Thoughts and ideas surrounding ways of communicating...

I just had a Skype with Maria, Nicole, Shanice and Rachel focusing on communication in Module 3. I realise I haven't posted a blog in a while as I've had my head in my laptop focusing on my essay. I have now received my feedback on my essay which I'm pleased with and look forward to working on the suggested alterations.
In terms of communication, we communicate via three different modes in Module 3, the essay, a professional artefact and a verbal presentation. Lots of things came up during the Skype which I found useful which I will discuss.
I discussed my idea of creating a choreography based on my idea of a thread that weaved through all of my modules. In module one I was unsure on what my practice even was, as I was doing emergency work and doing lots of unsuccessful auditions. Now in module three, I am employed as a teacher, with plans to do a PGCE next year whilst all still auditioning for performing jobs here and there. Therefore, auditions have been a constant in my life and that is the thread that has run through my learning. My practice has crystalized during the process which has been great for my professional development.
To articulate this idea, I am pondering whether to use a rope (I used to perform on cruise ships) as one line and 'dance around the line' just like I did with my learning process and inquiry. I think by the end of my piece I will have moved my rope into a different shape, maybe a circle to show the cyclical style of learning or a spiral shape to show going up and the learning never coming to an end. I like the idea of the transition of the rope, just like the transition of my practice and mind state.
I think creating a piece of choreography is the best for me as naturally this is how dancers communicate through their body. Some of my findings within my inquiry showed that many believe dance can help people express their emotions and feelings as a way of helping with mental health, so I think creating a piece of choreography about my own feelings relates back well.
Practically, I will present my choreography by filming it in a hall that I teach in, and upload it to YouTube. This idea was discussed about the privacy and how much we want it to be available to others which is something I need to think about. I also like the link that Nicole made about using YouTube for her showreel, as it is the same way I have presented my showreel. I like the link between practically using this medium to present my artefact, and how I use it in my professional practice. Using it for a showreel also directly links back to my inquiry, as sometimes the use of a showreel and technology in this manner can eradicate the need for an audition all together!!
Lots and lots to think about... let me know your thoughts! Happy Easter holidays everyone!

Analysis of Data

I'm now at a stage where I am beginning to look for themes in my data. Some are really obvious and have kept appearing but others are more subtle and harder to find but I feel they are still relevant to my project.
I have a couple of worries about my analysis of my data -
1. I have SO MUCH data! I have pages upon pages of transcriptions, and pages and pages of quotes from literature, not to mention my own experiences and my own journal entries to look at! A way I think I can tackle this is to be disciplined and make choices about what is most useful and relevant to my inquiry. In my last Skype discussion session, Helen compares this idea to when we create a piece of choreography. We create lots of material then have to make choices on what material we will use to fit into the piece. I feel this is what I need to do with my data.
2. All my data seems to be negative towards auditions! I haven't found many themes that revolve around any positive thoughts to do with auditions. This worries me because I feel when presenting all this negative data, it may come across like I'm trying to prove a point rather than add to a discussion. I still need to find a way to tackle this. If anyone has any thoughts surrounding this I would love people to share!

Thanks for reading,
Laura

MY BRAIN IS BUZZING!!

Wow- I am in the thick of searching through tonnes upon tonnes of literature at the moment. I feel like I've been buried in books, papers, text, quotation marks etc etc!

One thing I wanted to share on my blog from my learning experience is how much my searching tools have developed. I recently shared a Skype with just Maria as I was the only one and we decided to share screens and start my searching process for literature which was really useful. Previous to this I hadn't been searching very 'smartly' when it came to key words. In Google books it is so easy to search the key words you are looking for from inside the book and then read around the area. Maria also advised me to think of different words that meant the same thing as what I was searching - for example - I had been searching words like mental health and dance and all it seemed to be coming up with was initiatives where people are using dance as a form of exercise to help them with their mental health, or other illnesses including Parkinson's and Dementia. Maria suggested searching the word stress - which has lead me to so many pieces of relevant literature!! The problem is I feel there is now SO much to read and explore my mind keeps going wild and running away with what I'm reading. A key thing to remind myself is what is the question? I keep coming back to this when I feel I'm wandering off my path to remind myself of what I want to find out. I have been interested in the theory of clew by Robin Nelson, as this thread I'm weaving seems to be very useful for learning, however I feel with my topic being as broad as it is, I cannot stray too far away from my path.

As far as progression from module two goes, I have also found myself seeing the same things, and the same names coming up regularly, which suggests to me these may be key players in my field of inquiry. I have done some research into these key scholars, including their background which I have found very interesting. Some people write about dance as it is a hobby for them, but others write about it as they have had a career in it. These two opposing stances to the Performing Arts world seems to be creating different opinions. When I research stressors I seem to find the same other contributing factors come up like performance anxiety, lack of self worth, and also things like financial strain, body image and the influence of social media. Every time I see something new my brain seems to send off a firework that sparks me into a new direction, and opens another door for me to look at.

Basically, although this seems to be my brain thoughts splashed across my screen, what this very 'higgledepiggly' blog is about is that I need to remind myself constantly of the question, this whole process is a learning curve that I am thoroughly enjoying and will continue to do so. I'm off to go on a run now, to manage my own 'stressors' regarding my buzzing brain!!

What do I really want to know?

I have started Module Three by reminding myself of what I really want to know from the inquiry. I've made a pretty long list, so need to be aware of time restraints, but having this to refer back to will hopefully keep me on track.
My inquiry title is "Does constant rejection from auditions affect our mental health and how can we cope with that?" This is directly linked to my practice as I continue to audition and teach simultaneously. Therefore I am hoping it will help me with the audition process, but also others who I present my project to and finally all my current and future students that I can share my deepened understanding and knowledge of the subject with.

Here is my list I made...

Module 3... Can you believe it?!

Module Three started this past Monday and I've been starting to work on getting the ball rolling with my inquiry. However, I firstly feel I have a lot of background work to do before I dive straight in to set the foundations. Before anything else I need to get my head back in the game - especially after a lovely long Christmas break!!
I decided to do this by reading all my notes, essays and feedback from Module One and Two and created a map of my learning journey over the past year. My findings were interesting as not only has my BAPP journey crystallised but so has my Professional Practice.
One thing I noted was that in Module One I was auditioning with little luck and doing 'emergency work' alongside so almost felt a little lost within my practice. However moving through Module Two and into Module Three, I am currently teaching full time and have a clear path of where my Practice is moving to as I have been accepted on a PGCE course. This clarity and reflection of my journey felt like a real lightbulb moment for me as it allowed me to realise how much I have learnt about my Practice from this course.
Secondly I discovered that all the theories I learnt in Module One which felt slightly irrelevant to my shop assistant job at the time are now things I use everyday in my practice. Web 2.0 is something I have improved my skills with dramatically and will continue to use through the rest of my career. Even in my interview day for my PGCE I had to demonstrate my competency with technology. Reflection is also now a huge part of not only my learning process but also my well being in life. I find it extremely therapeutic at the end of the day to note down what I've achieved, what I've learned from the day and how I feel about it all. Looking back on my reflective journal, it is a useful tool for my Module Three inquiry process. Finally the networks I discussed in Module One has become a huge part of my life as I am now using the networks I nurtured to carry out my inquiry!
Module Two was a learning curve for me in terms of my learning style. This style of learning is seeming to suit me more and more, as I feel I've grown as a student and learnt to merge my 'university work' with my 'teaching work' to see them as a whole professional practice rather than two separate entities.
In Module Three my path is clearer. It is still long, and I'm sure I will stray off it numerous times to discover new things, however, it feels good to know where I'm aiming to be and how I'm going to get there. I feel curious and ready to research and deepen my knowledge of my inquiry topic - lets go!

Module 2 Skype Session 17/11/18

Yesterday I joined a Skype session with Adesola and a couple of others from Module Two. It was really useful and opened my eyes to things I hadn’t previously thought about. The focus was based on ‘What if you can’t interview anyone’ and the ‘importance of analysis’.

One of the key things I learnt was to think about what you would do if you couldn’t interview anyone. What I thought this meant was using other forms of data collection techniques for example surveys etc but what it actually meant was what happens if you can’t speak to anyone to gather anymore information. This was when the penny dropped, and I realised this session was more about finding the background to your topic. Adesola described it as layers – finding out the background and culture of the topic is the first layer and then finding out other’s opinions is the second. Finding out the opinions of others would be useless without the first layer anyway! For example, you could be looking to do your inquiry based around disabilities in dance and wanting to push for initiatives to allow more people with disabilities to be able to dance. However, if you do the background investigation you would find this has already been implemented in a lot of places. That is just an example but clearly shows why finding out the culture of the topic is so important.

In order to do this, we can look at articles or blogs posted around the subject. Forums are cheating slightly as that is still finding out people’s opinions but have a look for movements or things that have been done or acted upon within your topic. Uncover the history of the topic. This will give us a better understanding of what more we want to find out from others.

Once we have done this and gathered our data we must remember that data is no use without analysis. For our analysis we are looking for themes that emerge within our data. For example, Adesola used my inquiry topic as an example and it really helped me understand. Whilst finding out about how auditions and constant rejection can affect mental health, for example, I could see a common thought from my participants that living outside of London puts a mental stress on them when it comes to an audition. They may be worried about taking the day off work, the trains may be delayed, or it may be a struggle to pay for the expensive travel. If this was something that kept reoccurring within my data I would say that there was a theme emerging about travel influencing mental health when it comes to auditions. Don’t forget, don’t take what we find in interviews as truth, we are not looking for an answer.

I hope this has helped anyone that reads this blog, it has also really helped me to crystallise it in my head. 

MORE Form Skype Session 05/11/18

Yesterday I joined in with the Skype session hosted by Adesola and Helen focusing on the MORE form. It was so useful for me as I found the form quite overwhelming and confusing at first, however now I seem to understand it a lot more. I hope this blog will help others that couldn't attend the session as much as the session helped me.

A few tips -

• Put (BAPP) in brackets at the end of the name of the project 
• Add your supervisors name so it can be sent to them for a signature
• If nothing else, read sections 1, 4 and 6 of the MORE form page on Unihub
• When you get sent back your form from your supervisor, if it says rejected it doesn't mean you've failed, it just means that you have notes to look over

I personally asked about how appropriate it was to reveal peoples ages an gender in my final inquiry project and Adesola raised a few points that got me thinking...

1. Why is it necessary to reveal this? Will it really add weight to my project at the end of the inquiry?
2. If you have to do more forms for the release of personal information you need to think about the impact of the participant having signed lots of forms before the research has even started. How may they feel about all the forms? Will this affect them and their answers?
3. Gender is a large topic to unpick as I would need to think about how they identify themselves as this may be different to how I perceive their gender. Am I allowing for people that don't class themselves as male or female. Adesola suggested she knows of lots of people that cannot be a part of research because they can't fit into a tick box. This was something I hadn't even thought about so made me really consider whether it was worth revealing the gender, and whether it has relevance to my inquiry topic in general. 
4. Age and gender if spoken about in the inquiry would first need to be explained and this is a big topic to unpick especially considering we only have 12 weeks to do it. You could not include the gender of someone without giving it some background and context firstly, and this may be too much to do within the time frame we have

All these points have made me consider whether I do want to reveal the age and gender, and how much this information will really add weight to my final project, or whether it will open up too many doors and create a project that is too large for me to deal with within the time scale.

I hope this helps some people and please feel free to comment your thoughts! 

Some thoughts on Ethics...

I have been doing a lot of work on researching Ethics but have written everything down in my notebook so thought I would post a quick blog of my summary of thoughts, guided by some of the questions from one of the tasks in the handbook.

Codes of Practice within my work place without referring to documents...
My workplace at the moment is doing freelance teaching in various different locations, however my topic of inquiry is based around auditions and mental health, which is another side to my Professional Practice. So although I did look into my assumptions about my code of practice within teaching, I thought it would be better to share my thoughts on Codes of Practice for auditions. I could also look into Codes of Practice for dealing with mental health within a work place - whether that be a theatre or a company, and also what Codes of Practice support networks like the ArtsMinds Charity have in place. Here is a picture of my initial thoughts about auditions...

I was surprised to see how many thoughts I had about Auditioners in comparison to Auditionees. Being and Auditionee myself I would have thought I would have known more about what is expected of myself, however, I had more thoughts about what I expected from others as that is what has an effect on me.

What are the Codes of Practice which steer the ethical framework?
I can compare my own thoughts with the codes of Practice that Equity have laid out about the Professional Audition Experience. Some of what Equity require seemed to me like it was obvious however there are lots of rules and regulations a Manager must follow when conducting a Professional audition so it doesn't have any negative effects on others. What I didn't see within the document was any legislation about how Auditioners and Auditionees conduct themselves Professionally, e.g. being respectful to one another, and not discriminating etc.

How does what I've learnt fit into the theoretical framework?
I have learnt that ethics are sometimes things we take for granted in everyday life, as I would say most people always think about whether their action will have an effect on another, however sometimes this can be overlooked. I am coming at this inquiry topic from my perspective, and my point of view, and I am doing this topic to find out what others think and how other people with different perspectives feel. I would like to find out how different people are affected mentally by the audition process and whether this has had a negative impact on their mental health. I would also like to find out how the people conducting the audition may be feeling and how the experience may have affected their mental health and what emotions were involved for them.

How does what you've learnt fit in with the ethics procedures for your inquiry?
Having said in the last paragraph that I would like to find out peoples emotions and feelings, I need to be very careful with this as this may lead to negative effects for people who are reliving maybe a difficult time in their lives. People in general find Mental Health a topic that is difficult to open up about so I don't want anyone to feel upset of affected by any research I am conducting. Therefore in my interviews and other data collection tools I will use, I want to steer the questions away from talking about anything Personal related to Mental Health, and keep the key topics mainly focused on auditions and the positive steps people take to recover from a bad audition experience, for example, the coping mechanisms they use to learn from their audition experience. As my interview will be semi-structured, if people feel they want to open up about mental health issues they have suffered due to auditions this method will allow them but I don't want to pressure anyone to feel that way. I also need to be aware of self-care. If someone offloads their negative feelings onto me in an interview, how will I take these away and deal with them myself? I am not a counsellor so I definitely don't want to end up with my interviews turning into counselling sessions!!

How does planning my inquiry relate to my professional practice right now?
As I said earlier, my Professional Practice right now is a mixture between freelance teaching and still auditioning. This industry and life as a Performer are very temperamental however one thing that is constant in most peoples lives is auditioning - even if it is auditioning for something you don't necessarily want to do. Planning my inquiry directly links to planning my lessons now for my classes, meticulously going over every detail to make sure I am fully prepared and know what I am doing. The same for when you are planning your audition - you go through every step of the day and make sure you have everything prepared so you can be the best you can possibly be. Which is how I feel the inquiry process is going - not leaving any stone unturned, and covering every aspect of my professional inquiry.

This blog feels slightly like waffle reading it back retrospectively, however I am going to keep it posted as it is all part of my learning process and getting my thoughts down on paper. Having said this - I have not included many of my thoughts on ethics here so will need to cross reference this blog and my notes when it comes to writing up my professional plan.

Theoretical Framework Thoughts...

How do I feel about 'truth' and 'certainty'?
Before I started this course, I would never have said I was certain about something, however I would have said that there are truths that can be found from research. For example, in school you learn about Quantitative research more than Qualitative in subjects like maths and science so it is natural for us to believe we can find a truth from research. In school you undertake projects that compare hard evidence and data for analysis, maybe data that you have collected or maybe data that you have found, and then you make a conclusion that is believed to be a truth. This is how I assumed this course would be. However, since being involved in this course I have questioned my previous beliefs, knowing that conclusions we draw upon are no more than the researchers interpretations, especially in qualitative methods of research. Every result you receive from your research has depended on many factors that if changed, may have affected the result. The arts lends itself to the idea that everything affects another, including the researcher being an insider researcher. This was something I hadn't previously thought of but when I read about the theory of a non-positivist approach that things do not exist independently, I realised that everything has an effect on everything. 

Do you feel that some of your beliefs have been derived from the practical application on your Professional Practice?

In a word - yes. I have based my inquiry around my experiences of auditions within this industry and how they can affect your mental health. Therefore, my beliefs about how we are affected by rejection, how we can deal with rejection and how we can move on from rejection are all based on my experiences of my Professional Practice. I am actually looking forward to completing the inquiry in Module Three to find out what others thing on this specific topic. 

Do your beliefs conflict with general assumptions you make on a day-to-day superficial level?

I'm not 100% sure about the answer to this question. My assumptions about mental health within the arts due to rejection and amongst lots of other factors are things that I guess I don't think about superficially on a day-to-day basis (before this project of course), so I guess its tricky to really cross examine my thoughts on this. I wonder how everyone else feels about this question? If anyone has any ideas on how I can develop my thoughts on this please post them in the comments below!

Have you been influenced by dualist notions? What do you think of embodiment?

Previous to starting this course, without realising, I was a strong believer in the theory of embodiment that sees 'mind and body' as one thing and having an impact on each other. This theory is very relevant to my inquiry as it is based around mental health. I have always believed the mind and body are closely linked and believe if the mind is not healthy the body won't be either. This directly links to when you go to an audition as a dancer. Depending on your mental state that day, whether you've had a bad month, bad week, bad morning, or whether you just missed the train, all of those things can negatively affect what your body can produce that day. No matter how much you can pretend you are putting on a brave face and trying to be the best version of yourself you can be, if you're in a negative mental state you cannot be the best you can be. So I truly believe that the mind can affect the body more than we know. 

Who in your inquiry can you elicit support from and what can you give back or share?

I hope I can rely on my Professional networks that I have nurtured over my career to help me during this inquiry. I will rely on them to take part in my research, but I would also like to research and meet new people, that I don't know as I may get different results from people I don't know and that aren't in my Professional Network as opposed to people who are. I will have an effect on the results as an insider researcher when I carry it out in module three and I need to be aware of this. On a personal level, I can use my friends, family and boyfriend as a support network for myself, especially as I am delving into a very sensitive subject for my inquiry. 

Today's Note to self - Don't forget to REFLECT in everything you do... (e.g be aware of pre-conceptions you may already have in your inquiry topic etc)

"The show must go on"

Something I have been 'wondering' about recently is the stigma "The Show Must Go On" and whether it is affecting our mental health in this industry. Has the stigma of putting on a brave face gone too far?

This 'title' occurred to me as I was delving into literature regarding mental health within the Performing Arts industry. What I did find was a lot of useful information if you ARE suffering with mental health issues and that lots of charities have recently been set up to help. For example Arts Minds Charity which I have posted a link to at the bottom of this blog, in case anyone would like to visit the website.

I personally believe that yes, the stigma has gone too far, and that people within this industry are taught and trained to keep smiling no matter what, and to leave your feelings at the door. Having done a lot of reading, many people seemed to use the analogy that if you had a broken leg, everyone would tell you to stay at home and rest it, yet if you have a 'broken mind', the reaction is not one of the same.

From doing research into the literature on the mental health within the arts subject, I have also found that there are many findings linking creative people to mental health issues, proving we are more prone to suffering. This is something I am interested in, however, think this would be a difficult topic to research for my inquiry as it is very science based.

One of the most useful pieces of literature I have found was a Podcast called "The 98%" which I have also posted a link to at the end of the blog. I would suggest this is worth a listen to ANYONE in the industry whether they feel down or up! Within this podcast they interviewed Annemarie Lewis Thomas who is leading the movement in discussing mental health issues in colleges more. Talking about rejection from auditions which I think is a huge issue to deal with in this industry, Annemarie suggests that "If people were well, they wouldn't be looking for self affirmation from everyone else". This is something I found really interesting as I had always wondered how in this industry we are meant to deal with constant rejection, and that this must contribute to people suffering in this industry. It is one small factor of many that I think contributes. But when I heard this I totally agreed with her. Maybe the day that I was so upset after I was rejected from an audition was because I wasn't well in the first place, and if I was, it wouldn't have affected me so much. This is something I really need to think on.

I am struggling to specifically find my real area of focus within mental health, and keep tossing and turning between different things. So I thought a blog might help me find what I naturally feel most comfortable and passionate about discussing. And also where the literature has lead me to something of interest.

http://www.artsminds.co.uk/
http://the98percentpod.libsyn.com/s1e4-1-in-3

Module Three Skype 02/10/2018 (Importance of Analysis)

I just joined a Module Three Skype with Adesola, Jae (mod 3) and Louise (mod 1) which I found incredibly useful even though it was a Module 3 focus. I mainly listened but everything that was said felt relevant to the stage I am at too and it made me realise how connected all three modules are.

I wanted to write a short blog on the relevance of analysis. Jae was talking about her methods of finding information and the conversation went on to talk about when she has all the information from her interviews, it is not really relevant without her analysing the data. This transferred over to where I am at in Module Two as well. I am currently looking into literature within my area of inquiry. So the same applies to me - when I have found all my literature, it is irrelevant without my analysis. This includes things like comparing it with other literature I have found. I need to keep critically reflecting on the literatures relevance and value to me as well. Is it significant to me? This is where analysis is so important over all three modules.

When doing my literature review I have jotted down a few things I must remember that I picked up from reading the handbook too -

• Do not accept the first thing you find
• Do not assume the author is an expert in this field
• Keep cross - referencing
• Look at the bibliographies of the authors
• Do some authors quote others?
• Does everybody quote one person?
• Why might that author have that perspective?
• When was the literature published or created?

I hope this help anyone that wasn't able to attend the skype :)

L xx 

Are Performers just putting on a brave face?

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/edinburgh-fringe-festival-shows-mental-health-comedy-theatre-depression-a8484236.html


"Putting on a brave face." I mean its what we do right? That question asked in the title of this article made my head spin! Although this article is mainly focused on acting and revolves around the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which isn't my particular field, I feel many of us could relate to this in one way or another. I have read so much on mental health within the arts, spoke to many people about it and heard so many different opinions. I also brought it up in a discussion group with fellow Module 2 students and they gave me many questions to work on which sparked my thoughts. So I thought I would open up and discussion on my blog about it too, to give people who weren't in the Skype discussion an opportunity to share ideas.

I have so many questions revolving around this area of interest for me. What area of Performing Arts am I looking at? Ordinarily I would focus on dancing as it is my area, however, having read this article it made me realise I can branch out more into different areas. Is there a specific person I can focus on? Or is it a group of people? What time frame in a career do I feel we are most affected by mental health in? Is it just when we graduate? Or is it three years after graduation? Or maybe ten? In order to answer this I need to find others opinions. I need to look forwards as well as backwards along my timeline. Speaking of timelines, I need to think about the historical context of this subject matter. Has the trend recently increased or decreased and why? I think there is a lot more publicity and openness to talking about mental health now which is great but does this correlate to the growth in people suffering with mental health? People may be affected for many different reasons and I wonder what these reasons are. Someone in my discussion group said they were affected badly by an injury. This is something I hadn't even thought of - I had just thought of things like the instability of this industry and lack of routine. I also wonder whether the rise in young people suffering from mental health issues is happening in all industries? Is Performing Arts more prolific than others or not? I spoke to someone who thought that this industry had had a positive affect on her mental health and felt it could give her everything she had ever dreamed of. Is this because she was successful? Is this just happening in the UK? Or is this happening all over the world? Someone else I spoke to suggested that this industry gives you an opportunity for escapism. Therefore she felt she could pretend to be someone else whilst working in this industry, which seemed to suit her well. And lastly, what are my own personal experiences? Maybe I wont share that on my blog for everyone to read!!

Wow - when I write it all down like that, there are so many things I am unsure of! Lots of work to do I think! Please comment and join in this conversation - even if its not about Mental Health these questions may be transferable to another area of wonder!

L xx

Module 2 TIPS!! Skype Session 27/9

I'll keep this blog short and sweet as I know I tend to waffle... I just had a Skype session with Helen with a module 2 focus on Research as mapping to build understanding. I was apprehensive beforehand as I wasn't 100% sure on my line of inquiry, but it was SO helpful to speak to others in Module 2 (and other modules) to find they were in the same position as me The discussion flowed so well and everyone's ideas kept sparking others. I hope everyone got as much out of it as I did!! If you were unable to attend, hopefully this all helps!

My main points that I took away as 'tips and tricks to getting started' are -

• You are not setting out to solve problems of the world
• Don't choose something you have no idea about
• This whole process is a DEEPENING process
• Choose an area of interest and don't be afraid of the 'bigness' of it
• Going through literature will help to narrow down your line of inquiry
• Literature includes not only books and articles, but videos, maybe someone you work with, work you are creating etc
• Once you have found some literature, tap into them and see what is interesting to you
• You can't pick what 'piece' is key unless you have lots of 'pieces' to pick at
• It has to relate to you and your practice
• The starting point is you - then develop that further by looking at what others think
• Keep questioning the value and relevance of what you are doing
• Research contextually, historically and culturally

I hope this helps people to move forward. It really helped me out so I hope it can help you too!! At a later date I plan on moving forward with my area of interest by writing a blog on it and including what questions my colleagues threw at me to spark my ideas further. 

L xxx

Areas of Wonder...

I thought I would do a quick..ish blog on my areas of wonder as I am struggling to decide on what my line of inquiry will be. I am conscious I don't want to spend too much time deciding as this is only the first step of module two so I feel pressured to decide! So I thought writing a blog would help me reflect on my thoughts and weigh up the pros and cons of each one.

One of my first ideas is whether we are more affected by poor mental health being in this industry as opposed to other industries. This would be an interesting topic and when I spoke to my friends about it, many of them felt very strongly. I also had some mixed opinions which was nice to hear both sides of the story. When I had a look at my diary, it is something I constantly come back to as I always write how I feel in journal, which sometimes also isn't great. I also had a look in the library and online via google scholar and also some blogs and there seems to be a lot of literature out there on this topic already. There were many articles on newspapers and although this is good that it is being spoken about I want to make sure I'm not just re-inventing the wheel. I need to ADD to it in some way.

Secondly, I was wondering whether to focus on how dance teaching styles have to be adapted when teaching students with different teaching styles e.g students who learn visually/ audibly/ socially etc. I find this topic interesting as due to dance being a physical subject, it may be difficult to teach people who learn well from reading or writing. But I am one of those people who don't really learn kinaesthetically. So I guess I am the kind of person that would 'break the mould'. I enjoyed touching on this subject in Module one and the preconceptions some have about how dancers must learn. So it would be interesting the delve deeper into this and to find out what others thought. When I looked at what literature there was already out there, I struggled to find anything directly linked to the arts other than one article on the Middlesex Library. Everything else was just about learning styles as a general topic.

Lastly, I feel performing arts is a subject that everyone should learn - not only to be good and dancing, acting or singing, but to be a well rounded, confident human. So I was wondering what the national curriculum said. In Primary education Performing arts doesn't seem to be a compulsory subject. Music is a part of the curriculum as is being able to perform movements as part of the Physical Education curriculum. But nothing that is necessarily Performing Arts. Therefore I feel this would be a good subject to discuss. I know other people feel this way and I have read lots of articles about it myself prior to this course as it was something I was previously interested in. I am just not sure how it will benefit my practice in the future - as I would eventually like to teach A Level dance, not Primary education.

Sorry if I waffled on a bit - it was just meant to be a quick summary of my thoughts. I'd love to open a discussion about these areas of wonder I have, so please feel free to comment to spark my thought process, and hopefully something in here may have sparked yours.

Laura :)

New beginnings!

Adesola wrote a blog recently about new beginnings and although I logged on to my computer to start working through the handbook and begin to map my practice. This notion of 'beginning' made me want to share my thoughts.

I agree with Adesola that even now term has begun, nothing really felt like it changed on 17th September. I knew how busy I was going to be from now until December (partly my own fault with two holidays booked and birthday celebrations!) so I tried to get a head start on Module two. I read the handbook over the summer break, re-read the updated handbook and also planned all Skype sessions as soon as the calendar was released. So I guess for me, on the 17th, I felt it had already begun.

However, Adesola spoke of the energetic beginning and in module one I had hoped this would come to me. But now I know you have to go and make your own energetic beginning. So that's what I'm starting to do - go and get it! Getting stuck in with mapping my practice and from what I've read from Module 3 students, to find a line of inquiry as quick as possible.

Questions that made me think from Adesola's blog were -
" thinking about what you are building on. To start this course by thinking about what you have done, what you want to build on what good and bad things come with you as baggage. What do you want to take off and what do you want to leave on as you start this new episode?"

I'm going to ponder on these over the next few days. Please comment with your thoughts on those questions :)

Link to Adesola's blog for further reading -
http://adesolaa.blogspot.com/2018/09/beginnings.html

Welcome back Skype 16/09/18

Hi everybody! It feels good to be back! I've got a new job doing teaching work so my practice has changed slightly from last module, but along with the new job, I'm ready for the new module!!! Module 2!!

I have just come off a Skype call with Adesola and a few other students which was very helpful and reassuring. Adesola guided us through the new layout of Unihub which I had already had an explore through but it reassured me I was on the right path to understanding where everything is, what to do and where to move forward from here. If anyone is reading this that hasn't explored Unihub I would highly recommend it!!

Some things I didn't see by exploring which were brought to my attention were that the Skype sessions all have a focus, so I have now added them to my own personal calendar so I can make sure I am prepared to discuss that topic with my supervisors and peers.

Like I have said, I cant wait to getting started now! Good luck to everybody :)

Skype Discussion 07/05/18

Just a quick blog to summarise the things that really clicked with me when discussing the writing of our first essay. The main thing for me was the sub headings. I had used the sub headings of the module handbook eg 'Web 2.0' but as Adesola suggested this was bringing me away from my practice and forcing my essay to lean towards a module summary. I was confused how else I would use headings and what they would be but Adesola suggested this which I thought was very helpful -
FOR EXAMPLE-

The difference between being at college training and looking for a job after graduating
At college I barely used social media where as now I use it a lot. When I was at college I didn't do much personal reflection but now I am self critical. When I was at college I didn't network very much but now I have only worked due to networking within the industry.

I know the examples I have used are very basic but thy give an idea of how you can use the three readers in the module as lenses to look at your practice underneath that one sub heading.

Hope this helps :)

Module One Skype Discussion 16/04/18

Earlier this week I had a Skype discussion which was really helpful when it comes to thinking about the essay. I had already received my essay back with feedback which I was pleased with and I'm looking forward to getting back stuck in and editing it and re-drafting it to create the best work I can.

During the skype discussion Adesola mentioned loads of things that were 'lightbulb' moments for me. For anyone who missed the discussion I will just bullet point these points below-

QUOTES

• Quotes must be on a separate line and have the date not just the author
• Remember the bibliography must be in ALPHABETICAL order
• If the quote is long make sure you add page numbers in
• You must reference even IDEAS of someone else
• Don't use a quote to speak for you - make your point and use the quote to back it up
• REMEMBER - The idea of a quote is so the reader can go and read the literature from where the quote is (LEAVING A BREADCRUMB TRAIL)
• Have a look at https://www.citethemrightonline.com/

YOUR ESSAY

• The essay is about MY practice rather than an essay creating universal statements
• The essay should not be a module overview
• Explain your practice at the start of the essay - the reader knows what the module is about but doesn't know what your practice is about
• Work out what theories you have learnt apply to your practice and don't be afraid to miss out the ones that don't apply - remember it is about your practice and ALL the theories that you have learnt will enhance your writing anyway

APPENDIX

• The appendix is EXTRA
• Most people wont have time to read the appendix so you cant rely on it
• Make your point WITHOUT appendix and make sure the essay makes sense without it

Hope this makes sense for people. The lightbulb moment for me was knowing I don't have to include all the theories I have learnt. My first draft was far too many words and I was finding it difficult to cut it down but now I know I can find what is really relevant to my practice and make the essay focus more on myself rather than discussing the whole module.

Teaching Dance in Schools

My friend recently shared a post on her Facebook that caught my eye. The post was a link to this article, by Sir Ken Robinson and Lou Aronica named ‘Why Dance is just as important as math in school’ which was excerpted from the new book You, Your Child and School: Navigate Your Way to the Best Education. Published by Viking, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York. 2018. Link – https://ideas.ted.com/why-dance-is-just-as-important-as-math-in-school/

This is a topic that has interested me since deciding I would like to teach Dance as a career as I have been assessing which age group I would like to teach. I have volunteered in different schools teaching different ages, trying to decide which age group I enjoyed working with the most. I initially thought it would be Primary age, however having considered how many job opportunities there were for teaching Dance at that age, I quickly reconsidered! This is why I decided to look into the topic of teaching dance in schools especially at a young age.

I have a lot more to learn on this subject, as I am not fully aware of the ‘ins and outs’ of the actual curriculum in the UK and how much dance and performing arts it includes, or whether it is at the discretion of the teacher to include it into Physical Education lessons, but what I do know is how I feel about how important dance is to the younger generation.

When in schools, I saw so many students that were painfully shy and found it difficult to hold eye contact whilst engaging in a conversation, and this is one of the main reasons why I believe Performing Arts is an integral subject. No matter how good you are at dance or singing, what this subject does give you is confidence. It allows people to interact, to improve social skills with one another, things that I believe have helped me in day to day life. When attending job interviews or recruitment days for jobs that aren’t within this industry, I am normally the most confident person in the room. I know how to conduct myself, how to speak, how to act and have the confidence and the ability to interact and perform and I believe this is due to my involvement in the arts. So although I may be slightly biased towards teaching dance, as it is something I am passionate about and have found a love for, I also believe it can help people who don’t want to pursue it as a career. In this article one of my favourite quotes by Bob Morrison was “We don’t teach math solely to create mathematicians, and we don’t teach writing solely to create the next generation of novelists. The same holds true for the arts. We teach them to create well-rounded citizens who can apply the skills, knowledge and experience from being involved in the arts to their careers and lives.”

I was wondering what other opinions were on this subject? Please share them with me! 😊

Task 3c: Sources of Information

Searching, and reusing information can also be thought of as a networking activity. I use various different sources to obtain information for various different parts of my professional practice. Each source can inform me differently for different aspects of my career and some sources can be more useful in certain areas of my career than others. I seem to gather my sources of information in my diary, which I would be lost without. It has all aspects of my life in there, whether that is performing, teaching, working on my degree course or my shifts for my part time job! When discussing the collating of information in skype groups, others have opened my eyes as to how to do this by suggesting things like keeping information on a voice recorder app, so it is much quicker to record and listen to than to write and read the info. However, having established I learn well from reading, taking notes and re-writing, I think I may stick to my traditional style of organising my information even if it does take a little longer! Having looked over my sources of information I feel I mainly rely on the web 2.0, and this is something I think is incredibly useful but also something I would like to move away from. I would like to expand my sources to gain a more rounded and more varied pool of information so I can make more informed decisions on issues within my practice. My main 5 sources of information are:

1. Facebook/ Instagram/ Twitter
Unfortunately I believe that these are my biggest source of information regarding my professional practice in the performing side of my career. I follow many pages and I am involved in many groups within these social media pages that inform me of upcoming auditions, classes or events that I may attend that will improve my practice and may open up opportunities for me. I can 'follow' different companies and organisations, whether that be casting companies, or choreographers and all of which post updates and keep me up to date with what is going on in the industry.

2. The Stage and Spotlight
I also have an account with The Stage and I am a paying member of Spotlight. Both of these send me emails of any updates of any auditions. These are vital sources of information for any dancer wanting to still perform as most auditions are posted on these websites. Spotlight also knows my height, my 'look' and my playing age so can intelligently filter out any roles that I would not be suitable for. Without being members of these two sites, I would miss out on so many potential job opportunities.

3. YouTube
YouTube is a vital source for me when it comes to teaching. Reflective observation is one of the best ways I learn. When watching others I can make decisions on what I like, what I don't like and that will help me to create something even more special. I use YouTube to watch others and get inspiration for choreography that I will teach, but I also like to show my students that original stimulus I had when creating the piece so I often show them the YouTube clip to show them what inspired me. Whilst watching others work and feeling inspired is great, there is a fine line between this and copyright issues. It is my responsibility to ensure all my work is my own and not copied from someone else, therefore I think it's best to watch things, let them settle and then start to choreograph so therefore you are not copying anything in particular, just using an idea of style to stimulate your own creative mind.

4. Face to Face conversations
When it comes to teaching I have found face to face conversations with other practitioners invaluable. Many of my friends and family are teachers and I have learnt so much and gathered so much information from them by just listening to their opinions and thoughts on various topics to do with teaching. I think face to face conversations are one of the best sources of information, as you can gauge as a human what may have made them come to that opinion or conclusion. If they have had a 'rough' day, then their thoughts on a certain topic may be biased one way or another, so it may not be an accurate representation of this or a valuable source of information. This is something I would like to spend more time doing.

5. Books
Literature is a new source of information for me. I have never really enjoyed reading books, but since having embarked on this course, I source most of my information through books I have bought by relevant practitioners within my field of work. I sourced these books from the key reading list provided to me by the course leader, however having started to read them I have gained so much knowledge about the subjects I am studying at that time and it is nice to read various different intellectual opinions on certain topics. This also creates a copyright issue in the sense that everything that is written by someone else must be referenced correctly, or else this could be classed as plagiarism.

Having written this blog I reflected that I would like to improve on how much I use talking to people face to face and also improve my understanding of literature to move away from my 'normal' sources of information.