What is your inquiry question(s)? What do you want to find out about a particular topic?
I am not 100% on the wording of this to be totally honest, but I would like my inquiry question to be something like;
"Why does a professional performer with a National Diploma in Musical Theatre, need to have a degree before secondary teacher training in The Arts?"
Mainly I would like to establish the answer to that question, but I understand I will have lots of different enquries to make whilst finding out the answer.
I am interested in becoming a teacher in secondary school. Ideally I would like to teach Performing Arts at GCSE or BTEC level.
I took GCSE Dance and Drama, and I have more experience or training than the teachers who taught me these subjects then. No disresepect to them, it was just a PE teacher also doing the Dance subject, and an English teacher doing Drama.
I also took A-Level Performance Studies in 6th Form. This was far more theoretical and taught by the Drama teacher from GCSE Level, and a Music teacher. The music teacher did have music qualifications. He could play piano, but as far as singing went, he did not know about the voice.
I took GCSE Dance and Drama, and I have more experience or training than the teachers who taught me these subjects then. No disresepect to them, it was just a PE teacher also doing the Dance subject, and an English teacher doing Drama.
I also took A-Level Performance Studies in 6th Form. This was far more theoretical and taught by the Drama teacher from GCSE Level, and a Music teacher. The music teacher did have music qualifications. He could play piano, but as far as singing went, he did not know about the voice.
There was no practical to this subject, so I would ideally would rather teach Performing Arts where I am most skilled.
I have also looked in to schools like The Brit School or Sylvia Young, where they are shaping their students for Musical Theatre colleges. It is still the same situation. BTECs are the qualification the children work towards and again, someone like me, who went to a MT college, still needs the degree to teach these children, despite them wanting to obtain a National Diploma!
I think my award title should be "BA Hons Professional Practice in Performing Arts and Education"
As I want to be working in a government sponsored secondary educational environment I feel this is appropriate.
I think that with my topic and how it is exploring someone with my experience looking in to education but also representing my knowledge and understanding in Performing Arts and Musical Theatre, I feel this title is suitable.
I think that with my topic and how it is exploring someone with my experience looking in to education but also representing my knowledge and understanding in Performing Arts and Musical Theatre, I feel this title is suitable.
I've always wondered the same thing! Why are degrees so ubiquitous? If a level 6 diploma is the same NVQ level as a degree, shouldn't it carry the same weight and respect? When I've been applying for jobs in the past, I always felt my lack of degree was one of the factors that meant I wasn't even getting interviews as my skills and experience were more than what many of the positions were asking for.
ReplyDeletexx
Exactly why I want to explore this!! :)
DeleteHopefully i'll be able to get some answers for performers who have been held back from teaching due to their lack of degree, despite being more than qualified in experience and with the diploma!
I also am very interested in this area. It is so often I find ignorance is so common when it comes to understanding just how qualified I am. I know that my Diploma was a lot more practical but at the same time, the dance etc is a physical art therefore needs to be alot more practical. A carpenter wouldnt just write essays and read books, knowledge helped me get my qualification but it was the physical practice that proved I had said knowledge.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is a SIG that we could form and discuss further??
Yeah definitely. I think it's something a LOT of performers would like to know the answer too. With all the negativity relating to The Arts at the minute, it's such a shame.
DeleteI think they forget that there are us as performers with a diploma who could bring life back to the arts in schools, and more experience and talent too...but we don't have a "degree" to do so... I'd love it if we could form a movement and get this changed or adapted!!