Emily Smith BA (Hons) Professional Practice, Arts and Creative Industries Blog

6th Setpember 2021 (12pm) Zoom Welcome Meeting 1 Today I participated in my first group Zoom of module 3. It was a good feeling to be back and to see some familiar faces and also welcome the new module 1’s to the course. Surprisingly my wifi held up and I was able to clearly hear the discussion! So yey!  Helen gave us a reminder tour of the uni hub and we had a meet and greet with some of the uni staff and course students. One reflection that I did make was how comfortable I felt in the zoom and I remembered how confused and uncomfortable I felt this time last year as a module 1 and how far I have come since then! So any module 1 students reading this… I promise it gets much easier and will eventually all make sense! Helen discussed the 3 pillars of support from the course  Course Handbook Module Handbooks Supervisor  Helen described the supervisor role as a 'critical friend'. Something I didn’t make the most of in module 1 was my supervisions with Helen, but in modul...

WELCOME BACK!  WELCOME TO MODULE 3! My life has changed considerably since module 1 and 2 and I am back to somewhat normality and am currently working as a Dance Captain on Royal Caribbeans Freedom of the Sea’s again! I love my job but it comes with some added stresses so I am going to have to be extremely organised with my time and how I am handling my work / uni / downtime balance! But don’t get me wrong I am absolute ecstatic to be back on the stage performing! But this will be a challenge so lets go! To any module 1s and a reminder to other modules I am part of the student voice programme with Chloe (mod 3) and Logan (mod 2) so please contact us if you have anything that you wish us to voice :) I did a blog at the end of module 2 with some hints and tips for module 2s just starting out if anyone wants to check it out …. Module 3 does feel quite intimidating. I must admit I have tried to read the handbook multiple times over the summer to try and prepare myself for what is to co...

I cannot believe I am typing this!  I  HAVE FINISHED MODULE 2! Obviously results pending… But I feel like I have gotten to the top of a very large mountain! I am ahead of the deadline but thats because I have a lot going on in the next few weeks that I wanted to be worry free! I feel like I have been really academically challenged this module. Firstly from one essay and an artefact in module 1, to 3 essays in module 2, the work load and thinking process has been much more intense in this module (as expected).  Going into this module I really had no idea about research methods and certainly found it overwhelming to think about creating a whole research proposal! But step by step, lots and lots of reading and discussion I got there haha! (again results pending from the more form and the portfolio!) Advice I would give students going into module 2 would be… -Trust the process, it’s going to be very uncomfortable at the start and you all get lost more than once! -Pick a focus...

Todays Skype discussed 3 themes 1. Collaboration 2. Communication and Language  3. Risk Taking Sam lead tonights discussion and explained the three themes above in relation to his professional practice and linked them to working in his band. I thought about how I use these three themes in my personal professional practice. Collaboration  “Collaboration is the act of working together, especially on a goal or shared project. It can also be used to refer to a product of collaboration, as in The new single is a  collaboration from the two pop stars.  Collaboration is the noun form of the verb collaborate , meaning to work together.” As a dancer I may collaborate with someone to create a piece of choreography. This could be with another dancer or I could be creating with a musician or a director. We collaborate ideas and material all the time in the industry when creating shows. Often I am asked to choreograph some free lifts or ‘freestyle’ in sections of shows and I will...

Interviews? Yesterday module 2 had a really insightful discussion session with supervisor Sam Murray who specialises in ethnographic research. Below are some of the key points that Sam raised in the discussion for anyone that missed it! Also this will be helpful to revisit and reflect on when we are in module 3 and actually have to create our interview questions!!! (dun dun duuuuuunnnn!!!!!!!- This scares me haha) Sams Interview Hints and Tips -In an interview think of being a data collection computer, you want to take in lots of information and learn new things! -Don’t ask leading questions and don’t have a fixed idea. You want to be open and use broad questions to get as much out of the discussion. Don’t force your opinion. -Let the data speak for its self  -In an interview you will always be surprised by peoples answers, so don’t presume what they are going to say. -You are collecting peoples stories -Create a set of questions that are open and that you feel confident asking! -W...

For the next few days I find myself without phone service or internet connection as the wifi is down. This is making me realise even more how heavily I rely on being connected and use web 2.0 applications. I am trying to work on my module 2 research project and I find that I can’t search for new quotes and literature, that I can’t quickly google theasurus.com (which Is my essay lifesaver) and I can’t even post this blog! So when you will be reading this, thankfully I will be back in the 21st century and on Web 2.0 again! Also it's a bit worrying how I automatically just pick up my phone to check my social media feeds and being in Brasil I felt so lost without being able to connect to my family and friends on whats app! I decided to take the time and free write some of my reflective essay. Module 2 has pushed me to really think out of the box and has challenged me mentally and academically more than ever before. The workload from module 1 to module 2 has more than doubled, (not to ...

I’ve decided to take today off from university work, do a quick blog and then put my laptop away! As some of you know I am currently in Brasil, I have been living with my fiancé at his family home, which has been great and I am so grateful. However, I am not used to having so much free time on my hands and I have found myself constantly working on my module 2 portfolio out of mainly boredom (am I allowed to admit that?). I sometimes have to remind myself that this is a part time course and normally people are working full time and still managing to do their uni work… so I have decided I need to chill! We are in a pandemic still and times are hard! As we are approaching the easter break I am happy with where I am at, I have submitted my first draft of my MORE form, started my proposal and am working through feedback on my literature review. Quite honestly though I am finding this the hardest part of module 2! I am finding it hard to find a fine line between showing my understanding of t...