After reading the reader I thought of many different questions.
I had questions that I raised to myself covered many different topics including performing, teaching and qualifications.
Eventually I chose my questions:
1. Does age affect teaching?
2. In teaching which is more important: personality, experience, knowledge or respect?
3. How does a dancer change their career?
4. When do performers prepare themselves for a change in career?
5. Which is more important a degree in dance or a CV full of performing?
Hopefully over the next few weeks I can develop these questions further to help with my inquiry.
I have given a few of my friends in the industry these questions and asked them informally to answer them. The answers I got were:
I think age along with reputation is key. Say for example we used to mess about in ballet (taught by a 75 year old Ballet master from the Russian Ballet) but if it was commercial (taught by a 35 year old male who is big in the commercial industry) at his age we wouldn't but then it's not like we didn't respect the ballet master we just knew we would get away with it. We could have a similar laugh with the commercial teacher but we knew when it would go too far! Ya know? x
Not even reputation it's like a persons personality. Like for example when a particular boy in college would clean a number no one would dare speak out I turn but if it was a quieter/shyer girl to get up and do it we'd all take the piss! No offence to a shy/quiet person! Hahahaha x
A younger teacher would go for it more than an older teacher!
Asking people to help you with work I find is proving harder than I thought because a lot of people ignore you when it comes to things like this or don't say very helpful things.
Hi Ruth!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I'm using teaching as a base for my inquiry questions. I want to find a question that links my performance experience with my teaching experience.
From my experience teaching singing, I find the more energetic and enthusiastic I am the pupils are more eager to learn and progress their technique.
As far as your question about what's more important in teaching personality, experience, knowledge or respect? I personally think it's a combination of all of them. When I was at college the teachers you remember the most are those who made their lessons fun, passed their experience and knowledge on to pupils which made them respect them more. Every teacher is different in teaching style, but you can gain from them all.
I found the most effective teachers that had impact on pupils were those who kept their lessons fresh and up to date with technique and ideas a teacher in-particular was Pat.D. She created her own dance style which anybody could do but had the respect and authority over pupils, when I meet up with my friends from college you always remember Pat.'s lessons and do her famous moves.
I don't think you can ever prepare yourself for a change in your career, from being a professional singer I found my progression to a teacher a gradual process as I've always loved teaching and did it throughout my training at conti's. I enjoy passing my knowledge and experience on to other pupils to benefit their technique and performance skills. I made the change from going away on contracts to staying in the UK as I've reached a time in my life where I want have regular money and stability to create a future for children etc. Being a singer travelling away you can't do that.
However, it's important to channel your talents and ability into other areas if you want a break from performing/auditions like teaching, as you'll miss it too much. If you're like me you still dance and sing around the house its just in your blood.
Hey Ruth,
ReplyDeleteJust speaking to Alan we need to help each other with these lines of inquiry and structuring our questions.
Love the questions you asked but now try and structure them to be a little more open what line of route are you going down??
I really like your question about the age!!
Maybe asking a set of teachers who are older and see how they feel maybe even asking the students and see what they feel.
Maybe you could structure the question like this:
What values and effects does the age of teachers have on students??
I don't know if that is better but looking at a different way of structuring the question.
Hope that doesn't bossy or busy but thought we should be helping each other!!
Hope to see you next Thursday
Geri
Hey Natalie, haha I most definitely sing and dance around the house all time, in fact I do it everywhere I go, my friends are always saying I'm such a waste and should be out performing but they don't the arts industry and think it's easy to get a job and that I will have one for life but we know it doesn't work like that. I agree with you about the energetic and enthusiastic teachers are the ones I preferred and remember, even If I did think they were crazy and way over the top. I realise now though that this is because their passion and love for the arts was so big. We had a similar teacher, Greg, who made up a own dance class and even though we did it for the whole 3 years of my training once a week, it was really hard and then by the end of the 3 years we'd mastered it perfectly and when we meet up we still talk about him and do his moves haha.
ReplyDeleteAs for going through the performer/teacher transformation I agree with what you say because I think there will always be times when you want to perform or not teach but you know that it is kind of your only option if you want to be home and have a stable income.
I think after this course I might do a few more contracts before I settle down into teaching properly because I know in my head I'll regret it if I don't later on.
Ruth xx
Hey. Geri,
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about sounding bossy or whatever, I don't think you do but I want people to be critical and quests my work so that I can be able to justify it and also so I know I am doing my best!
I need to decide properly which route I want to go down but I do not know which route I want to. I have thought about it long and hard but don't know which one I will benefit with the most.
I like the way you structured the question, I may use it :-)
I've asked a few of my college friends and a few older people and got some replies but at first I asked an older person and I think they were a little offended by the way I had worded it so I changed it to more on the lines of what you said and it worked better with another older person, I am now going to ask a few more people and get a few more answers then I will decide which question to look at further.
Are you finding module 2 easier than module 1?
See you next thursday xx