TASK 3.c Sources of Information

Sources of Information

When beginning this task I must admit I struggled to think of five different sources as it seemed to me that most of my information has come from the internet. I decided to peruse the blogs of my fellow BAPP Arts students to see what they had chosen. Upon reading only two blogs my train of thought began and I realized that I actually have a wide variety of sources. Some of which I had not thought of as sources of information but rather a casual conversation between colleges and friends.

My Boss/ Colleagues

I am very fortunate to have a number of inspirational and intelligent people working above me that are extremely approachable and very resourceful. I make a conscious effort to build working relationships as I feel it not only makes your professional life more manageable but more enjoyable too. The head of the performing arts department at my school is a wonderful woman with a brilliant mind and an open door policy, I find in times of need I will always go to her. She always makes time to sit down and go through any schemes of work and discuss ideas I may have. I can always go to her with any questions or problems however big, small or relevant to my work. Even the simple things like how to use the copy machine and what the codes are, she is always ready and willing to help. I consider myself very lucky to be surrounded by so many talented and experienced professionals as the performing arts department in my school is one of the best departments I have worked for. Everyone has so much experience and knowledge of the industry and the working world I feel I am a sponge in their presence and everyday though general and casual conversation I learn so much. I make an effort to ask as much as possible and extract as much information about their experiences and opinions whenever I possibly can.

The Internet

Anything I want to know I can always rely on the internet, I have always been a very proud person and asking for help about the little things always bothered me. Then came the internet, an endless open book with all the answers you could possibly need. Della Estlin says on her blog: there is so much to be learned from research that can be done via the internet. She says she uses the internet for things such as:

• ·         Inspiration for ideas regarding class  work and choreography
• ·         Buying books, syllabus and dance equipment
• ·         Reading articles relating to work
• ·         Gathering sources
• ·         Sending and receiving email
• ·         To keep in contact with people in the same profession
• ·         Searching for jobs

The internet is a brilliant source of information from all of the above and like Della I use it for the same reasons. Understandably you may have to sift through a few wrong sites before you find a creditable and reliable answer, but the internet for me is by far my biggest source of information. If I don’t understand something, if I need an answer urgently, if I want to read into the night about a topic then the internet is the place for all that. I am not one for reading books and going to the local library, I love that the information I need is but a click away. Obviously with the internet you have to make sure your information is correct and you can’t always accept the first answer you find. As a teacher I have to ensure that the information I pass on is correct as that is my job, so when gathering information for the web I always make sure I visit plenty of sites and look up published facts. There have been times when I haven’t done as much research as I probably should have and my information has been a little wrong, at that moment there is always a student ready to point out your mistake, which leads on to another source of information I have, my students.

My students

As I am a secondary school teacher I mostly work with teenagers, teenagers talk and surf the web more than any other age group and their supply of random information is endless. At the start of everyday one of my students with walk in the class room and say “miss do you know.....” and 50% of the time it’s something I didn’t know. Students are a great source of information for me and I will always ask their opinion on schemes of work I am teaching and ask what they enjoy learning the most. Students will often fill me in on the latest music and trends which is important information for me as it helps when planning lessons or choreography. If I know what the students like I have a better chance of motivating them and developing their ability. Having students as a source of information not only keeps me up to date with the latest trends, but allows me to build teacher- student relationships, which are important to my work.

YouTube

YouTube is one of the most important sources of information for me with regards to choreographing. I can spend hours watching new music videos to better educate myself on the current trends and styles. I believe as a choreographer you must have a vast knowledge of choreography and always be up to date with the latest styles and trends.  I will also use YouTube to research styles I am unfamiliar with for example:  I had to do a dance piece for a ball scene set in the early 1900s, I am confident that without the use of YouTube I would have got the style completely wrong. It’s also helpful when you have to choreograph a style that is unfamiliar to you and you are struggling for inspiration or ideas, watching YouTube videos inspires me and I always come away with ideas of my own. It’s like your own little muse for whatever or whenever you need a little inspiration. YouTube is also brilliant as a quick fix for a problem, For example, when setting up this blog I struggled for about an hour setting up the display page, I decided to search for a video on setting up your blog and I found one. Ten minutes later I was fully informed and ready to go, from then on whenever I had a blog query I would just Google a specific video for that problem.

Events

As a working member of the Arts I feel it is important to attend as many shows and performances as possible. Pip Spalton says in her blog: I extract information and gather experience from going to watch performances. I completely agree with this and whenever there is a performance in town I will always go if I can. Liverpool is a very creative city with so many plays, musicals, arts shows, fashion shows and dance performances to see that there is always an opportunity to learn something new and be inspired. As most of my friends are in the Performing Arts Industry I never struggle for company to events, it is great sharing the experience with someone who understands and being able to discuss in depth your opinions and new ideas.