Task 1b. Professional Communication Technologies

I have always been fascinated in technology. From being a child daily using MSN messenger to communicate with friends after school, to a music enthusiast using myspace to connect with artists and expand my music knowledge, to a Media Studies A-Level student in school.

I have always been technically wise, with a facebook page, twitter, youtube account for many many years. I edited my own showreel, as well as making publicity videos for the District Operatic Society I work with.
Whilst I never knew it was "Web 2.0", I have regularly used this concept fot many years.
What struck my interest, is how much Web 2.0 is used for professionals to engage.
We would simply not be able to do this course without it. Whether it is downlading ebooks, liaising via the blogs, posting videos/pictures with sites such as Flickr or Tumblr, it would be virtually impossible to have this professional practice course the way it is.

The internet is the reason SO many things are the way they are. Reading O'Reillys article on "What is Web 2.0 really is" opened my eyes to several things.
For example, I have only known meme's to be comical (see pic)

 

However actually the term meme is actually "an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture" (wikepedia)- like O'Rielly's meme map.

 

I look forward to expanding my knowledge of Web 2.0 over the duration of this course.

Task 1a. Professional Profile - My CV

I had set up this blog before we had the Handbook for BAPP through, so my profile was already completed. I do, however find it interesting, having the concept of  a professional CV rewritten as a profile.

I have tried this out below.


"My name is Sarah Dunn.
I am a 26 year old Singer, Dancer, and Actress.
I graduated in 2009 from Liverpool Theatre School with a Level 6 National Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre.

Following on from graduating, I moved to London where I followed suit in auditioning/working like the majority of graduates. I moved back to Stafford, my home town in 2012 where I choreograph for the district operatic society.
I have been fortunate to travel for 8 months during 2013 as well. I now work full time and now, back in the UK, persuing the auditon route again.

My full training credentials are as follows;
Liverpool Theatre School – Trinity College London Level 6 National Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre
ISTD – Advanced 2 Tap, Advanced 2 Modern and Gold Jazz
RAD – Grade 8 Ballet
and now Middlesex University for the BA Hons in Professional Practice course.

My skills include Strong Tap, Jazz, Ballet, basic Latin, jazz partnering
Confident tonality and vocal harmonies
Choreography – Musical Theatre, Jazz, Tap, Modern Dance
Accents - RP, General American, New York American

My most recent credits are as follows;

Choreographer for How to Suceed in Business Without Really Trying for Stafford and District Operatic Society
Singer on Keith Forrest’s songwriting EP
Regular Guest singer on Tonka Talks Stafford FM Radio Show
Actress/Singer for TV Pilot Re-Edit Me, with the National Film and Television School
Featured Singer/Dancer for Showbiz with Sky One
Makeup Model for Face ON Magazine
Dancer for Oak Jeans Fashion Shoot
Choreographer for Hot Mikado, with SDOS
Backing vocalist for Sleeping Beauty Rock n Roll Pantomime.

Whilst I am to continue working and I am interested in developing my career and specifically would like to qualify as a teacher. Following on from the BAPP course, I endeavour to obtain a PGCE. I would like to teach secondary Dance or Performing Arts.

I have adopted a lifelong approach to personal development."

 

I found creating a CV in a textual way interesting. I personally find this far less eye catching, than my professional CV which I send to potential employers. Please see below.

 

Another interesting concept is a Video CV. Now for a performer, I would say this is more of a Showreel. Please see mine below;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCDQcrjJFIM&edit=vd

 

However there are many ways to do this.

From reading an article on Recruitment Times http://www.recruitmenttimes.co.uk/video_cv_gocv.php, they referenced Elle Woods Video CV from the film Legally Blonde. It touches on some very important issues. Mainly, how to get noticed?

They comment on Elle Woods pink scented CV, and also, her video resume (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NotqNgDLzU4)

 

On Recruitment Times, they stated some figures;

"In the Vault.com survey, 58 percent of employers surveyed said they would watch a video résumé “out of sheer curiosity,” 31 percent responded, “definitely, I think they are valuable" and 11 percent said they would not watch because it "would not be useful.”

In the performance world, a showreel can be one of the most successful ways of securing an audition, or even a job.

Granted, employers may turn off before the video has finished, but maybe, this is the way forward for employment?

Induction.

On 22nd September, I attended an on campus Induction at Middlesex.

It was a relaxed yet informative day and I left with a definite clearer view of the course.

There was 8 of us, and we started by meeting and getting to know eachother. I was far more relaxed after that, realising that most of us were all in the same boat with similar objectives.

We had a couple of writing exercises, one of which involved writing down individually any questions/aims, not just for the course, but for the future.
Please see my work attached below. I have achieved a lot, but have many more goals and adventures I want to embark on and this was a great exercise to have them infront of you on paper.

One of the main things I learnt from the induction, was about realising how performers, whilst may not be "academics" in the convential way, actually, we most certainly are. With the amount we can learn for dance routines in a short space of time, to the control and discipline with things like diet and vocals, and the knowledge we hold in our area, we absolutely are academics.

I intend to show this with my work throughout this course.

Enrolled!

So, on the 1st of September, I rather keenly enrolled with Middlesex uni.

Student finance was sorted a while ago, and received my BAPP Programme handbook today via email, so i'm preparing where neccessary and getting excited to turn up for induction on the 22nd.

Pre course jitters, but overall extremely excited September is here and I can get stuck in.

S
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