Last week I was able to meet up with Hannah Stewart who is one of my SIG group members. We sat down and tried to dissect the topic of Ethics; discussing points we felt we had learnt from the reader and how we could use some of the guidelines to help conduct out own inquiries.
We feel there is a lot to think about when it comes to ethics. It is such a wide subject full of different opinions and rules which can of course depend on the scenarios you face.
As mentioned in my previous blog, I feel BERA provides us with a great framework to work with. We used this as a guide to help us then configure our own rules that we feel would relate to the intended Inquiry.
- To provide at all times a safe environment when the inquiry is taking place to ensure that no harm comes to participants.
- Respect all involved and explain that at any time they can stop the interview if they feel uncomfortable etc.
- Inform them of the purpose and objectives of the inquiry and who will benefit from the information collected.
- In some cases, agree to keep data collected anonymous. For example, in a one to one interview I might refer to the source as X, Y and Z. This could reflect on the information as the participant may be more honest.
- Participants involved must all fill out a declaration form to consent the use of information given. When working with under 18's, a written consent must be given from a parent or guardian.
- All information must be securely stored so that it doesn't get in to the wrong hands. E.g password protected/ locked filing cabinet.
- Ask only questions that are relevant to the inquiry. Don't veer off on to an unnecessary subject.
- All Information will be disposed of after the inquiry.
It will be interesting to discuss this further with others in my SIG group to see if they have any other important points to add.
Please feel free to comment :)! Let me know if you think I have missed something really important off!
Thanks :)
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Award Title
So after hours/days/weeks of thinking about my inquiry topic/award title i have decided to focus in on the networking side of being a professional.....how is it we stay within the loop of our industry...be this any industry! I feel this is important to us as as performers as things are forever changing....but it is also relevant in all other walks of life and other industries. I believe this is a topic that is prominent in what ever you want to do which is why I am choosing it! I feel this can give me the opportunity to open other doors in my life as i feel it does not limit me to any one thing. Networking was a theme presented in the previous module and this part of the course i found to be the most interesting and exciting...i therefore want to explore this further!
So finding the right words...when your out of work and your pushing for that next job...how do u keep yourself ready?....'keeping in the loop' somehow doesn't sound quite right....'the sources in which we use to widen our success'....'involved/in the loop/aware'.....'the ways in which you use networking to impact the success of your career'! Any suggestions on wording I could use?
Award title possibility
BA Honours Professional Practice In Network Communications?
Ok so after deeper consideration, realising that my first idea was completely off the mark...I have now decided on an appropriate award title.
BA Honours Professional Practice in Performing Arts
After an email conversation with Adesola and other people's feedback, I realised that 'Performing Arts' shows that I am knowledgable in this subject as a whole and although I am focusing in on the networking side of things, it demonstrates my understanding from all angles.
Performing arts is something I have been passionate about all my life. It is for this reason I chose to move to London at the age of 16 and attend musical theatre college. Along with previous training from a young age, this experience has provided me with the tools necessary to be successful in this industry.
This course has opened my eyes to methods we can use to help develop success and this is why I want to discover more about networking. I believe that this is a vital tool in this profession and will be interested to see how others feel about this.
So finding the right words...when your out of work and your pushing for that next job...how do u keep yourself ready?....'keeping in the loop' somehow doesn't sound quite right....'the sources in which we use to widen our success'....'involved/in the loop/aware'.....'the ways in which you use networking to impact the success of your career'! Any suggestions on wording I could use?
Award title possibility
BA Honours Professional Practice In Network Communications?
Ok so after deeper consideration, realising that my first idea was completely off the mark...I have now decided on an appropriate award title.
BA Honours Professional Practice in Performing Arts
After an email conversation with Adesola and other people's feedback, I realised that 'Performing Arts' shows that I am knowledgable in this subject as a whole and although I am focusing in on the networking side of things, it demonstrates my understanding from all angles.
Performing arts is something I have been passionate about all my life. It is for this reason I chose to move to London at the age of 16 and attend musical theatre college. Along with previous training from a young age, this experience has provided me with the tools necessary to be successful in this industry.
This course has opened my eyes to methods we can use to help develop success and this is why I want to discover more about networking. I believe that this is a vital tool in this profession and will be interested to see how others feel about this.
5B-Codes of practice/regulations in the work place
I found it really interesting discovering more about ethics beyond my own realisations. Some of those original thoughts popped up but i was also able to develop my knowledge on this subject by exploring ethical frame works in a variety of different work places.
The principles of ethics i feel are very similar throughout all types of working environments. Whether it be in the theatre, a class room or even a supermarket, i feel it is the way in which you conduct yourself around others and respect them and the environment. Punctuality, respect, honesty (along with the other points i mentioned in my previous blog) are examples of the traits i believe can be used no matter where you are in life. That was my initial over view of ethics in general...however, delving in to further information enabled me to realise that the principles of ethics may vary slightly depending on your place of work.
For example:
A Teaching Environment
Royal Academy Of Dance is one of the most influential dance education and training organisastions in the world so you can imagine my excitement when i stumbled upon its Code Of Conduct! We only learn from the best :)!
Please take a look at the link!
http://www.rad.org.uk/files/ART255_Code%20of%20Conduct%20English.pdf
I love how clear everything is explained to us. There are 4 themes, each with their own bullet points which enables us to read swiftly and digest the information given. They don't bore us with paragraphs and paragraphs of information...they are straight to the point.
Some of the most interesting points for me:
1. Integrity- Respect the confidentiality of colleagues and students.
Confidentiality within a teaching environment is very important. I myself have not taught much but throughout my training i have confided in teachers. It would be seen to be very unprofessional if as a teacher you did not respect this.
2. Competence- Maintain up to date subject knowledge and understanding.
For a teacher this i feel is one of the most important points...because at the end of the day, students go to learn and how can they do this if the teacher doesn't even know what they are talking about? Syllabus work and styles are constantly changing and it is up to the teacher to maintain their standard, knowledge wise as well as physically.
3. Professionalism- Ensure the facilities in which they practice are adequately maintained and constitute a safe learning environment.
Health and safety is a vital when in a learning environment, especially when working with children. Being aware of your space is so important to help prevent injury and provide a successful standard of practice.
4. Compliance- RAD registered teachers are responsible for ensuring that their practices are in full compliance with current legislation in their country of operation as this code of conduct and professional practice.
This code of conduct must be adhered to by all teachers working on behalf of the RAD.
This piece of information has been a great guide line for me for future teaching work i decide to take on.
The Theatre
Whilst discussing and researching ethics with Hannah Stewart earlier last week, she managed to find a great link which talks about the ethics of theatre workers.
Please take a look at the link and especially focus in on the 'rules'. Yes it was written in 1945 but i would say that everything it says pretty much stands the same today!
http://www.lastagetimes.com/2009/08/a-1945-code-of-ethics-for-theatre-workers-surfaces/
As i mentioned in my earlier blog, i found that trying to actually think of ethics in my place of work was quite difficult as i never really think about doing it....it just sort of happens automatically.
For example: Never miss a performance, I shall play every performance to my full ability, never miss an entrance, listen to the advice given by directors/ producers/ choreographers, never change lines/choreography on my own accord. The list of 'rules' in the LA Stage Times has made all these points more solid in my mind reiterated to me the importance of these ethics. I luckily have had a very strict training so adhere to these mostly without even having to think or remind myself. However i have witnessed several incidents where other people have not followed these guide lines and it has sometimes resulted in them loosing a job!
The principles of ethics i feel are very similar throughout all types of working environments. Whether it be in the theatre, a class room or even a supermarket, i feel it is the way in which you conduct yourself around others and respect them and the environment. Punctuality, respect, honesty (along with the other points i mentioned in my previous blog) are examples of the traits i believe can be used no matter where you are in life. That was my initial over view of ethics in general...however, delving in to further information enabled me to realise that the principles of ethics may vary slightly depending on your place of work.
For example:
A Teaching Environment
Royal Academy Of Dance is one of the most influential dance education and training organisastions in the world so you can imagine my excitement when i stumbled upon its Code Of Conduct! We only learn from the best :)!
Please take a look at the link!
http://www.rad.org.uk/files/ART255_Code%20of%20Conduct%20English.pdf
I love how clear everything is explained to us. There are 4 themes, each with their own bullet points which enables us to read swiftly and digest the information given. They don't bore us with paragraphs and paragraphs of information...they are straight to the point.
Some of the most interesting points for me:
1. Integrity- Respect the confidentiality of colleagues and students.
Confidentiality within a teaching environment is very important. I myself have not taught much but throughout my training i have confided in teachers. It would be seen to be very unprofessional if as a teacher you did not respect this.
2. Competence- Maintain up to date subject knowledge and understanding.
For a teacher this i feel is one of the most important points...because at the end of the day, students go to learn and how can they do this if the teacher doesn't even know what they are talking about? Syllabus work and styles are constantly changing and it is up to the teacher to maintain their standard, knowledge wise as well as physically.
3. Professionalism- Ensure the facilities in which they practice are adequately maintained and constitute a safe learning environment.
Health and safety is a vital when in a learning environment, especially when working with children. Being aware of your space is so important to help prevent injury and provide a successful standard of practice.
4. Compliance- RAD registered teachers are responsible for ensuring that their practices are in full compliance with current legislation in their country of operation as this code of conduct and professional practice.
This code of conduct must be adhered to by all teachers working on behalf of the RAD.
This piece of information has been a great guide line for me for future teaching work i decide to take on.
The Theatre
Whilst discussing and researching ethics with Hannah Stewart earlier last week, she managed to find a great link which talks about the ethics of theatre workers.
Please take a look at the link and especially focus in on the 'rules'. Yes it was written in 1945 but i would say that everything it says pretty much stands the same today!
http://www.lastagetimes.com/2009/08/a-1945-code-of-ethics-for-theatre-workers-surfaces/
As i mentioned in my earlier blog, i found that trying to actually think of ethics in my place of work was quite difficult as i never really think about doing it....it just sort of happens automatically.
For example: Never miss a performance, I shall play every performance to my full ability, never miss an entrance, listen to the advice given by directors/ producers/ choreographers, never change lines/choreography on my own accord. The list of 'rules' in the LA Stage Times has made all these points more solid in my mind reiterated to me the importance of these ethics. I luckily have had a very strict training so adhere to these mostly without even having to think or remind myself. However i have witnessed several incidents where other people have not followed these guide lines and it has sometimes resulted in them loosing a job!
An important point!
Adesola pointed out to me something really important 'Ethics is also about how you make the assumption that inform the guidelines' (Adesola Akinleye 2013). In are thought processes, before we even demonstrate good ethics, we have to realise what it is that causes us to have the assumption...for us then to carry out the guidelines.
For example:
No racism....but what is race? I found this website explained race really well. Please explore it as i found it really interesting.
http://www.pbs.org/race/001_WhatIsRace/001_00-home.htm
The Cambridge dictionary online defines race 'A group, especially of people, with particular similar physical characteristics, who are considered as belonging to the same type, or the fact of belonging to such a group'
So we all have different physical features, religions, beliefs etc but behind all that, inside us, are we really different at all?Some people make their own minds up about who is who, and judge other people by what's on the outside. That's when people decide to take it upon themselves to call someone different. It could even be something so small as wearing glasses as a child. It sounds so stupid but other children may look at this as being 'different' but really is it because it is something they are just not used to seeing? If we all had glasses on then no one would think otherwise. We all have our own unique features and characteristics but this doesn't make it ok for people to be discriminative towards us. That is why I believe treating everyone as equals/no discrimination towards race is an important ethic to demonstrate throughout all types of practice
It is important to realise why we have these guidelines:
Equality throughout
Equality of men and women
Principles decent human conduct
Human rights
Health and safety
Abiding to the law
Concern for the natural environment
For example:
No racism....but what is race? I found this website explained race really well. Please explore it as i found it really interesting.
http://www.pbs.org/race/001_WhatIsRace/001_00-home.htm
The Cambridge dictionary online defines race 'A group, especially of people, with particular similar physical characteristics, who are considered as belonging to the same type, or the fact of belonging to such a group'
So we all have different physical features, religions, beliefs etc but behind all that, inside us, are we really different at all?Some people make their own minds up about who is who, and judge other people by what's on the outside. That's when people decide to take it upon themselves to call someone different. It could even be something so small as wearing glasses as a child. It sounds so stupid but other children may look at this as being 'different' but really is it because it is something they are just not used to seeing? If we all had glasses on then no one would think otherwise. We all have our own unique features and characteristics but this doesn't make it ok for people to be discriminative towards us. That is why I believe treating everyone as equals/no discrimination towards race is an important ethic to demonstrate throughout all types of practice
It is important to realise why we have these guidelines:
Equality throughout
Equality of men and women
Principles decent human conduct
Human rights
Health and safety
Abiding to the law
Concern for the natural environment
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
5A- Ethics in the work place
Ethics within the industry
Me and Hannah decided to brainstorm a few ideas on our own then come together and discuss. I actually found it quite difficult to think and put words on the page as I realised that a lot of these ethics I naturally just put in to practice without even realising it. Most of it is common sense! Here are my thoughts on ethics used in the work place.
No bullying- Both physical and mental abuse is not allowed. You have to be careful to not cross a line with friends e.g a good laugh and 'banter' could actually go too far and be classed as abuse so you should always be aware.
No racisim/ discrimination- Towards people of a different race/religion/someone who is different
Professionalism- Time keeping, appearance, manners.
Keeping boundaries within the work place- eg your boss may be your friend but in the work place they are your boss and so a professional relationship should be kept at all times. Dont cross the line. There is a pecking order in most places of work. *
No breaching of contracts
Copyright- Sheetmusic, choreography, film footage.
Declarations- Rights given for the filming of auditions/photographs being taken. People have the right to decide.
Crb checks
* What are peoples thoughts on pecking orders in the work place? Of course we do need different levels of authority otherwise things wouldn't get done! There may be input from the group as a whole but then there does need to be that person who makes the final decision/tells people their jobs etc (eg stage manager/dance captain). But what about if for example, ensemble members (a lesser position as some would say) are told to not talk to a certain 'bigger' member of the cast eg the star. Is this classed as discrimination? I have definitely experienced this before and wonder what other peoples thoughts are on this!
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Why being unemployed is worse for a dancer than it is for you (a normal person)
A few light bulbs went off in my head after reading this article.
http://www.tightsandtiaras.com/2011/05/unemployed/
'Being a dancer, there is another aspect unemployment you don’t see with office-workers. Dancing professionally is a hard physical activity. It requires you to be on your best shape, something we achieve by training hours every day. Once you don’t have a job, you don’t have a place to do that training, either. No ballet class. And for a professional dancer, no class equals disaster. Yes, you might train at home to a certain degree, and you might be able to find open classes in private studios if you live in the right area. But those classes are not meant for professionals (not to mention expensive), and just simply don’t provide you with the exercises you need to keep in shape. And if you’re not in shape, no one is going to hire you either. The excuse “I’m better than this, but I’ve been unemployed, and couldn’t find a normal place to take class” just doesn’t work in a dance audition. It’s a vicious circle'
I feel i can relate strongly to Henricks article and i believe most other professionals in this industry would feel the same. I'm not certain non performers would neccessarily agree with the phrase 'why being unemployed is worse for a dancer than it is for you (a normal person)' but you would have to admit that many challanging issues occur for us. Maybe if they put themselves in our shoes for a while and see how they managed?
Any thoughts?
http://www.tightsandtiaras.com/2011/05/unemployed/
'Being a dancer, there is another aspect unemployment you don’t see with office-workers. Dancing professionally is a hard physical activity. It requires you to be on your best shape, something we achieve by training hours every day. Once you don’t have a job, you don’t have a place to do that training, either. No ballet class. And for a professional dancer, no class equals disaster. Yes, you might train at home to a certain degree, and you might be able to find open classes in private studios if you live in the right area. But those classes are not meant for professionals (not to mention expensive), and just simply don’t provide you with the exercises you need to keep in shape. And if you’re not in shape, no one is going to hire you either. The excuse “I’m better than this, but I’ve been unemployed, and couldn’t find a normal place to take class” just doesn’t work in a dance audition. It’s a vicious circle'
I feel i can relate strongly to Henricks article and i believe most other professionals in this industry would feel the same. I'm not certain non performers would neccessarily agree with the phrase 'why being unemployed is worse for a dancer than it is for you (a normal person)' but you would have to admit that many challanging issues occur for us. Maybe if they put themselves in our shoes for a while and see how they managed?
The unemployed dancer...How do we cope being out of work?
How do we sustain technical abilities we spent so long trying to perfect when we are not dancing? How do we afford to keep it up? class is expensive, gym is expensive, traveling to auditions is expensive (sometimes to another county!!)
Good nutrition....good food costs good money!
Profit share productions- wage dependent on profit made. How do people cope? Not a guaranteed good wage but priceless experience!
A comment i made to Mimi Whitney
Sorry and just one last point...some of your questions ask about performers wages and how they can differ... from march i am going to be part of profit share show ( wage depends on the amount of profit made) so until the very end i wont actually know how much i will be earning. It took me a while to decide if i could actually afford to do it or not! It will offer me a great experience as well as being able to perform alongside a prestigious cast for a month...not only that, it will will be a great credit to my cv and and something that could lead on to other things! So i decided to accept it....but even though i am doing what i want to do, i still am going to be juggling a normal job as well because i have bills to pay! It will be interesting to see how others in the cast are coping...we all love to perform but at the end of the day, we all have to live as well! I thought you might find this interesting!
What is your opinion on profit shares/low paid jobs?
http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/newsblog/2011/07/low-pay-no-pay-david-grewcock/
A comment i made to Mimi Whitney
Sorry and just one last point...some of your questions ask about performers wages and how they can differ... from march i am going to be part of profit share show ( wage depends on the amount of profit made) so until the very end i wont actually know how much i will be earning. It took me a while to decide if i could actually afford to do it or not! It will offer me a great experience as well as being able to perform alongside a prestigious cast for a month...not only that, it will will be a great credit to my cv and and something that could lead on to other things! So i decided to accept it....but even though i am doing what i want to do, i still am going to be juggling a normal job as well because i have bills to pay! It will be interesting to see how others in the cast are coping...we all love to perform but at the end of the day, we all have to live as well! I thought you might find this interesting!
What is your opinion on profit shares/low paid jobs?
http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/newsblog/2011/07/low-pay-no-pay-david-grewcock/
SQUEEZING ALL THIS IN WHILST HAVING AN ACTUAL NORMAL JOB TO GET US BY!
Any thoughts?
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Task 4a
A set of questions/ideas that relate to my every day professional practice
Keeping fit and healthy both physically and mentally in an industry that is very unstable
Injury prevention being a dancer
How to deal with rejection
Preparation to ensure you are audition ready
Juggling a normal (mortal) job being a dancer/ flexible enough for auditions
So many ideas are coming in to my head....already what i love about this module is that its giving you the freedom to choose a subject/question that you are interested in and that relates to your daily life. At first i sat thinking really hard about ideas that i should be using, but then i just sat back and realised that all i needed to do was think about my daily practice and the things that occur....because then thats my life and interests and so the information is there right in front of me and gives me the tools to explore further beyond myself and question other peoples attitudes. Whether they be in the same situation as myself or completely different....all opinions and circumstance will contribute to my inquiry and thats what will make it so interesting and exciting!
At the moment a question that i am swaying towards more:
In an industry that is very unstable, where work is sometimes sparse, how is it you keep yourself fit and healthy, both physically and mentally?
Themes:
Healthy eating- Good nutrition to keep strong/ sensible eating so we look are best
Motivation- Both fitness and healthy eating can help boost motivation because you feel more confident in yourself
I will keep adding more ideas as they come! Feedback would be greatly appreciated! :)
Keeping fit and healthy both physically and mentally in an industry that is very unstable
Injury prevention being a dancer
How to deal with rejection
Preparation to ensure you are audition ready
Juggling a normal (mortal) job being a dancer/ flexible enough for auditions
So many ideas are coming in to my head....already what i love about this module is that its giving you the freedom to choose a subject/question that you are interested in and that relates to your daily life. At first i sat thinking really hard about ideas that i should be using, but then i just sat back and realised that all i needed to do was think about my daily practice and the things that occur....because then thats my life and interests and so the information is there right in front of me and gives me the tools to explore further beyond myself and question other peoples attitudes. Whether they be in the same situation as myself or completely different....all opinions and circumstance will contribute to my inquiry and thats what will make it so interesting and exciting!
At the moment a question that i am swaying towards more:
In an industry that is very unstable, where work is sometimes sparse, how is it you keep yourself fit and healthy, both physically and mentally?
Themes:
In and out of work- Very few people are lucky enough to go from job to job....so how do we cope in between the dance work (if you are lucky enough to get work at all)? Because at the end of the day we have to work to be able to live...so how do we juggle everything to make sure we can still pay our rent as well as be fit physically and mentally...because only then do we have a chance of getting that dream job!
Keeping fit and audition ready- Going the gym/taking class
Healthy eating- Good nutrition to keep strong/ sensible eating so we look are best
Motivation- Both fitness and healthy eating can help boost motivation because you feel more confident in yourself
I will keep adding more ideas as they come! Feedback would be greatly appreciated! :)
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