Open day

My place of work had an open day on 20 October 2012. I was shock that in this open day, the students and their parents were only interested in their chosen subject. They weren’t really interested in what the college had to offer. The college has a lot of enrichment programmes and even hired for the first time ever this year someone who will organise and arrange the enrichment programme. For the day, there was only about 5 or so interest in the enrichment and social aspect side of the college. At the moment the focus was on the academic aspect side of the college.

Also what amazed me was the fact that Performing Arts programmes had very little interest. I thought that this department would be very busy and packed with potential students and their parents but it only had about two to three interested students/parents per tour where as Social Studies and Childcare department were over flowing with potential students and parents. Colleagues’ even made comment about how popular this was. I really don’t know why this was and I couldn’t investigate this further because I was working with the enrichment/ youth worker since my role and work relates very closely to this area. I was also dealing and promoting finance and counselling. My guess and suggestion might be because of the university fees raise and credit crunch that young people are thinking ahead of their future and want a secure jobs. These sectors will offer them a secure job and in some case free education after their college life. I will have to investigate this further and possibly have an interview with the teacher who was at the opening day and see their views and thoughts.   

Getting reply to interview request

Is it me or is it hard to get a reply (any form of reply) to an interview you have requested.

I first contacted (by phone) all the schools and institutions (colleges) I’ve been interested in, to see if it was possible to have an interview with some of (Performing Arts) their staff and students. The told me it was ok and that I’ll need email conformation and consent forms (for the schools). I did this and email them everything. One professional even gave me the green light but only with emails (I felt uncomfortable with this because it is more like a questionnaire and also this will mean that I will have to refer to the same questions and can’t really manoeuvre) but I agreed and talked to my advisor, Adesola about it. She told me I will have to accommodate to this professional’s wishes and may need a follow up. I tried my best to limit any follow up by re designing the questions. I then emailed her a confirmation email with the questions. I still haven’t had any reply, I did say to her that she can email me her answer till the end of November but I expected a reply to say that she received the email/questions, or she can’t do it or will do it later. I haven’t received anything.

I can’t go to these schools or institutions because I just started a new full time job at a college and my hours are the same hours as these schools/institutions. Plus it is difficult for me to do it before or after work as my travel to work is minimum of one hour (with out the busy period traffic).

I just wanted to know if any one is facing this same situation and what are your solutions. One of mine is that I am going to try local stage schools for the students/parents to see if they will do the interview. With the professionals, I don’t know yet. I’ll try my work to see if the head of Performing Arts/Drama will do the interview. I am really worried since I feel like I am way behind. I really don't want to rush this as this work is due at the beginning of January and is worth about 50% of our overall mark.   

Campus Session 2 Module 3

Wednesday 31 October 2012 Campus Session was very interesting. We discussed a lot of things and issues that can help us with our inquiry. I’m just going to explain two things I found really helpful in tackling the inquiry.

The first helpful advice that came from the inquiry is to consider all your literature as a close group of friends who all have different concepts, ideology and theories about your particular inquiry. Their ideas and theories count because it will help to give the inquiry a more 3D and a more rounded form. Also it will help you to analyse the inquiry in more depth and add more shadows and shades. Just as you will refer to a friends concept you can also refer to these literature concept; for example, if your inquiry is about what car manufacturer is the best. When you want to argue your point, we generally refer to what our friends say. If Johnny thinks that BMW are good because it has stronger engine or Bob says that Ferrier as great because it is fast, we will use these thought and concept as a way to strengthen our point or our findings. It is the same when we are using these literatures. We use it to try and explain our findings and how these concepts compare to our findings.

The second helpful advice is to tell a friend our inquiry using the different headlines. If our friends explains our inquiry back to us and understand it then it is more likely that the inquiry is very clear and it can be very clear to the generally public because we really are write this inquiry for the generally public.

Critical Reflection of the Inquiry plan

This module is about planning a research project/inquiry (that students will later carry out in module 3) that interests a student in a field that relate to their profession. Critical reflection on the course is to encourage student into self evolution of their work both in their professional and in their academic life.

Developing a Line of Inquiry

The module as well as the last module is continuations of learning tools I would need to achieve the ultimate goal. Before I conducted the inquiry I started with some rumination on what my past qualifications and experiences were and my future aspirations. The initial plan was heavily based as a marketing tool (it was meant to be a research tool) Appendix A with too broad and too vague of a subject Appendix B . After my feedback and much deliberation, I decided on the finalised inquiry plan. The targeted age groups for the inquiry are 14 and above.

Researching Ethics

The challenges that I faced during the project was tacking ethical issues that outlined what is required for a research. Initially my focus was on the ethical issues that affect Performing Arts studies and the safeguarding of working with children and young people. Once I gasped the understanding (through my feedback and self reflection techniques I learned from module 1) that it is the ethically issues that relates to conducting a research, I restarted the ethical research process. Once the research was conducted, I realised that I knew some of the ethical issues however; the explanations were not conducted in the correct manner. This was a new learning experience because of the lack of experience in planning and conducting a research and a research plan.  

The Inquiry Tools

Original, questionnaire was one of the research tools that were going to be used in module 3. After my feedback and some contemplation; the questionnaire is now taken out as a research tool, simply because the line of inquiry as been modified and changed and it will not shield any new information to the inquiry. A sample questionnaire was conducted and some questions from the questionnaire are going to be used and altered for the focus group.    

Conducting a sample of the focus group before module 3 would be too complex because writing, (planning a focus group) sending and receiving all the consents forms from parents will be rather impractical at such a short notice and sending all documents relating to the ethical issues about conducting a research will have to be verified by the university officials and the module would have to be passed by myself for this to go ahead. The telephone interview is another tool with many obstacles. The time of year it is in the academic calendar (February-May) is very difficult for academic staff to offer their free time because of exams, assignments and performances for current students and interviews and application process for prospected students.

Questions for the Professional Inquiry

After serious brainstorming, analysing and thinking about the line of inquiry I want to pursuit; I have come up with some questions I think might be befitting to the inquiry and I would like some feedback if that is at all possible. Thanks again in advance.

Who is my market audience?

What are my Unique Selling Points (USP)?

What marketing tools are available?

What marking tools are more effective in developing clients/students interests?

What marketing tools are more cost effective for a new business/performing arts school?

How can these marketing tools communicate the school objectives to potential students/clients effectively?

What period of time should new company cease marketing?

Ethical Issues from personal assumptions

From observation and research (Book: Business on a Shoestring; Working Ethically, authors; L Clifford, T Hindle, N Kettles, C Somers and L Somers, Publishers; A & C Black) it seems like ethical issues in the work place (it doesn’t matter about what field that work belongs to) steams from some form of moral issues and standard. Ethics in the work place really took hold when these animal activists (as well as other protest groups) started protesting against animals been used, exploited and killed for consumers use. Ethics in the workplace is relatively new and only started in the last 30 years or so. As far as I am aware all work places as a standard ethical issues which are:

• Be punctual (time means money)
• Be polite, be friendly
• Be approachable (a smile goes a long way)
• Be neat and tidy (A presentable person is more likely to be taking seriously in the work place)
• Be prepare (as the saying goes: fail to prepare then prepare to fail)
• Be considerate (so a certain extent, because it seems like higher the climber on the work ladder the less this is show)
• Be respectful
• Use your initiative
• Do all the necessary training and gain all the necessary qualifications and knowledge
• Show some interest in the work
• There should be a break after about every 3 or 4  hours of work

These are the basic ethical issues that all work places follows but I know that there are additional ethically issues in different work force depending on the field you works in. From what I am cognisant of in the educational sector and other sectors that deals with vulnerable children and adults there are few ethical issues that are important such as:

ü      Respecting personal space and not to invade it (this is more important with children and young people)

ü      When dealing with difficult situation and examining a patient/client there should be at least two adults

ü      For about every 30 plus pupil in the class room there should be at least two adults

ü      Needing consent forms to publish images or film of a person or a child

ü      Having the right checks (i.e. CRB) to work with children and vulnerable adults.

ü      Not disclosing any personal information or issues and respecting their confidentiality

ü      No sexually or inappropriate relationships should take place  

In the acting and entertaining world there are unspoken ethical or should I say “unethical” issues such as:

v     Never contact the director/producer directly

v     Dress for the part or character

v     Consent/Release forms needed to publish images and motion pictures

v     Put up and shut up about any issues that may occur (because you can be easily replaced)

v     Perform and work through what ever pain, personal and emotional issues you are going through (again because you are easily disposable).

The entertainment industry is still the industry where the line between ethical and unethical issue is still a blur because the competition is high and the replacement of talents (even established talent) can be easily done. Even though there is the Equity union, artist still finds it hard to take action because of names been black listed and reputations getting tarnished.  

Award Title and Line of Inquiry

After some serious catching up, thought about what I want now and what I will want in the future (I am still at a cross-road), my past work experience and enquiring about the award title with past and present Module 2 BAPP students and Alan. I have decided not to limit myself with the award title because life is very unpredictable and the world of the work place is very unstable (think back to when the credit crunch first happened in 2008 and how many people have lost their jobs and made changes to their lifestyle). I am stuck between two award titles, which;

BA (Hons) Professional Practice in Performing Arts and Management

BA (Hons) Professional Practice in Performing Arts with Management

The reason why I came up with these titles is because as a Professional Actress/Performer for the last 5 years or so, I have managed my own career especially the first four years when I did not have any agents. Also as a freelance performing arts instructor, I also had to manage myself, a class full of children, young people and adults (although not all in the same class). I had the opportunity to run my own 2 weeks summer school with Newham in 2009 where I had to manage both young people in a class and a small staff of 3 and designate roles and responsibility to my staff (I did have the centre manager for support). I set up my own Sunday school at my local church from scratch, where I had to ensure that all the necessary paper work was in place to ensure the safety of the children and myself and my staff. I also did all the advertising and marketing with plenty of research.  

I believe that one of these award titles will serve me well because I would like to start my own business and I believe that having a title/titles like this will not only help to secure funding, clients, and business dealings but it will improve my over all image, profile and marketing. Also if I start my business and it didn’t work out or I decide not to start a business and cease myself employ status, I can enter the work force at quite a high position because I would have the qualification to match my experience.

I would like my inquiry to be about; the strategic marketing tools needed for successful Performing Arts school.

I believe that this is an important inquiry because I know many people whose Performing Arts school/stage school are no longer active because of the credit crunch and I want to inquiry about how I can avoid the pit falls in case there is another credit crunch and how my school can stand above the competition.  

Please let me know what you think about the award titles and my line of inquiry.   

Thank you in advance and I appreciate your comments and thoughts.

Blogs and Blogging

Blogging seems to be very popular in the performing arts now. I have notice that many artists and companies are using blogs as well as other social networking sites to promote their work.

I have just started a production company (at its very early stages) with my friend I did a show with last year and the guy that is helping us with our website also suggested that we set up a blog site as well.

I guess blogs is another way to promote, sell and advert oneself, company and work. However, blogs add another dimension to do that because it will allow your audience to give you an instant review and suggestions by commenting on your work (without following you, be friends with you; be a member etc). Where as some social media do not have this facility.

I am very old fashioned because all my work related communications are done with the telephone, text, mail and email. When I seek work I tend to use newspaper adverts and casting website. I have a Facebook account but I tend to use that between twice a year and once a month depending if I am in a production. However, now that I am starting my own production company and writing scripts I am now moving more into the modern aspect of communications. I will join LinkedIn because that is a social network site for professional. I don’t think I’ll be joining Tweeter only because from what I have witness I don’t believe Tweeter is a professional site for business, I believe it is more of a gossiping social site. This is fine but it is not a site I would do my business dealings but, I will consider doing my social dealings with this site.