Friday 7 October 2011

Thoughts from Summer and Interview Preperations

If im honest reading through the feedback was daunting and getting started was a scary prospect. However, after much dileberation I have decided to adapt my Inquiry title and re-focus my investigation. Re-reading my plan I have to agree that simplifing the task will help clarify what I want to learn from this module. I am going to evaluate and decide what is most important and come back with a better title and refined plan.

 
Although I aimed to compare experiences from my own and others including, students, professionals and teachers I have realised that I only really intended to focus on those who are training now. This I feel limited the potential scope for reliable results. Experiences are easily influenced by many variables. I failed to see that this would distort my underlying questions. Other professionals and teachers are the key to finding the answers I need to make sense of my inquiry.

 
Over the summer my employment at the dancing school ended, this is where I regularly taught and had hoped to study the dancers. Sadly this will not now be possible therefore my inquiry will have to change direction slightly. I still teach at LCPA, so this is now where I want to do the bulk of my research. Here I teach Body Conditioning to training dancers in a professional college. At the moment the gym at the college is out of action so this has altered my plans further. Consequently, I am going to start my research with the teachers at the college by creating an interview/questionnaire for staff who are willing take part in my investigation.

 
Here are a few  questions I could start with:
  • Is previous dance training important when embarking on a professional training course and why?
  • How do you prepare for the year/term/class?
  • What variables do you take into consideration when planning a dance class/the term?
  • What do you feel is the most important attribute in a dancer, or put the following into the order of which you feel is accurate. 1 being the most important and 8 the least.
  • Technique, Flexibility, Strength, Physique, Image, Confidence/Personality, Performing skills, Ability to pick up choreography.
  • Do you feel there are any other factors when training that need to be accounted for?
  • Is there a dance discipline that you feel is essentual when training and why?
  • What advice would you give to a training dancer?
  • Do you feel dance is important to a Singer, Actor or someone wanting to work professionally as an all rounder wanting the to offer triple threat?
  • What emphasis do you feel is put into dance training in a Musical Theatre Course and how do you feel dance should be distributed through the course?
  • Assuming I know nothing of the dance world what would you say was the purpose of this course?
  • How do you ensure targets are met?
  • What classes do you feel most appropriately trains a dancer for their future and why?
  • What skills do you feel are essential for a graduating dancer?
  • Once a student has graduated what advice would you give to help them with their career?

 
I hope this is a good start. Im going to think about it some more, I have a few more days before my actual interview so feel free to comment everyone many thanks in advance! Aby X

1 comment:

  1. Aby

    You have had to make changes - a number of people have this happen so it is about making sure that the shift in your plan makes sense. It sounds like you have concentrated on this one level of training at the LCPA - that might also focus your inquiry more and be a good thing. The above questions seem to be wideranging. What is the main focus now? What a teacher of dance looks for in a student? What classes are most important? something about the factors in training? Can you state your current inquiry question? What is your topic about now? Please send an update to your plan and use the Campus Session 3 slideshare on my blog to help see what point you are up to now - how many interviews - what type of tutors etc. Cheers.

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