TASK 2.d Inquiry questions

What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about?

Creating routines to music that I like and enjoy is my passion, I love to teach but there is nothing better than falling in love with a song and having movements and sequences of steps running through your head. As a choreographer and teacher I don’t always get to select the music for the routines I create, however when I can select a piece of music I am passionate about I see a difference in the quality of my routines. I have found working in this way results in the finished product being more original and creative which helps me to develop and refine my choreographing skills. I have to admit when choreographing to music I am less enthusiastic about I often struggle finding inspiration for movement and new ideas, in this situation I will take old routines and recycle sequences of steps and reliable sections of movement.  

Sometimes if there hasn't been any new music that I am passionate about I will create a themed mix or a mash together a group of songs I love. This is a skill I have developed over time through hours and hours of editing on programs like audacity.

Here is the link to a Beyonce mix I made last year for a dance completion, I created the sound effects myself and cut, mixed and edited it all on a program called audacity.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1jejn23tiqeugf3/01%20Track%2001.m4a

Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?

Jennifer Lopez is an artist I have followed for years. I love the way she constantly reinvents her dance styles and always incorporates dance break sections in her music videos. Michael Jackson is also famous for this and I take a lot of my inspiration from his concert mash ups and remixes. They often put sound effects in and over songs to add emphasis on the dance sections. This is something I try to do myself and will often use their music for these sound effects. This type of mixing music inspired me to search for my own sound effects to improve my own music mixes and I have now downloaded a sound effects program that allows me to create my own sounds.

This is a link for one of my favourite Michael Jackson performances, he has many sound effects added over the track to enhance and highlight the dance movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgYedjRUTMY

Jennifer Lopez often has a dance break in the middle of her music videos giving her a section to show her ability with specially made breaks and sound effects to compliment the movement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1xm8kmyKxc

Britney Spears also has some great dance breaks and being a child of the 90s I grew up dancing along to her videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhLGbzw0qLA

What gets you angry or makes you sad?

Children’s negative approach to dance and drama in high school, I understand that performing is not everyone’s passion but it makes me sad when children dread the lesson. I try to make a conscious effort to get to know the students I teach and their limits. I plan my lesson around the student’s ability and always make sure they feel comfortable whilst still aiming to improve their performance.

I get angry when students persistently talk over me at a low level in a large class. Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out exactly who is talking, the students know this and play on it.

Part of my job is to motivate students and come up with ways to make them want to learn. It’s through this that I have found a passion I didn’t know I had, finding resources and materials for lessons. I love spending time searching the internet for facts, movie clips and any resources that relate to the topic I am teaching that might have a positive effect and help motivate the students to engage in the lesson. For example when I had to plan a drama lesson on conscription I found an Ali movie clip with Will Smith playing Mohamed Ali that was very powerful. This got the students attention and also opened up the discussion of the different ways people deal with conscription and how it affects the people around us.

Who do you admire?

I really admire the head of the Performing Arts department at my school and the head of the Dance department. They are both strong independent women who have managed to transform Performing Arts into a strong and successful part of the school curriculum as well as a respected and admired department. I have worked in many schools and sometimes the performing arts departments are considered a joke and never taken seriously. The school is very supportive of the Arts and with the passion and hard work of these two women the students, teachers and parents all respect the importance of the subjects within Performing Arts and encourage their students to take part. It’s with all the support and hard work of these outstanding teachers that has resulted in our GCSE students progressing into serious talent making them a joy to work with. The standard is very high and continues to improve making us stand out as a school in any performance we do.

Who shares your feelings or has found away to work around the sadness or anger?

My head of department is an outstanding teacher and is wonderful to watch. She has the respect and attention of all her students that she has earned through years of hard work and discipline. She says you have to be strict to start, set your boundaries, then you can have a laugh and joke with the students, but the respect and boundaries have to come first. She has the respect needed to be able to show her enthusiasm and passion in drama, this I feel has a positive effect on her students and helps to encourages the students who may not have enjoyed it before. I take every opportunity I have to sit in her lessons and observe as I have learned so much from watching her work and interact with the students, She is an inspiration and my mentor.

What do you love about what you do?

I love teaching teenagers who can lose themselves in performing arts. There is no greater feeling than watching a child forget all their adolescent problems and worries and feel good about themselves through performing. When choreographing for teenagers I try to make the routines demanding but always keep in mind that I want the students to enjoy it and feel good about themselves, so I try to choreograph sequences of steps that I feel good doing and hope that the students respond to it in the same way. I always plan lessons or choose material I feel the students can relate to or learn from and use it as a way for them to get out their anger or sadness through performance. I have watched performing save so many children from so many painful experiences and watched them challenge themselves, turning the pain into passion for performance.

Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?

I have a student I have been teaching for 6 years, she started out as a shy and timid performer always lurking at the back of the class. She has transformed into a passionate and talented dancer and is a joy to watch. I remember the moment she had what I call ‘ the click’, the click is when a good dancer has a moment of transformation where their passion shines through in their performance.  A dancer can have all the talent and technique in the world but lack the feeling and performance quality that makes the audience want to watch them. The click is when this finally happens and all of a sudden they understand what you have been going on about for so long, the passion is just there and it oozes from their body and face transforming from a chorus performer to the one you want to watch. Her passion for dance has gone beyond anything I could have taught her and watching her go from strength to strength makes me feel proud. She is an inspiration and a constant muse for my work inspiring me to be creative and modern.

What do you feel you don’t understand?

The hardest part of my job that confuses me on a daily basis is UN co-operating parents.  When a parent fights you over a detention because they refuse to pick up their child any later than usual, or they just refuse to listen and insist their child is not to blame. This is very frustrating and is one of the hardest parts of my job.  When a child knows their parent will back them up no matter what the circumstances they feel than can do anything and not suffer the consequences. I know the UN co-operating parents of my students and any dealing with them are always a head ache, having a good support system of teachers and Leaders in a school is what gets me through these situations.

How do you decide the appropriate ethical response in a given situation?

I always go with my gut and try to be as honest and truthful as I can in any situation. Outside of work I pretty much don’t have a filter and will always be truthful to my mind, however working in a school I have to practice self control, I gather my thoughts, take a moment and then add a pinch of reserve. I try to stay in control and think carefully before acting on an ethical issue if I can. Sometime in my line of work this is not possible and you just have to act in the moment being as professional as you can. As a teacher you have to hold your tongue and remain professional not only for the sake of your job but for the sake of your reputation as a teacher, For example when a student does or says something that angers me, it is important I remain calm and use the appropriate sanctions, if I were to scream and shout showing my anger the student and the rest of the class would know I had lost control. Part of being a teacher is being in total control of what you say and how your react in difficult situations. Being a teacher means you spend half of your life with your students, you see them five times a week and naturally build relationships having students come to you for advice or problem solving.  This is where I feel the ethical lines gets blurry and in situations I am unsure of I will always speak to my line manager and head of department. I had a situation recently where a student had told me something and wanted me to deal with the situation myself, however I knew this would not be ethical so I had to pass it on to the appropriate authority. This left me feeling like I had betrayed the trust of someone who trusted me and the feeling of guilt was hard to shake off for a while being unable to switch of outside of work. The situation was resolved and the outcome was for the best which the student came to realize. This was a great lesson for me as I now know to ensure the students before they relay any confidential information that as a teacher I may have to pass it on depending on the nature of the information.

To what extent are disciplinary responses different to that you might expect more generally in society? For example, what level of physical contact would you deem appropriate (and not) from another professional that you would find unacceptable more generally? Why?

Dance and drama is very physical so I feel I have more physical contact with the students than most teachers. It takes time to understand your students and create boundaries so for new students or new classes it is best to keep contact as minimal as possible and demonstrate contact dance steps or drama with a teaching assistant if you have one.  As a teacher there isn't much cause for contact other than in dance to re position or demonstrate movement, the occasional comforting hand on the shoulder now and again but that’s as far as I would say contact goes.

What I find interesting is the difference between teaching in a school and in an after school Performing Arts Company. I have worked for a musical theater company for years and the students are more relaxed around teachers, especially younger students. They often run in and hug you or try to hold your hand, this never happens in school as I feel the students understand the difference in the boundaries.