After a lengthy discussion with Rosemary, I realised my initial aims and objectives could be too much to cover in just one inquiry. I really want my inquiry to help deepen my understanding of my current career progress and identify any areas for improvement in the future. With this in mind I now have a revised set of aims and objectives.
New title (in progress)
Does a teaching role within the arts impede or help the opportunity to perform?
Aims:
- Investigate what teachers and performers feel the right combination of training and experience could bring to a career in the arts.(Negative or positive)
- Discover when teachers and performers were first introduced to the arts and find out how important that was in influencing their current career.
- Start a debate about what a teacher/performer needs in order to maximise their career success/longevity.(Skills/training/experience)
- Establish whether or not the transition from performer to teacher and vice versa can be done successfully or if a barrier exists.
Objectives:
- Explore ways I can strengthen my position as an educator and performer allowing both to develop simultaneously.
- Identify ways I can further prepare for the unforeseen that can occur with a career in the arts. (Past present and future).
- To see if a role in teaching is seen to help or hinder a performance career.
- Uncover training paths taken and career outcomes seeing if this was their desired role or not and why.
Since graduating nearly six years ago I've found myself going through many different roles in my career. Predominantly performing for the first three years I then transitioned to a combined performance and teaching career. For the last 10 months I have been mainly teaching so the uncertainties of a career in the arts are all too apparent.
I hope my inquiry can bring me further understanding about the decisions I've made and see what effect these could hold for my career and maybe others moving forward. Could my teaching experience be seen as a positive or a hindrance to a casting director and similarly could my performance career be seen as beneficial or irrelevant for a teaching position. Teaching and performing are both very close to my heart and being able to combine the two intimately has brought me great satisfaction. However I am aware the more I am pulled towards teaching my performance opportunities are limited. In an ideal world the two could operate simultaneously but I fear this may not be possible. Will I be completely satisfied trying to 'have my cake and eat it?' I miss performing right now as my teaching has taken over whilst I complete this course. When I went off to perform my last big contract my pupils missed me as I missed them but I loved the feeling f being back on stage. I am at a cross roads and wonder if I have to make a definitive decision before it is made for me.
Hopefully through this inquiry I will be able to establish further reassurance and direction through the knowledge I gain.
Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI think it is possible to combine both teaching and performing, however there is a limit to how much performing and teaching you could take at one time. I think it's something that can be quite hard to balance at times.
Maybe if you were performing at corporate events and more commercial style jobs that are odd days, these would fit around your teaching better, whereas rehearsing for a week for a show would leave you no time for teaching and you'd have to obviously pick one.
I think doing both will always be a positive, as teaching shows that you can take control and help people if needed, and performing always brings a wealth of experience whilst teaching people. So I don't think it should ever be a hindrance.
However people may look at your CV and think that because you are committed to a teaching post that maybe you won't be available when they need you. Often those jobs come up when your needed asap and they like you to be available on demand, thats the only down side I can see.
Hope this helps.
Melissa x
I enjoyed reading your last post and can totally sympathise with the position you are in over performing and teaching. I too graduated and performed for the first 5 years of my career just doing small teaching bits in between contracts but then two years ago i was away on a contract and my mum was killed in a car accident, i came home straight away and felt I couldn’t go back as needed to be close to family and had almost lost confidence in who I was and where I wanted to be. It was after this I turned more to teaching as I needed to work but didn’t really know what I wanted to do and dance teaching just seemed to fit the bill. I have been teaching now for two years and have come to love it and the different kinds of rewards it brings. I have done some performing still in that time but find it difficult not to feel like a ‘part time’ performer then. I still sometimes wonder if I am doing the right thing as I loved the performing work I was before and nothing else gives you that same kind of buzz but for me it has been a case of weighing up the pros and cons and how it all fits in with other areas of my life and where I see my future going.
ReplyDeleteThat’s probably not much help to you but just a perspective of someone else can be good to have and know your not the only one feeling that way!!
Hope your inquiry will give you some answers and direction for wher you want to go next.
Thank you Melissa and Cerys I really appreciate your insight and honesty with my situation! It is nice to know I'm not alone feeling torn. I guess I have become a 'part time' performer for the time being as my new teaching job and BAPP course takes up most of my time. Once I completed my survey I would really appreciate your insight. Thanks again ladies!
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