Task 4B: Special Interest Groups

This week I was contacted by Eleanor through one of my blog posts and she invited me to join a SIG that she had set up. The SIG is regarding Performing Arts in Education. As I currently teach drama to children for 2 different companies 3 days a week, this is one area that I am very interested in researching for my inquiry. 

In my previous blogs, I have explained my views on the importance of teaching performing arts in schools. By joining this SIG, I hope to discuss this further and hear views from the other members.

This evening I have also joined another SIG that was created by Gonzalo which is regarding How to Develop Your Creativity. This SIG will be great for me to explore other ideas for my inquiry which are not related to education and this will allow me to keep my thinking quite open at this early stage.

Being part of a SIG will allow me to raise questions and issues that are relevant to my practise, reflect and discuss with others who are like-minded. Although it is still early days, SIGs seem like an extremely good idea and I'm sure it will be vital to my learning in this module. 

I have had quite a few other ideas for my inquiry but not all of them link to performing arts in education. Discussing my ideas with the members of both of the SIGs I am part of will help me to narrow down my options and decide which route I would like to take for my inquiry from the choices I stated in my previous blog for Task 4A.

I was unable to make the most recent Skype session with Paula due to work but I have read through the slides from the session on her blog. These have prevented me from getting bogged down with too many ideas. By writing down what I know and what I want to know has helped me so far and when discussing ideas with the other members of the SIGs I will be able to refer back to this to ensure I stay on track!

Task 4A: My Questions

After studying Reader 4, it is safe to say that I am very excited to see what Module 2 will have in store for me. It is clear that I have a wide range of interests and I think this shows how far I have come in my profession since starting the BAPP course. I am keen to see what thoughts will develop from my research to lead me to the area of my inquiry.

Module 1 allowed me to think about areas that probably wouldn't have crossed my mind if I hadn't reflected on my professional practice. Blogging forced me to really see where my interests are at the moment and also what path I might like to follow in the future and also how my studies on the BAPP Arts course may affect this. Towards the end of Module 1 I started to produce some ideas about what I thought about studying for my area of inquiry, however after studying Reader 4 and trying to put my ideas down on paper, this is proving more difficult than I thought.

My initial areas of interest are:

The Industry
- Politics within the industry and how this may affect an individual
- Vocational training: Pros & Cons
- It's not what you know, it's who you know: how your network may have an effect on your success within the industry
- Is theatre important in our society?
- What makes an actor successful?

The Education System & Performing Arts
- Why are drama and arts subjects under valued in schools?
- Does the age you start studying drama have an effect on your success/talent?

Mental Health & Performing Arts
- How does studying drama and arts subjects affect individuals with mental health issues?
- What is drama therapy? How does it help those affected by mental health issues? Is there a link between performing arts and positive mental health?
- The importance of relaxed performances
- How the industry could affect your mental health and your way of thinking

These are just a few ideas to get me started and that I would like to explore before choosing my final area of inquiry. If you have any thoughts or comments on my questions then please comment below or get in touch - I would love to hear from you!