. Over the following years, this grew to become the Julia Gabriel Education group, which now encompasses Julia Gabriel Centre, Julia Gabriel Preschool and Chengzhu Mandarin Centre, all of which offer innovative communication, drama, speech and early childhood programmes.
"I do not want to lose, or forget, the fun we shared in those early days. My original pupils, many of whom are still in touch, love coming to our centre because our subject is approached in a way that makes learning fun, the environment is welcoming and every student is valued and respected as an individual. These important ingredients will not change at Julia Gabriel Centre.
Communication is a wonderful area both to teach and to study, and our teaching facilitates invaluable life-skills in a competitive world. The nature of our subjects and the circumstances under which they are taught in provide all the essentials for the ideal learning situation: stimulation, motivation, individual care and attention, and in an atmosphere free from pressure.
There is one further ingredient for ideal learning: a good model, the educator. And I am confident that our educators at Julia Gabriel Centre are able to provide you and your children with all these essentials." - Julia Gabriel
International Recognition
Julia's significant contributions to the field of speech and drama garnered international recognition. In 1993, she was honored with Honorary Fellowship of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, presented by the Lord Mayor of London. In 2016, Julia received Honorary Membership from Trinity College London. Alongside her honorary awards and teaching qualifications, Julia held Bachelor of Education (Honours) and Master of Education degrees from the University of South Australia.
Julia passed away in 2019, but her teaching philosophy endures, ingrained in everything we do here at Julia Gabriel Centre, Julia Gabriel Preschool, and Chengzhu Mandarin Centre. All programmes incorporate Julia's distinctive EduDrama® methodology, derived from years of research into her successful teaching style to create an optimal learning environment, nurturing students' language, confidence, expressive communication, creativity, and critical thinking skills, thereby perpetuating the legacy of this inspiring educator.
Julia's Credentials
MEd, BEd (Hons), FGS, LGSM, LLCM (TD), Hon FGS, Hon TCM• Master of Education and Bachelor of Education (Honours) degrees from the University of South Australia
• LGSM teaching diploma in Speech & Drama from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama
• LLCM Teacher’s Diploma in Speech & Drama from the London College of Music
OUR FOUNDER - JULIA GABRIEL
Julia’s Story
Julia Gabriel (1951 - 2019) was the founder of Julia Gabriel Centre.
Her journey into speech and drama began at the tender age of 11 in England, driven by the need to overcome her extreme shyness. Over time, attending classes unearthed a profound love for language and performance, and these experiences imbued her with the courage and confidence to express her ideas before an audience. By the time she completed her schooling, Julia had earned Silver and Gold Medals for public speaking and acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
In the 1970s, Julia initially relocated to Singapore with her family before returning to England to pursue her aspiration of becoming a speech and drama teacher. She obtained licentiate teaching diplomas from both the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the London College of Music. Returning to Singapore in 1983, she began teaching in a room at her home with 21 pupils - who were her own children, and her friends' children. One thing led to another by 1990, the Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama Centre was formed comprising a growing team of motivated, enthusiastic, specialist educators who have been chosen for their shared belief in her teaching philosophy and aims. Over the following years, this grew to become the Julia Gabriel Education group, which now encompasses Julia Gabriel Centre, Julia Gabriel Preschool and Chengzhu Mandarin Centre, all of which offer innovative communication, drama, speech and early childhood programmes.
"I do not want to lose, or forget, the fun we shared in those early days. My original pupils, many of whom are still in touch, love coming to our centre because our subject is approached in a way that makes learning fun, the environment is welcoming and every student is valued and respected as an individual. These important ingredients will not change at Julia Gabriel Centre.
Communication is a wonderful area both to teach and to study, and our teaching facilitates invaluable life-skills in a competitive world. The nature of our subjects and the circumstances under which they are taught in provide all the essentials for the ideal learning situation: stimulation, motivation, individual care and attention, and in an atmosphere free from pressure.
There is one further ingredient for ideal learning: a good model, the educator. And I am confident that our educators at Julia Gabriel Centre are able to provide you and your children with all these essentials." - Julia Gabriel
International Recognition
Julia's significant contributions to the field of speech and drama garnered international recognition. In 1993, she was honored with Honorary Fellowship of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, presented by the Lord Mayor of London. In 2016, Julia received Honorary Membership from Trinity College London. Alongside her honorary awards and teaching qualifications, Julia held Bachelor of Education (Honours) and Master of Education degrees from the University of South Australia.
Julia passed away in 2019, but her teaching philosophy endures, ingrained in everything we do here at Julia Gabriel Centre, Julia Gabriel Preschool, and Chengzhu Mandarin Centre. All programmes incorporate Julia's distinctive EduDrama® methodology, derived from years of research into her successful teaching style to create an optimal learning environment, nurturing students' language, confidence, expressive communication, creativity, and critical thinking skills, thereby perpetuating the legacy of this inspiring educator.
Julia's Credentials
MEd, BEd (Hons), FGS, LGSM, LLCM (TD), Hon FGS, Hon TCM• Master of Education and Bachelor of Education (Honours) degrees from the University of South Australia
• LGSM teaching diploma in Speech & Drama from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama
• LLCM Teacher’s Diploma in Speech & Drama from the London College of Music
