'Reflection Process'

Part 4 - Reflection Process

This Module is definitely proving to be more intense than the first Module and more committment and dedication is definitely needed on the student's part.

Saying this, I have really tried to throw myself into the tasks whole heartedly and give as much as I can within the time restraints and obstacles of juggling this with everyday life.

I started eagerly, producing my inquriy questions, centering them around full time training in under 16's versus part time training. Which proved to be the most successful? Which type of training would better your chances of a prosperus career? I brainstormed my line of inquiry and produced a whole range of questions which I posted to my blog (Task 4a). Without realising it I immediately jumped to Task 4c, contacting my friends and tutors within my Professional Networks. All the responses had a similar theme and I started to realise that perhaps my questions were 'pseudo questions'. Did they actually have an answer? Not really!!! There is no real right or wrong, black or white! What type of training is right for one child may not be right for another. Many children who have been to schools such as Sylvia Young's have gone on to have very successful careers, such as those who attended part time training. I went back to my original questions and looked at ways in which I could develop them further (Developing Quesions).

As a teacher I want to prepare my students in the best way possible and many of whom will want to go on to pursue full time professional training.  I then started to ask myself, how can I do the most for my students? How can I give them the best chance of getting into a full time training institute? This led to my developing line of inquiry....

'How can you best prepare someone for full time Professional Training?'

I could feel the excitement on the thought of this inquiry and this is when I knew that I had hit the nail on the head, so to speak. I need my inquiry to be something I am passionate about and as Blaxter, Hughes and Tight say 'Will it get you out of bed early on a wet Monday Morning?' (How to Research, Getting Started, 4th Edition, 2010). 

I contacted previous tutors from my college and proposed a few initial questions to them. What do you look for in potential students? What are the demands of full time training? What skills do they need to have at the time of audition?

I also contacted a few close professional friends and asked them how they wish they could've been better prepared before attending full time training? What do they wish they had been told before starting? What skills do they wish they had? What were the hardest parts of the training? How could you have been supported better?

I asked them to send me either a voice/video clip, so that I could trial this method of data collection/research method to see if this is something I would like.

(Voice clip and Video to follow - I have to change the format of the voice clip in order to upload. Something I will now be aware of in my inquiry process).

I have spent the last few weeks blogging as much as possible and trying to find the people who will be in my SIG.  I have found them by looking at the similarities within our lines of inquiry and looking at the potential for development through discussions with them. Myself and Lizzie Wright have very similar lines of inquiry and we decided to set up a Facebook group for our SIG. I have blogged and invited fellow relevant Bappers to join. (Teaching Dance to Young Children).  I am looking forward to developing our discussions and helping each other through the process of the inquiry. 

One of the most important things I had to do was to choose someone who would act as my Professional Associate/Mentor throughout the inquiry process (Task 4c).  Working primarily as a freelance teacher, I didn't want to choose one of my many 'bosses'. I decided to choose my Head of Acting from Laine Theatre Arts, Andy Smith. He has supported me continuously throughout my training and career, he is not only my mentor but a true friend. I have complete faith that he will be honest with me and most importantly make me question myself and critically analyse throughout the process. He kindly agreed as soon as I contacted him and is eager to get involved as soon as possible.

My proposed award title currently is 'BA Hons in Professional Practice (Musical Theatre)' (Task 4d). I had thought about linking the title with education/teaching in some way, as this is the direction my career will most likely be taking in the future. However, I also don't want it to be limiting and I still feel that I am a professional performer also, not just a teacher.  I had read a comment by Alan Durrant on a previous student's blog and he told the student to remember that this top up only makes up one third of the whole degree. Your previous three years of intensive full time training has to play a part in the title and therefore it seemed only right that I should simply have 'Musical Theatre'.

Overall I am happy with the progress made within this first part of the module. There are many tasks within the reader that I wish I had the time to complete, I am going to make a note of these and hopefully later on in the Module I can return to these tasks. I will also continue to develop my initial questions within the BAPP network and my external Professional Networks.

I am excited but also slightly anxious about the journey ahead, now to move onto 'Ethics' something which is definitely going to play a prominent part within our Professional Inquiry.