Friday 6th November 2015: The Science of Art, The Art of Science

Posted on by bethanyaliceh15

Hey everybody,

So I think I’m getting quite good at this whole keeping my blog up to date thing. Even if I’m just posting photos, at least you all know that I am alive and well, and pretty busy! I’ve got a sort of emotional link to my blog now, like some sort of diary. I guess I’ve found a place to be able to really focus what I’ve learnt, as well as vent/chat/debate about things that are happening around me.

I wouldn’t usually do another blog post this week, because my posts tend to be pretty full of what I’ve been doing over the previous week, and what that week has taught me. But I thought I’d shake that up because over the last few days I’ve learnt so much, and seem to have had so many varying experiences, it sort of makes sense to sum it all up before next week.

So, let’s kick off! We’ll start with Wednesday! I spent the morning at Kit Carson Elementary where I got the opportunity to observe three different artists, all who worked in a totally different way. It struck me, though, that a crucial similarity between the three was the way which they provided examples. With all the artists I have observed so far, examples have been given in a practical way, clearly demonstrating what the artist is trying to teach and/or get the students to do. This clarity lead me to think about how I deliver information, and whether I am always as clear with my examples, or whether they are actually distracting. The content of the classes varied greatly, as I observed a movement session, a craft session and an acting session. But they all involved a practical element, where the students had to apply their knowledge to an artistic task.

On Wednesday afternoon, I travelled up to Encinitas, a coastal city north of San Diego, to stay with Amanda Penaloza-Banks, the dance artist working for CoTA. If you are ever in California, I would definitely suggest a trip there because it is genuinely one of the most beautiful towns that I have ever seen. It’s got a Spanish sort of feel with it’s decor, some stunning views and a breathtaking beach which stretches for miles (pictures below this paragraph). The homes are super cute! They’re almost like oversized beach huts, which I find adorable! I spent the afternoon walking along the beach, and soaking in the sun, because I knew that Thursday would be busy! It was a really lovely afternoon/evening, and it was lush to just be able to soak in my surroundings for a bit.

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So Thursday was another day, and we started out at Park Dale Lane Elementary. I was following Amanda’s classes for the day, so was set up to be watching lots of movement, but this week was much more of a research opportunity. But even that gave me lots of things to be thinking about. As I had less arts observation to be focusing on, I started to observe the class teachers more, and how the children responded to them. Over the week, I have been noticing how different teachers manage their classes, and the scope has been so wide. The range of techniques to manage and focus classes that are being used is huge, and some of them are really kooky, but successful. My favourites all use a call and response chant which is started by the teacher and completed by the pupils. This brings all the students focus onto the teacher quickly, and they instantly listen to the teacher, and moves the class forward straightaway. For time management, I have seen the use of music, for example giving three songs for a task to be completed.

It was also interesting noting how the teachers responded to the artists, and how they worked with one another in the session. In the two sessions that I observed at Park Dale Lane, there were two entirely different teachers, one which was very hands on, and happy to work alongside Amanda, and another who seemed far more reluctant to get involved, and sort of left Amanda to shape the lesson. I started thinking about the rest of the week, and how the other classes which I had classed as the most successful had been lead in a far more collaborative fashion. When a teacher is onboard with what is happening, the class seems far more productive and faster paced.

There was far more that I could comment on from Thursdays classes, but I know that I’ll get another chance to comment on everything. Thursday afternoon was spent travelling back down to La Mesa, and that meant I had my first experience on the Cruiser, which was brill. There are some beautiful ocean views, which I posted a little video of on my instagram, so the link is below if you want to see!

A video posted by Bethany Alice (@beeayyhooz) on Nov 5, 2015 at 5:15pm PST

Okay, finally on today!!!

I went to one of the teachers workshops which CoTA runs today, which was really interesting and rewarding. The session started with a printing workshop from Annika Nelson, where the teachers got to participate in a session. They then fed back how they could use the art technique within their sessions. There were loads of suggestions, including making the class part of a maths class, a science class and a history class. Seeing the teachers so enthused by introducing an art into their curricular teaching really moved me, as it means that more and more people are seeing the all round benefits that arts can have on young people.

After that, there was a discussion about the science behind CoTA’s work, which was super fascinating. Dennis Doyle, executive director of the organization, discussed how the work which is happening impacts children, teachers and parents in a very similar fashion. There is a load of research going on into how the children and staff are responding, and the outcomes are very similar. The teachers were discussing the benefits which they have felt and seen, and a lot of them were actually on a much more personal level. One teacher discussed how when CoTA had originally came in, they were very guarded towards the process as they like to be in control and have the class structured in their way. Now, they said, they realise that sometimes a lack of structure breeds creativity, and that their class responded really well to this. They were more social, and happier to mix with pother students from their normal social group. To me, this shows how the arts can encourage life skills far broader than the curriculum. But CoTA is offering this sort of emotional/life education in a setting which goes hand in hand with the educational needs of developing young people.

I promise I’m nearly done rambling!!!

I’m starting to take notice of what is really interesting me, so that I can begin to focus my research interests. I am still really passionate about the whole topic of society’s view of the arts, and specifically whether they are undervalued in the curriculum. However, my time so far with CoTA is making me really interested in how we can use the arts as a tool more efficiently within the curriculum, and also within other settings i.e. the health system, psychologically etc.

Right! That is it! This weekend is going to be super fun, and so jam packed! Tomorrow, Kristin and I are going to San Diego Zoo, which is the best zoo in the world according to TripAdvisor(!), so that is really exciting. And then Sunday and Monday are DISNEYLAND days. On Monday, we’re meeting up with one of the artists for dinner with the Disney Princesses as she is taking her little girl for her birthday! I GET TO EAT WITH THE PRINCESSES! WITH MY OWN KIND (see post 1)! So it’s going to be amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!

Oh my gosh, this post is way too long! Sorry about that!

See you next time,

Beth x

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Tuesday 3rd November 2015: California Dreamin’

Posted on by bethanyaliceh15

Hi everyone,

So this is my first post that I’ve done since I’ve been here in San Diego, and I’ll start by saying… I LOVE IT HERE! This is such a gorgeous place with so much going on, and I sort of feel like I’m in a movie or TV show (I watch way too much American TV for my own good). Round every corner there is something different to do, and from what I can see the arts scene is buzzing around here. Everybody I meet is telling me that there is something else that I need to see or do, the tourist in me is crazy excited, the uni student in me is trying to stick my head in the ground to how I’m going to fit sightseeing, arts-seeing and placement-doing all in. I’m definitely starting to think a month is nowhere near enough time!

So, placement wise, this week has sort of just got underway. I arrived here Thursday night, and Friday morning was straight out on a field trip which had been organised by CoTA. The field trip was a walking tour of the Gas Lamp District of Downtown San Diego. The field trip was part of a project which April McBride is doing with a group of students, with the final project being that they will set up their own town in the classroom. It was great for me, as it gave me the chance to meet some of the artists that I’ll be working with, but also gave me the chance to start seeing what San Diego has to offer!

The weekend was free, so Kristin (who I am staying with while I’m over here) and I went and did some sightseeing. On Saturday we went to Belmont Park / Mission Beach which was super pretty and super fun! Sunday, we visited Balboa Park, which is easily one of the most interesting places I’ve ever been to! Then we spent the evening at Seaport Village, home of the USS Midway and the famous “Kissing Statue”. It was such a lush weekend, and a brill start to my stay in California.

I had to have my fingerprints taken yesterday, before I would be allowed to go into any schools, but after that I was free all day. I had no lift back to the apartment, so instead embraced San Diegan public transport. It was fun! The trolley allows you to see some stunning views of San Diego, which I marveled at.

Then today, I had my first day in a school. I spent the day at Burbank Elementary School, observing Carmela Castrejón, an interdisciplinary visual artist. Carmela was really interesting, and took a keen interest in my interests, whilst also giving me her opinions on arts in education.

The first class that I attended was a second grade science class taught in Spanish, which obviously gave me a bit of difficulty, however there were loads of things which I could take from the class. For example, the class was taught in a total cross-disciplinary style. Carmela used a tableau to display how boulders break down and are essentially made up of sand, pebbles, stones and rocks, as well as reading a story to the class called Pezzettino, which talked about ‘little bits’ making up one big thing. By using lots of different stimuli, the children engaged with their research project. When discussing this with Carmela, we spoke of how through experience the children retain the information which was provided much more clearly.

Both of the fifth grade science classes which I observed followed a similar layout. They began with a review of what they had already learnt, and then there was a showing of the work which they had produced last time. For the remainder of the session the final task was explained. The students will be producing their own weather show, which will be aired across the school. They will work in groups of four, each taking on of the following roles; presenter/meteorologist, cameraman, director or cue/props. In the build up, they will research the weather of a particular setting, eg. Amazon Rainforest, Sahara Desert, Antarctic etc. The students all seemed really excited by the project. It allows them to use their scientific knowledge in a fun, creative, and most importantly memorable way.

Already, I am beginning to see what makes organisations like CoTA work. They encourage a much broader range of children to engage with the curriculum by making it far more accessible. Children who aren’t as academically able are given a totally different access route, instead of having to learn from a book, they are learning trough their own creativity.

I haven’t even been here a week, but I already feel settled into my placement. It’s really inspiring seeing how the arts are being used in a multitude of ways. I have already begun to have conversations with a range of people about the arts in California, and over my time here intend to further explore the history of San Diegan art, and where dance falls into that.

So tomorrow, I’m heading up to Encinitas to spend some time at Park Dale Lane Elementary, with Amanda Penaloza-Banks. I’ll come back Thursday, and then am unsure of what I’ll be doing Friday. But this weekend…

I’M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m so so so so so so excited.

Anyways, I’ve gone on again, so I’ll probably post next week!

See you next time!

Beth x

Sunday 25th October 2015: Looking Back at Team Catalyst International and Forward to California

Posted on by bethanyaliceh15

Hey again!

Third post in one week! Quietly proud of how productive this week has been. So though I said I’d post on Friday, I decided it’d be much better to post today when I’d had chance to process the fact that my British placements have now finished (and I wasn’t quite so busy seeing people before California). I had my final evening with the dancers at Team Catalyst International (TCI from here on in) on Friday night, and it’s safe to say that over the six weeks, I’ve learnt an incredible amount through both leading and observing Cat.

On Friday I took part in one of Cat’s classes which gave me a totally different way of studying how she teaches. When teaching sequences, every move is explained verbally so clearly you nearly don’t need to have a practical example to understand what the move is / involves. Though the dancers are all very good at picking up movement quickly, through Cat’s explanations they just understand what to do. I also think that this understanding has been built up over time, but it is predominantly through Cat’s teaching ability. This amount of precision in my explanations is something which I want to eventually have, but I’m hoping that this comes with experience. I think over my placement, the amount of detail I provide has improved, but I’m so aware that I have so much left to learn. All of the teachers / facilitators I have been working alongside have over ten years of teaching experience, so I know that it’s not something which you gain over night, but instead something which I will continue to learn long after my PIC has ended, and well into my future teaching career.

My placement at TCI has shown me how much I eventually want my own dance school. I’ve loved working with the dancers, as they all already share my love for dancing. I love working with people who are keen to learn as much about dance as they possibly can, and dance schools offer the perfect environment for this. But I also understand that running a dance school is not an easy feat. A lot of dance school owners have other jobs on the side, as they need another form of income. Cat has also given me advice on other ways into teaching than a PGCE, which is valuable to me as currently I’m unsure which route into teaching I want to take.

So, what has the highlight of this placement been? Definitely watching the dancers create their own sequences. One of the days, after teaching the group a sequence and some lifts and partner work, I asked them to create a partner sequence. The way they worked was incredibly impressive, and seeing them take my movement and make it their own was really moving. This experience gave me an alternative way of teaching, and encouraging my students to work on their own choreographic skills. By providing the dancers with a movement vocabulary, they have the opportunity to create and explore their own movement interests. This is something which I want to continue researching in the future.

The main thing which I have learnt from this placement is how different teaching within a dance school setting is. The vocabulary which you can use is far more advanced, the amount of movement you can teach in one go is much greater, but you also have to push the dancers far more by supplying much more challenging movement, and allowing them to grow as potential future dance artists.  You also have to focus more on technique, and working on developing their dance skill.

This was probably my most dance technique focused placement, but the other placements offered me other skills, all of which are transferable. I intend to use what I have learnt from each placement to make me an all round better teacher, a practice which I would say I have already begun to employ. But again, I know that it’s baby steps, and PIC is just the beginning of what is going to be a huge learning experience. I feel as if I’m sounding like I’m looking back on my PIC as if it’s finished, but I promise you, I am aware that I still have 5 weeks in California, and 3 weeks back at Chase Terrace before I have officially finished my placements. It just feels like I have already learnt so much, with so many fab opportunities thrown at me that a lot has changed already.

I go to California in 4 days, and I think it has finally set in. All of a sudden I’m full of every emotion, mainly excitement, but it’s started to strike me that I’m going on my own. I’m not stressing because I really have no choice, but I am only 20, and going halfway around the world. That is pretty scary. But I know that no matter what, it’s going to be one of the best experiences I’ll ever have. So yes, I am excited, let’s just focus on that.

I will probably blog before I go, even if it’s just to show you my Cali nails which I’m having done tomorrow. Actually, I’ll be taking loads of pictures, so I’ll more than likely speak to you all on Wednesday.

See you next time,

Beth x

Thursday 22nd October 2015: Looking Back at Chase Terrace Technology College pt. 1

Posted on by bethanyaliceh15

Hey again,

So much blogging going on this week! So, today I had my last day at Chase Terrace before I go to California. It felt far less final than leaving the dance club, as I’m going back to the school after I’ve been to California (hence pt. 1), but it was still a very strange feeling as I’m leaving at a pretty awkward point.

In today’s sessions, we finished all of the choreography for Little Shop, and tidied, as well as teaching the younger students who will be taking part in the show all the dances which we have done, bar Dentist. We also filmed them, so that they can be remembered easier. By the time that I’m back, the students will more than likely be off script with the show basically fully blocked, with the character development much more in place than it is now. It’s good knowing that all the movement is in place, but it’s weird thinking that after being a big part of the process for the last 4/5 weeks, suddenly I won’t be there. But I guess it makes it even more exciting to go back and see where it goes now.

I’ve loved being at the school for loads of reasons. First of all, it was a sort of sentimental experience for me. It was so nice to go back to a school that I spent 7 very happy years at, and be able to teach the thing which I am most passionate about. Secondly, I got to choreograph for a musical, and as I am super passionate about musical theatre, it’s been so much fun to be able to bring the genre into my PIC while still developing my teaching practice. As well as this, I feel like through conversations, I’ve begun to understand more clearly the life of a school teacher, and the unpredictability of the job.

Over the last 6 weeks, I have had so many positive experiences, but also had to work hard to improve my teaching technique. One of my main struggles has been my age. How stupid does that sound? But it’s so true! As I’ve mainly been working with the sixth formers, I’m only 3/4 years older than them, so I didn’t want to come across as condescending. That said, I also knew that my job was to teach them about ways of choreographing, how to work with a choreographer and mainly to choreograph the dances, so needed to be authoritative enough to lead a session. I think that over the weeks I got better at this as my confidence in my teaching / choreographic ability improved greatly. I decided that the best way to work with them was to work in a way which allowed a sort of collaborative approach to my choreography. So whilst I choreographed the dances, if the students had an idea I would nearly always put it in. My view is that it is their assessment, and their show, and my role was to guide them, not order them. The teachers who I have gained the most from have tended to allow the students to explore and discover themselves, as opposed to directing them to get it right.

My highlight of the placement has probably been today. When choreographing musical theatre dances, I tend to work to a ‘vision’ (how arty farty is that, I’m almost embarrassed to use that term), and imagine how I want the whole thing to look when it is performed. I’ve never really had an experience where I’ve known if it’s worked, as I usually choreograph with me in the dance, so choreographing a totally different group has been really interesting. Anyhow, when I choreographed Skid Row (Downtown) (I’ve put the link to the YouTube video as a hyperlink, listen to it, it is such a lush song!), I genuinely could see the dance onstage, and how I imagined it would work and look. Until today, we had never performed the dance with a full group as the younger members of the cast hadn’t been in our rehearsals. When the dance was performed for recording, I got really emotional as it was perfectly as I had originally imagined it would be, with all the formation transitions sleek and tidy, a confidence within the group and the movements perfectly in time. I genuinely welled up, as I was just so proud of what had been performed, and what the group had achieved in such a small amount of time. That honestly could have been the finished article ready for performance in February.

So what are the main things I’ve learnt from my placement?

A) teenagers can be super stroppy (myself included, I was a very stroppy teenager, but have now became a just stroppy 20 year old, but not when I’m teaching hopefully), and getting them to work their hardest can be difficult if they are but…

B) enthusiasm is crucial in teaching! As long as you are enthusiastic and passionate about what you are teaching, eventually the students will pick up on that and respond positively.

C) school teaching is definitely not an easy option. You have to be so on the ball with so many things, including safeguarding children, the current curriculum and exam board requirements, assessment deadlines etc. etc. etc. Plus, you are in charge of making sure that a group of young people are getting the best out of themselves, to prepare for their future careers / lives.

D) to trust myself and be confident in what I do and know. I’m going to reward myself with a compliment now, which is pretty rare for me, but I would say I’ve done a pretty good job on this placement. I’ve choreographed 5 pretty polished dances in 4 weeks, where I’ve only really had 3/4 hours in the week to work solely on the dances, so I’m very proud of myself and the students for making it work. I have given them some really precise feedback which I have seem them take on board quickly, and improve their performance immensely. I just need to trust myself more that what I have to say is actually valuable.

There are so many more things that I’ve learnt, all well noted in my journal, but I’d be writing forever if I were to mention everything. It’s been such a beneficial placement in so many ways, especially where my confidence has been concerned. I’ve changed how I provide information, and noted how experienced teachers work with their students. I’ve also realised that though it is important to have a clear plan for a session, sometimes it is more important to let the lessons be less structured, but with strict deadlines in place where certain things must be achieved. So yes, I have definitely learnt a great amount from this placement.

Oh, by the way, I GO TO CALIFORNIA ONE WEEK TODAY! HOW EXCITING IS THAT! DHBFUWEFCSDFVJHFRHWFDYGRCSDHCBSDFJKCSASDFGHJKL (that exciting).

I’ll be posting tomorrow night more than likely, as I have my last night at Team Catalyst International. Still trying to deal with how fast this first part of PIC has gone! Random moment of the post: Russell Howard’s Good News is back, and I am super duper happy about it! Even though I’m not a huge telly watcher, I will definitely miss British TV while I’m away in California. That said, I’ll be in California, so iPlayer catch up when I’m home it is!

See you next time!

Beth x

Tuesday 20th October 2015: Looking Back At Newave Arts

Posted on by bethanyaliceh15

Hey everyone,

Well, I’m in the last week of my first leg of UK placements, and I suppose it’s time to start reflecting on what the last 6/7 weeks have taught me. I thought I’d do a more placement specific post for each after my last session. That way, I can be far more precise and detailed about what I’ve learnt from each individual setting.

On that note…

I had my last session with Newave Arts yesterday, where I have been running a dance club, provided by Lichfield Golf Club’s Creche. I’m leaving without any real idea of who is taking over my class, which I am a bit upset about as I would have liked to have been able to discuss what we have done up until now, and ask about what they’ll doing after half term. But that’s just the way it’s worked out with everybody being super busy.

This week, when I told the group it was the last week they’d have with me, one of the girls asked if I’d ever be back, so I got quite choked up. Though I have found the experience testing, over the weeks I’ve started to really enjoy this placement, and the totally different challenges it presents.

You may recall that in one of my previous posts I’d said how difficult I’d found it to put the class into a set context. I’ve had to find ways to discipline the group without being over the top, as well as really having to consider what the class will enjoy. At first I found it difficult as I knew that this class had the potential to merely be ‘babysitting’, and I felt like the first few weeks that I took that view to the class. I was being overly cautious about what I could and couldn’t say to the group, including whether I was being too strict, or too laid back, and questioning everything I was teaching.

I’d say from the fourth week, I started to take ownership of the class, teaching what I thought would work best, and deviating from my original plan of every class having a set theme. I started to be far more relaxed with how I spoke to and approached the girls, whilst also having confidence to tell the girls that it wasn’t okay to talk over me or to not follow instructions.

In terms of discipline, I have totally changed over the six weeks. When I first started the classes, I found it really difficult to keep the girls attention, so thought that doing lots of little dances would work better. But what I actually found was this provided a lack of consistency and structure. From week 4, I started to provide more structure from the start of the class. I would sit the group down to focus them, and then give them an idea of what the class would involve. When performing dances, I also started asking the girls how they show me that they are ready to dance (standing nice and tall, and mainly still and quiet), so that every time we danced, I knew that they were focused. Whilst still making the class mixed and diverse, I chose to do fewer tasks, but with much more information being provided. I also decided that I needed to be much firmer with the group, so though I allowed them to chat, if I was teaching them a move or a sequence, I would ask them not to talk over me because everyone needed to hear what I was saying.

One of my highlights from this placement was my day at Ingestre Hall. I did a full blog post about that day which you can find here. The day was so unique to me, and showed me a totally different arts experience, as both a teacher and a student. I genuinely just loved the whole concept of an arts residential centre, and loved the fact that in one place there is such a diverse range of works being made, but all based upon one concept. The day showed me a new way to approach my dance teaching and choreography. I realised that in my opinion, collaborative practice always works the best, with the participants leading what is created, but being offered clear direction if necessary. In the future, I think I’ll try and use this style of making/facilitating, as I believe that as a teacher I need to encourage creativity as well as technique and skill.

Overall, the placement has been really eye opening. Before this, I would never have considered working with such a young age group, whereas now I have became far more comfortable with the idea. I have learnt a lot about how to structure a session for a very young class, as well as improving my ability to adapt a class if something isn’t working. I have learnt about how I can tailor my practice to try to get young people more involved in making art, as well as how I can offer more precise information.

I’m seeing Hamlet in London tomorrow which is super exciting! Then I have my last placement at Chase Terrace on Thursday morning, so my next blog post will be Thursday afternoon. Then on Friday, I have my last class with Team Catalyst International dance school. I’m feeling pretty emotional right now actually! Strange thinking how quickly it’s came around, and even madder to think that I fly out to California in 9 days time!

Anyhow, I shall see you all Thursday, have a lovely Wednesday!

Beth x

Wednesday 14th October 2015: The Four C’s

Posted on by bethanyaliceh15

Hey again everyone,

I guess my title has given little to nothing away today. This last week has been pretty crazy, and I can really feel how my placements are starting to wrap up. I’m not 100% sure how I feel about that, but I know that I’m going to miss everything I’m doing now. When I am looking back, there are four words that keep cropping up. All which begin with the letter C.

CHANGES

It’s strange starting to look back on my UK placements, as I can see certain things that have changed about me, and about the young people that I have been working with. I always expected that my teaching practice would change during my PIC project, but not so quickly. I thought that by this point I would have lead the odd session and I’d still be building up my confidence to work in different contexts, but that’s really not true. I’ve lead/observed/offered feedback on so many sessions, and genuinely am beginning to consider myself a dance teacher / leader. I’m discovering that I work best when I’m collaborating with people and making work to fit a certain context, but definitely need to work on how I deliver more theoretical information. I now feel more confident working with a wider age group, and in working in different ways. For example, today I lead dance auditions for the school musical at Chase Terrace, and even though it was totally different, I felt confident teaching the students. I’ve also noticed how the young people that I’ve been working with have became far more receptive towards me, and have became far more collaborative with me. They now offer their opinions and creative flare which makes the dances which we are making far more interesting.

CONFIDENCE

In my first session at Chase Terrace, Mr Chamberlin told me that I needed to have more confidence in what I was teaching. 5 weeks later, I feel like I now have the confidence to be able deliver information because I know what I’m teaching is valuable now. I think (here comes a massive cliche, and it’s a cheesy one, sorry) I needed to start believing in what I know and in my own ability before I could class myself as a teacher. I’m beginning to see that from a student’s point of view you need to be able to trust your teacher, and the only way to do that is for them to trust themself (corny cliche stops here).

I’m also beginning to gain more confidence when talking to parents about their child’s progress. Several times over the last fortnight, I’ve had to discuss with a parent about their child’s participation within a class. At the beginning of  the project, I was scared to say anything that could be considered as a negative, but I’ve now started to see that the parent wants to know about how their child is doing, and therefore it is my responsibility to offer honest feedback. I feel like parents will respect me and trust me more if I give them the truth, as long as I also provide a positive as well.

CHOREOGRAPHY

I’ve been doing so much choreography recently, that I almost want to call myself a choreographer, but I don’t really class myself as that. I sort of feel like I just offer a lot of direction, and use what I know from my experiences to help make movement. That said, I am super proud of what is being produced. Before my PIC, though I had choreographed before I was never overly pleased with what I made, but through this process I have became far more confident with my choreography. It’s also became a big part of my lesson preparation. Though I do like creating movement on the spot, I have found it much easier going into class prepared with what the class would be learning on the day. This applies to both my placement at school, and my dance club.

After working with Cat DeBlock, and her dance school students, I’ve began to discover lots of things about how teaching and choreography can go hand in hand. For example, I spent three weeks with the dancers working on a contemporary sequence, which I choreographed. On the fourth week, I decided to do some partner work, and ask the dancers to use the sequence and the partner movements that I had taught them to create a partner sequence. What they made was really impressive, both choreographically and technically, and showed how well they had picked up the basics of the technique. This made me really proud as they took something which I had taught them, and made it their own.

CALIFORNIA

California seems to have really crept up on me, and I fly in 15 days time! HOW EXCITING IS THAT!!!!! It’s really on my mind now that I need to get the most out of my placements over the next week and a half, because it’s over super soon. It’s a strange old time for me if I’m honest, because I feel really prepped for going, but with no real definite idea of what I’ll be doing when. But I know that it will all work out so I’m just staying super positive. I’ve had another opportunity offered to me whilst I’m over there, but still with COTA, which I’ve obviously grabbed with both hands. I just can’t really wait now!

In terms of my research, it’s going to be so interesting seeing the difference between the teaching over here, and over in California, and how people respond to the arts differently. I want to make the most of the whole experience, talking to as many different people as possible, and seeing as much as I possibly can.

I’m 98% sure my friends are fed up of hearing about me going to California now, but I just can’t help but keep going on about it because I’m so excited! I’ve always wanted to go to California, so I find it crazy that I’m over there for a whole month on placement, sight seeing and experiencing Halloween and Thanksgiving!!! I don’t see how it gets much better.

Well it’s 12.52am, and I’ve explained my four Cs so I should probably go now. But I’ll blog again in the next week. To finish up, I just want to say how much I’m loving this project so far. Everything has pushed me, tested me, and provided me with moments where I’ve been really proud of myself and the people I’m working with. And I really feel like I’m starting to understand what the life of an arts teacher can be like; freelance, school teacher or somebody who is employed by an arts education company. It’s really nice starting to feel like I’m close to being able to say that I’m a teacher / practitioner / leader / facilitator, even if I’m still not quite sure which of those titles I best fit as of yet.

See you next time!

Beth x

Monday 5th October 2015: #worldteachersday

Posted on by bethanyaliceh15

Hey everybody,

Happy World Teachers Day, an event that I admit I didn’t realise even existed, but there we are!

As an avid tweeter, I saw the hashtag on twitter, and obviously had to look. It struck me how many people were commenting on their past teachers. The Guardian have ran an article where famous people discussed teachers that they remembered from their childhoods (article found here), who had had a profound impact on their later life. It made me think about the teachers that have influenced me, and my eventual teaching style.

It’s safe to say, my childhood dance teacher, Miss Bev, inspired how I teach movement. Miss Bev, who sadly passed away last December, had the ultimate knack for breaking movement down, making it accessible for each of us, a skill which I like to think I have acquired from her. I understand that sometimes things don’t click straight away, so am armed with a range of techniques which she used to have to try with me. When we were little she was patient but precise, teaching us the very basic rules of each of the styles. Ballet class was filled with references of ‘good toes and bad toes’, tap was all about forward and backwards brushes, and freestyle was about personality and huge smiles. And as we got older, there was an understanding that we had to work hard, even if we were a group of 8 or 9 overly chatty teenagers. And she dealt with a fair few tantrums from me when I couldn’t get things right in ballet (I kind of gave up with tap, I’m terrible at tap, but she always tried her best to push me without being unfair). As a person, she was warm and loving, but also kept us well in line. She was the ultimate mother figure to everybody in the dance school, and somebody who was idolised by all of us, parents included. My ultimate goal is to eventually own my own dance school, and I really hope that my students respect and adore me as much as we did her. Miss Bev taught me that it doesn’t overly matter about your ability, as long as you have a passion for dance, then you’re a dancer. That said, as a dance student, I definitely learnt a thing or two about dancing from her. But mainly, that dance should be fun.

Another key trait to my teaching style is based on honesty. In my opinion, there is no point being an arts teacher if you can’t offer honest critical feedback, something which I learnt from my two drama teachers at school. A Level Drama and Theatre Studies is often regarded as a ‘doss subject’, or at least it was in my sixth form common room. Let me set you straight, it’s not. It is challenging, and hard work, and requires so much of your extra time that sometimes other subjects suffer (sorry to my English Lit teachers). Extra rehearsals galore, journal keeping, essay writing explaining why you featured 5 seconds of music in your final group piece. It all adds up. But, Drama kept me sane at sixth form.

As part as our A2, we needed to create a piece of theatre which explored a theme inspired by the provided stimulus. I don’t remember how now, but somehow we produced a piece about adoption. A week prior to our examined performance, we had a dress rehearsal that didn’t exactly go well. And our two drama teachers ripped the piece to shreds, and in all honesty, deservedly so. That piece had no depth, and genuinely would have cost us an A Level. But whilst ripping it to shreds, we were provided with criticism which meant that we could easily develop this piece into something which could get us the grades we wanted. And we got the kick up the backside which we needed to make us work much harder than we had before. The point is, without their honesty about the piece, we would have failed. We needed them to be able to know how we could develop this piece.

In the name of honesty, I’ll admit that sixth form was vile for me. I would do it all again in a second, but life got super crazy, and I had so many meltdowns. But through being honest with my drama teachers about what was happening in my life, they helped me to be able to put all of that aside and focus on my work (eventually, it took me 6/7 months to be able to talk to them). Again, I hope that my future students will have the same respect for me and my opinions that I have for my teachers. They taught me that it’s right to have an opinion, and that it’s okay to express it. Sometimes people (and especially students) need honesty to be able to push forward.

Obviously, there are loads more teachers that have impacted me, some that I now even class as friends. But, and this is purely based on my experiences from school, there is something entirely different about teachers who work within the arts. The usual teacher student behind a desk relationship is broken down. The teaching style is far more collaborative, which is how I work best. I like to feed off other people’s ideas and opinions to create something interesting.

I’m off to teach at the dance club now, so I may blog again later this week. But it would be really interesting to hear some of your opinions on  what makes a good teacher, and about some of the teachers who have inspired you. So leave a comment!

OH! Today’s featured image is a Martha Graham quote which always makes me think of Miss Bev, and is to me, the epitome of dance education. Thought it fitted this post perfectly.

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See you again next time,

Beth x

Wednesday 30th September 2015: Variety is the Spice of Life

Posted on by bethanyaliceh15

Hi everybody!

I think you know by now that I very rarely blog twice in one week. But I’ve had a one off placement with Newave today, and I really just NEEDED to blog about the day! I have been so excited by it all, so wanted to share it with you all.

My placement took place at Ingestre Hall Residential Arts Centre, which is near Stafford (for all my non-Midlands readers, Stafford is just north of me, and just south of Stoke). I knew from the start that this would be an entirely different experience to my other placements, adding another bit of variety to my week. The day really didn’t start off that well, as my sat nav decided to take me right round the Wrekin on the scenic route to get to the hall, which riled me a sizable amount. I regularly question how I get lost in a town that I’ve lived so close to for 20 years, but hey ho! Back on topic. As soon as I arrived, I knew that I would love my day.

The centre itself is breathtaking (see photo at bottom of post). It is grand and gorgeous, and made me feel like an extra on Downton Abbey. And then the facilities just blew me away. What seems like a grand and regal location is actually one of the coolest places I have ever seen. Whilst maintaining the majority of it’s 16th century decor, the building is home to a dance studio, multiple music studios, an art studio, an animations room etc. etc. etc.

As a residential centre, schools visit for week long stays, with students taking part in two different art forms during the week, with two chances to show (Wednesdays and Fridays). Some students may do dance and music, others may do animation and silk paintings. Already very, very cool in my opinion. As a child, I had week long stays at venues like Shugborough and Stanley Head, which were great! But, as a creative young person who lacked the “outdoorsy” trait, caving, rock climbing and learning archery were never my thing. Ingestre would have been perfect for me, so I was so excited about the fact that this sort of residential centre exists.

Though I was only there for one day, I had the chance to talk to a lot of people. Though mainly observing, and very occasionally helping, the lovely Cat DeBlock (I know that her name keeps popping up, what a fab contact she has came to be), I also managed to talk to one of the school teachers who told me about how much of an impact the week had had on certain students. She told me that one student really struggles at school, and that this week had given him an alternative chance to “shine”. I also got chance to have conversations with the other tutors, especially John, the music teacher. He told me about some of the other projects which he had lead, most of which were based upon a collaborative process between him and the students.

Every art form had to create a piece based on the theme of “British Values”, a topic which is becoming ever more important within the curriculum. The centre offers an alternative approach to learning about a topic which can seem very dry, and even boring, to a child. Cat had worked collaboratively with the students to make the piece, using their ideas on the theme and previous dance skills to create three separate sections.

Over the morning the piece developed significantly. When I first arrived, none of the students were performing the dance, and there was very little to work with. By the time that the group did their showing, everybody was bringing something different to the performance, and the moves had became far more technical.

Before today, I would never have even considered this sort of approach to dance teaching. I now see how effective it is to first find out what you are working with, and ask the students for their opinions, and what they already have to offer. Even the route into teaching has really interested me. I love teaching (obviously), but I also love making dance, seeing how a dance can develop and come together. Today made me so jealous of Cat, as she gets the chance to make new work two times a week, as well as having the opportunity to help young people access dance, and consequently education.

Everything that was shown today was moving in one way or another. The animation group created a really cool short film about the iconic British symbols, and the music group performed a song about how Britain is a multi-cultural nation.

It’s crazy but after one day I feel really passionate about residential art centres. I love what Ingestre offers, and the whole principle behind what they are doing. I definitely want to have another chance to explore this sort of setting, so hopefully Cat may allow me to visit again to have some more discussions.

In non-Newave related news, whilst at Chase Terrace yesterday, there was a fire alarm. That was pretty exciting. My first fire alarm as a member of staff! Woooooo!

Anyway, I’m going to love and leave you as I need to be up in the morning for Chase Terrace. Auditions for the musical theatre group’s show are tomorrow, so I need to be alert!

See you next time!

Beth x

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