Nicola Week's Interview

Nicola Week's interview. Nicola is a very experienced performer.

Holly's interview

Holly Robinson's interview. Holly is currently at Performing Arts College

Helena's interview

My Interview with Helena. She as been in the business for a couple of years.

Summary of important findings so far in 100 words

• A dancer’s professional life depends heavily on physical condition and ability.
• A dancer has more chance of getting work however the longevity is shorter than other disciplines.
• To be a dancer or teacher you must maintain flexibility, a good body tone and all round fitness.
• More than 50% of professional performers/teachers only “sometimes “go to class.
• Generally dancers are more expendable; singers are treated better and get higher wage.
• Most performers find auditions to be intimidating.
• Professional Dancers living in London are more successfully than a dancer outside of London.

I have completed in-depth research for the above bullet points.

Writing a research proposal

Strangely enough one of my very talented student’s (who is wanted to go into professional training) made me realise why I was doing this inquiry. At the end of class she asked me “What college do you think is best for me?” she explained that she was worried as she only danced and in all the auditions (she wanted to attend) she has to sing, dance and act. I thought about it and I realised at the time I just auditioned for one college (Italia Conti) and looking back I feel it was not the best college for me. The training did not develop me into the performer I wanted to be.  I asked her “Where do you want to be in five years’ time?” I feel this is a question everybody needs to ask themselves as going to the wrong college could change your future. 

I viewed some blogs and Mina outlined her project using Booth, Williams, & Colomb, 2003-The craft of research. I thought this would be a good idea for my inquiry research so I could identify where and what I wanted to do on paper.

Topic: this project will study...the different paths that a performer can take in order to have a successful career. Looking at different practitioners within the arts, some who are multi-skilled others who are specialists at their chosen discipline.

Question/problem:  to find out... Do modern performers need to be multi-skilled in order to have a successful career?  Is it best to concentrate on one style or conquer all? What will enable my career to progress? Learn how to manage time for classes and being able to pay for them.

Significance: I am highly invested in this topic as my conclusions will inform how I proceed as a performer and perhaps more importantly as a teacher, facilitating the development of the next generation of arts practitioners.

Primary resources: My main source would be my pilots as the information will be from experienced performers within the arts as they can connect with my inquiry- Focus groups, SIG group, Interviews, Survey Monkey. My literature review will also be a main source.

Secondary sources: additional data will come from other literatures. I will research the history context and the way the arts have developed over the years.

Methods: Analysing my pilots, speaking to professionals, researching literature, and general investigating.

Justification: Connecting to an audience who are in the arts will help find the answers as they have the experience and the understanding of my inquiry.

Limitations: I think my limitation is not finding in-depth answers as the topic is quite broad.

Results from Surveys and Questionnaires

My development tools offered me a huge amount of reinforcement and answers which have further developed my thinking. I had presumed that most people would have similar opinions and experiences however they couldn’t have been more different, and this has reminded me to keep looking at my inquiry from a variety of angles. This was daunting at first as I already felt like I had so much analysing and research to do. Funnily enough, that anxious feeling is very similar to the way I think about my career; the mind-set of having to be always good at everything, which is fast becoming clear as impossible to achieve. This in itself links back to my inquiry, feeling stressed as I am trying to conquer all. Reflecting on the previous module, we discussed personal true virtues and values and how they relate to our profession.  One of mine was “Ambitious”, and it is clear to me I do have a strong desire for success and achievement in my work. In January 2011 I started my own business, and after 6 months I want to aim higher still, so now I am in the research and planning stage of opening my own theatre school. Some people would say I will never be happy with what I have and honestly, I have to agree. Maybe only ambitious people have the same problem as me? I know I have gone off topic slightly, but on pursuing these thoughts internally I found that they linked quite easily and comfortably with my inquiry: Ambition is surely a relevant condition to consider when it comes to my inquiry on multi-skilling. Surely it is a certain type of person who pushes themselves to be the best at not just one, but a variety of things?

Organising Pilots

This module will prove to be challenging in light of the breadth of the topic and the multitude of angles that can be considered. I thought that I would use my blog page as my notepad in order to collate my feelings and findings into one resource.

As I looked back at my inquiry plan, I was reminded to carry out my pilots early on in the process, as this may influence where I take my inquiry next.

I have already uploaded a survey titled “Are you a triple threat?” I feel this makes a good starting point with this straightforward question being so close to my inquiry line. I am extremely interested to see other people’s views and how they view their own abilities.

I will post my special interest group by the end of the week to capture my peers early on in the process. My special interest group is titled “How can we achieve longevity in the Performing Arts?” I hope for a lively debate full of stimulating answers.

I have organized my focus group to take place in the comfort of my own home on the 16^th October. The focus group theme is “The Business of the Performing Arts”. I will be filming this discussion for further analysis. This will include the following people:

·         Naomi Morgan

·         David Carboni

·         Emma Hughes

I also propose to conduct three individual interviews for the purpose of my inquiry. These will take place during the month of November as this is my during my Pantomine season and I will therefore have access to a selection of professional performers. This will I hope give me a range of experiences from which to gain some varied perspectives. For this pilot I have identified the following interviewees:

·         Holly Robinson
·         Helena Waite-Roberts
·         Nicola Weeks

After exploring the Reader 7-professional inquiry I have decided that I wish to present my data in a variety of formats to help with producing an engaging presentation, including images and film. The survey results which I obtain will be formulated into various charts, and I expect that this primarily visual method will impact positively on the audience’s understanding of my findings.

SIG Group

I do hate to be bossy but can a few people post on my SIG group please. Its called "How can we achieve Longevity in the Performing Arts?"

Link is http://www.facebook.com/#!/topic.php?uid=145821545478191&topic=155

Reflecting on my professional inquiry plan.

Revisiting my inquiry plan has been extremely useful in helping me to consolidate my thoughts and intentions for the project at hand. To reiterate and clarify, my project is focused largely on one question:

        “Do performers need to be multi-skilled in order to have a successful career in the arts?”

Using this as my line of inquiry I intend to use the full variety of investigative tools available to me. To take the subject further, I would also like to examine the issue from some other angles; I want to look at the business of the performing arts as a whole, evaluate other practitioners’ experiences, approaches to work, and their achievements.

The impetus for this inquiry is the limitation in my career progression which I have often felt, through a lack of clear guidance from any discernible mentors around me and the sometimes too broad range of options I have been fortunate enough to have. It has been a constant concern for me and I have anecdotally learned that many of my peers have at one time or another felt hindered in much the same way.
In my professional inquiry plan I stated:

“For some time I have questioned which path to take, do I concentrate on one particular style or do I conquer all?”

I need to discover which approach will work best for me and will therefore offer me greater career opportunities and fulfilment. The Performing Arts industry is very competitive, so the most obvious tactic for a focused performer would be to aim for competency in as many skills as possible, theoretically leading to a higher success rate in securing work. However, to master even one skill as a performer you need focus, dedication, good work ethics, and many hours of training. To try to equal this skill level in a variety of disciplines could prove to be near impossible.

As I pursue the avenues of employment available to me, I am discovering that even in a depressed economic climate there is a lot of work to be gained if the skillset matches. The paradox is that this deepens my concern that I will at some point make the wrong choice and end up closing as many doors as I open, resulting in unemployment.

Are you a Triple Threat?

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back. I have a new survey that I would like you to answer.

Its called "Are you a triple threat", its a nice one I promise!!!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BV9LXNQ

Thank you x

Critical Reflection and Summary:Digital Portfolio

This journey has been stimulating, encouraging me to alter the way in which my professional career is heading.

To begin the module I brainstormed lines of professional inquiry, which was a surprisingly speedy process as I realised the number of questions for which I wanted answers. I soon decided I needed to limit my results and concentrate on just three lines of inquiry. I developed the question “Should dancers still continue to train whist in work?” (Reference A). I concluded there is no time for rest in the tough world of the Performing Arts; devotion is the key to success. From this I decided to explore another topic, “Is criticism too powerful in the performing industry?”(Reference B). I received a strong response to this inquiry which showed me clearly that others have an interest in this particular area. Further, I discovered that as a performer I am very open to criticism and respond well to other contrasting opinions. Even though I knew I would enjoy developing this topic, I felt that I would prefer to engage with something which is more likely to increase my chances of career success.

The final inquiry I wanted to delve into was “Should you master one style of dance or be skilled in all?”(Reference C). I felt an immediate connection to this inquiry as I continually doubt the choices that I make, and it became quickly apparent that this was the topic I wanted to proceed with. I began my research and posted my thoughts and findings on ‘wiki spaces’ (Reference D). I created a special interest group on Facebook called “Jack of all Trades master of none”, and some lively debate ensued (Reference E). Aby suggested mastery is more effective for total confidence in that one area, while Mark felt offered that being an all-rounder gives him the opportunity for more diverse work. This discussion confirmed to me that I was right to deepen this line of inquiry, and I was ready to learn about some ethical considerations.

I looked at Ethics, Morals and my Virtues (Reference F). I identified and analysed my personal virtues and values, specifically in relation to how these manifest in my professional life. Evaluating my character I would say I was creative, loyal and ambitious, and all of these traits intertwine with my work ethics. I wrote a code of conduct which I found very useful and I even used this structure for my thriving business which has led me to feel confident that this will create a safer working environment for teachers and students alike (Reference G).

I then planned and conducted pilot surveys and interviews, and again I adhered to ethical considerations (Reference H). I identified and reviewed three pieces of literature, and despite not agreeing with all of what was put forward by the authors, I can certainly find value in this as regards to creating a balanced viewpoint for my forthcoming inquiry.

Finally, I proposed an award title (Reference I) which reflects my knowledge and expertise and will broaden my opportunities as I move forward with my career ambitions.

Reference A- http://staceywilson1.blogspot.com/2011/02/putting-my-questions-to-test.html

Reference B- http://staceywilson1.blogspot.com/2011/02/is-critism-to-powerful-in-performing.html

Reference C- http://staceywilson1.blogspot.com/2011/02/should-you-master-one-style-of-dance-or.html

Reference D- http://canyoubesuccessfulonlybeinggood.wikispaces.com/

Reference E- http://www.facebook.com/#!/topic.php?uid=145821545478191&topic=74

Reference F- http://www.facebook.com/#!/topic.php?uid=145821545478191&topic=74

Reference G-  http://staceywilson1.blogspot.com/2011/02/code-of-conduct-dance-teacher.html

Reference H- http://staceywilson1.blogspot.com/2011/04/pilot-methods.html

Reference I- http://jackofalltradesmasterofnone.wikispaces.com/Award+title+and+rationale

Delicious account

Here is my delicious account, I have bookmarked all pages on the web I will be using for my research to develop my Inquiry.

http://www.delicious.com/staceywilson

PILOT METHODS

I have found the ‘pilot’ methods both interesting and enjoyable. The process of conducting the pilots were quite difficult, as there was so many questions I needed to ask and I intended to find an answer that would provoke thoughts and ideas for my inquiry.

Experimenting with my survey tools has encouraged me to prepare for my inquiry plan, I understand what pilots work best for me and what tools will enhance my research.

I prepared a survey using the on-line source “Survey monkey.” This tool was very easy to use and the answers most defiantly gave me an insight into other people’s opinions. I composed questions which were very personal, as all answers were confidential, which again inspired deeper viewpoints. After my survey was conducted I was able to see my responses as numerical data, meaning my answers were easy to review and it was in a very direct format. For example I asked “If you had the choice (at present) to change your career would you?” the choices I gave were ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I didn’t want reasons; I only wanted a straight answer. My response was 77% said no, 22% said yes. This format is very easy to analyze as I don’t need to explore their answers, this is their response comeback, and that’s that! When working with a questionnaire format, the respondents are limited somewhat by the parameters set. Surveys give you a limited answer and the respondents can’t jump out of the box and go into detail about their reply. I have analyzed my results and yes some of my answers I want to find out more, however I like the bluntness and it is easy to browse and filter my responses; I don’t need to solve anything. I understand that I will get quantitative and not so much qualitative results however I do feel as an evident research approach a questionnaire should be tick boxes and maybe a few explanations for the respondent’s choice. I feel this tool will be a very helpful when investigating my inquiry further as it achieves a wide-range of data in a simple format that is easy to evaluate.

I organized an interview with a friend of mine that is in the performing industry who I knew would give me broad answers. The time consuming aspect of this tool was actually finding the time to get together to conduct the interview, which I found to be demanding. My interview was structured; however I was able to probe responses encouraging more of a discussion, enabling a deeper outcome. I achieved inclusive results however this is only the view from one person. Yes I achieved quality results as the participant had freedom however I do feel on the purpose of analyses I am only reflecting on the answers of one person, my conclusion will be very limited. When I use this tool again I will intend to interview five people so I can compare the data, this will encourage rounder results. I didn’t record the interview which I might try next time, this way I can analyze quotes they have said.

My focus group has been my favorite pilot. The dynamics of a focus group means members have a similar interest or understand the topic involved; this encourages interaction between the participants. My focus group is easily reachable on Facebook; anybody can join or add which is a major positive aspect of a Focus group. I understand some people can go off on a ‘tangent’ however this persuades my inquiry to be taken on a larger scale.  The atmosphere found in my Focus group is both electric and self-motivating.  It has opened up issues and questions I would never have thought about, this has taken my inquiry on a completely different level.

Literature Sources

I managed to find an in depth extract from Tom Ortega on the web. This was found on his blog and therefore has a very personal aspect to it. This literature focuses purely on the topic at hand “jack of all trades or master of none.” The reason for choosing this is because Tom goes very deep explaining his thoughts and I found this literature interesting and I liked the fact that I didn’t agree with most of the points made. Tom was extremely direct and the extract had a very depressing feeling, however I still enjoyed the piece.

The piece is very honest so I was gripped by his passion ”Here’s the thing though. I’ve lived what…35 years of my life in misery, literally, misery and agony trying to find that *one* thing I’m supposed to be master of.” Tom has experienced this confusion, my inquiry that I want to make sense of. Tom is constantly questioning himself throughout the extract, why, what, when and how. “Why can’t I figure this out? What’s wrong me?” Every other day, I find myself alone somewhere.” This has encouraged me to ask myself these questions, which is something I didn’t even think about doing before.

In my inquiry I am only concentrating on “The performing Arts” concept, whereas in his literature he is very much generalising all different kinds of areas. Tom talks about famous people including Mozart, Shakespeare and Frank Lloyd Wright, again this has motivated me to learn about successful people working in my industry and what path they took in order to achieve triumph. I do feel everyone has a different definition of success, mine is to reach my goals that I set myself, not to be famous. The feeling I got from Tom was that he believes you have only reached mastery when you are famous, so maybe we are coming from two different angles.

In the middle of the literature Tom states “I think that’s why many “greats” and “masters” have horrible personal lives. If you have one focus, one overriding passion, everything else fades. It’s like a drug” I can comprehend where Tom is coming from here. As I do believe that if you desperately want to achieve a certain amount of success sacrifices do need to be made. I feel very few people who have great success have a normal home life, and friends and family could easily be forgotten.

I really liked the way Tom concluded his blog, he left me thinking about what he had written and this concept is what I want to create when writing my inquiry. I want my audience to finish reading but not stop thinking about what I have written. 

My next literature source is an article from the letters of dance produced by Lady Cailtidh nicFhionnlaigh bean Cato. The reason for choosing this piece of literature is because I wanted to find a dancers view on “teaching dance” and what makes a good teacher. Cailtidh’s views again are quite different to mine, however, the article has encouraged me to think outside my box. The article persuades me to look at dance more in a fun manner, which I struggle with as I feel dance is my job and I like to remain the best I can be. Don’t get me wrong I have a lot of fun with my clients that I teach, and my classes always have a lively atmosphere however my concern is about ‘me” and what I can do. I always worry that I am not trained enough; do I know what I am talking about? I start to distress when I am not feeling confident in a class, and to me this is a weakness as a dance teacher.

Cailtidh states “I can do some very intricate dances, and though I have been dancing in and out of the SCA for over eleven years, I still do not know the names of some of the steps or dance sequences. This "lack of knowledge" has not stopped me yet from learning (and teaching) the dances to others.” I do partly agree with Caltidh, in terms of being a good teacher no you are not required to know everything, however I think a certain amount of expertise is needed to call yourself a teacher.

Again a fairly agree with Cailtidhs statement of “In order to teach dance one should know dance. I am not saying that one should have formal training in classical ballet, but just a knowledge of how a dance is danced.” I sacrificed a lot to be where I am today. Learning to be a dancer is costly, takes time and a lot of determination and strength within. If everybody went to a few dance classes and then thought they were an expert then the whole ‘dance industry” would be a joke, and yes there are dance teachers out there who really haven’t got a clue. I feel Caitidhs is suggesting that you don’t need to be an expert, if you can teach in an appropriate way and the clients are happy then you have done a good job, this concept I do agree with.

The impression I get from this article is a positive and vibrant outlook on “the teaching of dance.” It is written quite well, easy to understand and Caitidhs understands what she is talking about. This article relates well to my inquiry and again I have more questions and ideas I want to look at.  

My next article is from SSCo Kim Spiller offering advice to primary teachers about delivering high-quality dance. She has produced the article partly in bullet points. I liked this as it was easy to read and she put her points across very forthright. Other people have commented on this article, which I found interesting as everybody had very different opinions. The article is based on non-specialist primary teachers delivering high quality dance in their schools. The word quality to me means experience, excellence and the very best. So how can non-specialist and quality be in the same sentence?

I found the whole article to be very annoying and completely degrades the profession that some people have committed their life to. Dance teachers need to be qualified to teach in schools, you wouldn’t go to a doctor who wasn’t qualified, would you? Don’t worry about having to demonstrate moves. You don’t have to be an expert dancer yourself to teach dance.” I feel as dance teachers you must show them the moves, if you can’t do them, how do you expect a child to?

This again relates to my inquiry as this article focuses very much on “you don’t need to be a master or to even be a Jack to be able to teach dance.”

 

http://lordbron.wordpress.com/2010/11/02/jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none/

 
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/lod/vol1/teach.html

 

http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/delivering-dance-in-primary-schools-2436

An employee won’t go to prison for being late for work!

I have been teaching on and off since I was 16, so I am very aware of the expectations required and my professionalism as a whole. However as my career develops I am faced with more challenges and moral situations.

A well-established dance school that I am currently working for has had a major predicament and this has prepared me to have a wider outlook on professional conduct. A dance teacher at the school has been asked to leave (for good reasons), her work involved private tuition to many students for their festival work. Students have paid out a lot of money for their lessons; however she has demanded that nobody can use their dances (including the music) for their festivals. Automatically I’m on the defence, I feel the principle of the school paid her to teach those lessons and now the children can’t even show what they have learnt, not forgetting all the money their parents have spent. I realised I found the whole situation more infuriating than my principle and she explained that this happens all the time. I have not been confronted with many problems in my professional career, so when I touched on codes of practice the first time round I left it very basic as I was drawing form experience.

This experience has motivated me to develop and explore further, questioning my codes of practice that I already apply in my work.

I opened a company called Performing Sports in 2009 and it flourished very early on. As it got busier my lack of communication with my employees was becoming restricted, meaning no real affiliation and soon they forgot my rules. After researching more in-depth about this topic I decided to put in order a code of conduct that each employee can follow. I have realised we need to adhere to a set of rules as it’s for everyone’s interest, completely a mutual benefit.

The outcome

A code of conduct goes beyond the law as there are a set of principles that an organization wish to put in place. An employee won’t go to prison for being late for work! I feel more organised and at ease knowing that my employees have a set of rules which are necessary to enable my company for long-term success. I feel that one piece of paper has inspired communication and honestly, that’s the way I want my business to operate.

I have researched some policies and regulations that are current in the place of work/professional community.

Firstly I wanted to differentiate the difference between work ethics and a code of practice.

A code of practice is adopted by a profession or by a governmental or non-governmental organization to regulate that profession. A code of practice may be styled as a code of professional responsibility, which will discuss difficult issues, difficult decisions that will often need to be made, and provide a clear account of what behavior is considered "ethical" or "correct" or "right" in the circumstances.

A code of ethics often focuses on social issues. It may set out general principles about an organization's beliefs on matters such as mission, quality, privacy or the environment. It may delineate proper procedures to determine whether a violation of the code of ethics has occurred and, if so, what remedies should be imposed. The effectiveness of such codes of ethics depends on the extent to which management supports them with sanctions and rewards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_code

I have learnt that the two concepts relate so closely that for my line of work I can mix the two together. They both involve the behavior expected of employees and encourage a set of rules outlining the responsibilities in the workplace.

I wanted to compare my findings to my present work ethics.

I found the following extract in a booklet called Developing a Code

of Business Ethics

"Apart from legal requirements, business in general has no recognised code or

standard which provides a benchmark for its conduct. Individual corporations

have therefore to formulate their own values and the way they do business. An

ethics policy helps companies to understand and develop policies on issues of

business and employee conduct."

I found this extract which I found very fascinating. Each business will have completely different set of ethics; these ethics are produced with influence from individual characters. I do business completely different to my next door neighbour so we would more than likely have different values and expectations.

"Having a code is not enough to ensure ethical behaviour. The code needs

to be understood, used, taught, monitored and regularly re-evaluated and

revised."

I completely agree with this statement as of course companies develop and revolutionize so revising the code would be imperative. Understanding the code thoroughly of what was expected of me would be very important so I could move forward within the company.

FreeSteppin dance have a code of conduct that their children must apply by- This is something I have never considered before. I don’t agree with plastering this on a website. Children are not grown-up enough to read this and understand it fully. I feel talking to them face to face will encourage a good code of practice.

"Unacceptable behavior may result in the pupil's exclusion from the school."

"Unacceptable behavior includes - swearing, spitting, fighting and derogatory comments towards others"

http://www.freesteppin.com/code-of-conduct.html

 

I found this code of conduct which is within a dance company. So you are working with individuals like yourself who are professional dancers. Here was one rule-

"Respects other’s ideas and opinions"-In the dance world most people are very creative, which for me entails opinions. I always feel I have a lot to give when taking about chorography or dance costumes, so yes I would be respectful but I would be absolutely be voicing my opinions. Not sure if its relevant to put in a dance companies code of conduct.

http://www.dancewestballet.com/school/Code_Conduct_07_08.pdf

I wanted to find a more official code of conduct and my favourite one was “Approved pole dancing instructor’s code of Conduct” 

I liked this code of conduct. It is from a pole dancing community so people can register and gain PDC approval.Straight to the point, no messing around and everybody within the company will be very clear.

PDC Approved instructors will provide the PDC with copies of public liability, professional indemnity and first aid qualifications.  PDC Approved schools may be asked to provide a copy of a CV for each pole dancing instructor. All instructors must have a minimum of 3 years pole dancing experience.- This whole code is very important and I know company’s who let their employees teach without a first aid qualification- automatically I think this company is shambolic as obviously they don’t have code of conduct!

http://www.poledancecommunity.co.uk/codes-of-conduct/code-of-conduct-and-rules/danceschoolscofc.html

Reading the course reader I read about how arenas of professional practice are closely interlinked and sometimes how tensions can occur.

I do believe that ethical principles overlap, especially in a personal and professional format. Each individual has their own set of beliefs, morals and customs that add to a person’s character. If a child in my class fell over (in my code of conduct it states) I am not allowed to touch the children but my personal values take over and of course I am going hug that child. In the Performing arts industry I do feel there is a merge between professional and personal beliefs how do we as a society divide the two? Maybe we could say “you can’t touch children in less they are crying” I guess it’s easier said than done to split the two.

My professional and personal ethics

My profession requires my character in so many different ways. In my job I am bubbly, exciting and fun to work with, automatically this increases chances of success. This isn’t fake I am generally a bright person! Certain careers you are working on your own projects and at a desk, so you can keep yourself to yourself. I have to communicate with adults and children on a daily basis and of course I am basically being myself. My core personal values are honesty, reliability, ambition and kindness and these are shown in my professional working life. The two concepts absolutely sometimes conflict; it can be difficult to make the right decision. From experience I do normally choose my personal ethic as this comes from within, like a virtue.

After exploring many different codes of conducts I have come to the conclusion it is best to have one as it creates peace and harmony within a company and everyone knows what is expected. I do feel the most accurate code of practice for a work environment is the formal, straight to the point ones so there is no misunderstanding.

 

Researching!

I have started to do some indepth research on my inquiry. Please check out my Wiki! There is a table of contents to your left.

http://jackofalltradesmasterofnone.wikispaces.com/Jack+of+all+trades%2Cmaster+of+none-my+thoughts

My website

I have decided to create my own website that I will post all my work onto. It won't include my thoughts and opinions as this will be on my blog. This website will include all my essays and formal work.

The website company I used was webs.com. Its completely free and very easy to set up.

A breakdown of my results

My survey was based on confidence within our profession. Self assurance and belief in our ability to succeed. My results were very surprising which has caused me to doubt my opinions but the answers have encouraged me to explore this topic even more.

Most people who answered my survey were professional performers. 57.1% said they only ‘sometimes’ enjoyed there  job whilst only 42.9% said ‘yes they love there job. I predicted this result as I feel our job is very hard as you are constantly fighting to be in work. The next answer proved that as only half of the people who answered are in work.

This answer wasn’t a shocker but did make me feel a little sad as 50% of us feel we are constantly struggling for money. So not only do we have to worry about weight, technique, face, performance etc but we have to fret about financial issues to.

I asked the question “do you feel you are the best you can be at your chosen career?” not one person said yes. I wondered if people were just being modest or did they generally feel they were not the best they could be. Is that down to training or motivation?

I asked “If you had the choice (at present) to change your career would you?” it was refreshing to know that 85.7 said no they wouldn’t.

Google doc- questionnaire

Thank you to everyone who completed my survey on 'Survey Monkey' already this has encouraged me to look at different aspects of my inquiry. I had some interesting answers which I will be discussing in my next blog. 

I have created a questionnaire on Google docs and the link is below. This questionnaire is simple but please give me detailed thoughts and answers if you wish to complete it. I am giving my questionnaire to 10 friends of mine who are in the business but are not doing this course just so I can get an overall view.

You can e-mail me your answers to- staceywilson99@hotmail.co.uk

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oInpV3npguIj2aRt2xllH6YyBwmYtYkkODCBV0RUxwE/edit?hl=en&authkey=CJmi5L8C#

Can you be successful only being good?

I have created a Wiki called "Can you be successful only being good?" this links to my inquiry that I have been concentrating on - JACK OF ALL TRADES MASTER OF NONE.

The link is- http://canyoubesuccessfulonlybeinggood.wikispaces.com/

Award title ideas.

The last couple of weeks I have been racking my brain for an award title that would be in relation to my career and the path I wish to take. I was coming up with ridiously long titles and making them sound to complicated, after researching I have come to the conclusion I want a title that is simple and readily understood.

Here are just a few titles that I have been working with, I have also stated my own opinions.

Dance performance, cheorgraphy and education- I chose this to begin with as it demonstartes that I perform, cheoragraph and teach within education, this is exactly what my career is. The reason why I am not choosing this award title is because its a marathon to say and on a CV this would look alittle extreme.

Community dance education- Again I chose this title as it confirms clearly what my carrer is, however my friend said it dosn’t connect with my personality. I found this comment very interesting as it made me realise I want my award title to connect to my individuality and character.

Arts management- I like this alot. Straight to the point and effortless. One negetive comment I had from a friend was it sounds impractical, almost like I am working behind the scenes in an office. I understand what he means as I beleive my award title needs to be short but filled with energy.

After alot of discussions and research I have decided I want something dynamic, short and explanatory.

What are people’s views on “Expressive Arts Education”

Survey-Please complete

Hey,

I have prepared a survey using Survey monkey. It is called "do you feel confident in your profession?"

Be honest and enjoy!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TJZSRPJ

Morals,Ethics and Virtues!

I find people’s attitudes towards ethics and morals to be very interesting as everyone has their own concepts of right and wrong. I have a lot in common with my two sisters in terms of food, clothes and film’s however our principles and morals are very dissimilar which causes huge debates in my household.  There are general rules that most of us abide by like “don’t steal money that’s not yours” however there are specific moral choices that we have to make, for example “do you give money to the homeless?”

We all have different traits and qualities that create and build our character. Our behavior and thoughts are based on underlying values and inner qualities that contribute to our personality.  I believe a virtuous person is kind in their lifetime because that is there character beneath; however a person who puts on a front is not showing their true personality, not their true virtue. I have been thinking about my personal true virtues and values and how they relate to my profession. 

Generous- I sometimes buy stickers and presents for my children in my classes.

Kind/thoughtful- I am always kind and well-mannered in my classes. I reflect upon my work to try and improve for the next time to progress the classes for the children. 

Creativity- I aim to be artistic and unusual in my work.

Individualism- I try to be diverse, so I can offer something different that nobody else has.

Loyalty- I feel the people I work for can trust as I would never let them down.

Enthusiasm- I am always energetic and motivated in my work as this encourages the children to work hard.

Helpful- I always help children who are struggling to pick steps up in my dance classes.

Ambitious-I have a strong desire for success and achievement.

I have been struggling to fully connect and understand the differences between virtues, morals and ethics. I have done a few bullet points which I have found on Internet sites and these have created a better understanding.

Virtue

A virtue is a trait of character that is admired, well-liked and praiseworthy. 

Your true identity, character is more important than many other things such as rules.

It is possible that a person could obey every moral rule where they would be like a robot, whereas we need to know what the person is like, how they feel about things and what effects them, not just that they are focused on duty.

Who I should be rather than what I should do.

Virtue is an intrinsic value, coming from within, but it is impersonal.

Ethics

Ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Ethics, for example, refers to those standards that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud. Ethical standards also include those that enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty.

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html

Norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior

The system or code of morals of a particular person, religion, group, profession, etc.

3 main theory’s of ethics that we have acknowledged on this course

Consequential Ethics

Consequential ethics: An action is ethical depending on the consequences of that action. Lying isn't wrong if the consequences that result are positive.  http://answers.yourdictionary.com/language/what-is-ethics.htmlIt seems sensible to base ethics on producing happiness and reducing unhappiness.

My own consequential ethic that I have used before. My friend asked if she had lost weight, I didn’t want to upset her as she clearly hadn’t. I said yes and she left with a smile on her face!

The most influential contributors to this theory are considered to be Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.  They believed an action is right if it produces a much more of an increase in happiness of all affected by it than any alternative action, and wrong if it does not. This then connects to a utilitation.A utilitarian is someone who accepts the principle of utility - and is therefore concerned with maximising the value (utility) of the universe - which makes utilitarianism a consequentialist (goal-based) theory of ethics, as opposed to a deontological (rule-based) theory.

I found this situation on-line and I like it-

"A billionaire needs an organ transplant. He says that if he is given the next suitable organ he will fund 1000 hip-replacements a year for 10 years. Giving him the next available organ means Mr X, who was top of the list, will die - but it also means that thousands of people will be very happy with their new hips. Consequentialism might be used to argue that Mr X's human rights (and his and his family's happiness) should be ignored, in order to increase the overall amount of human well-being. "

Deontology

Ethical theories that maintain that the moral rightness or wrongness of an action depends on its intrinsic qualities, and not (as in consequentialism) on the nature of its consequences. Deontological ethics holds that at least some acts are morally wrong in themselves (e.g., lying, breaking a promise, punishing the innocent, murder). A deontologist might argue that lying is always wrong, regardless of any potential "good" that might come from lying.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/deontological-ethics#ixzz1GbVYVe3V

Immanuel Kant who argued that lying is always considered wrong, which firstly I don't agree with. Just because of your ethics you have to hurt somebody else? Deontology says that certain types of action are right or wrong. So murder is wrong however what if you accidently killed someone or you were defending yourself?  I feel
options are made for reasons, and with a purpose in mind.

Virtue ethics

A virtue ethicist would focus less on lying in any particular instance and instead consider what a decision to tell a lie or not tell a lie said about one's character and moral behavior. I feel this is the best option as one of my virtues is honesty, however sometimes I tell the odd lie to support my other vitue, kindness.

Morals

The difference between ethics and morals can seem somewhat arbitrary to many, but there is a basic, albeit subtle, difference. Morals define personal character, while ethics stress a social system in which those morals are applied. 

A good example I like is-

"Abortion is legal and therefore medically ethical, while many people find it personally immoral."

I have found the subtle difference between morals and ethics to be very hard to distinguish however after an hour of research come up with my own statement to understand.

Morals are something an individual defines as wrong, ethics is the 

distinction between what is right and what is wrong.