Wednesday 30 October 2013
Professional Ethics Findings in the Workplace
After
writing what I feel are the ethics and code of conduct within teaching dance, I
have done some research into literature and professional sources to see how my
views and opinions differ or relate to these pieces.
I found a piece on the 'NDTA website,http://www.ndta.org.uk/advice-information/dance-studio-specification ', which i feel supports my views on Health and Safety in my work place.
I do however feel that this goes into a lot
more detail and there are more categories listed that I didn't consider in my
views on professional ethics.
I found a
very interesting piece through Google about the ethics and regulations in
dance, and how this writer feels that dance doesn't create its own ethics and
that it is run and ruled by laws and regulations that have been set by those
who have no knowledge of the industry. After reading this, it has made me very
intrigued to research deeper into the political views this writer discusses and
has risen the question in my mind, 'Do Dancers follow Dance ethics, or are we
following a system that was never created for us?' The Link is below:
I also
found another great piece, written by a polish philosopher who's take on
Dancer's professional ethic differs from the piece above:
I do feel
that by researching on the internet, there is a wide range of views on what the
professional ethics are within dance. I think that this however sums up
that dance doesn't have its own professional ethics, it runs on the guidelines
of other laws and professions to create ethics. Can we build a foundation
of solid ethics on something that is so free and expressive? Who can put
a restriction on creativity? If we have to sit and think whether a piece
of choreography fits into a code of conduct, is it really a piece of expression
or merely a militarized combination of ethical movement?
Professional Ethics in the Workplace.
Professional Ethics tie in greatly with Laws and Regulations. I feel that we base our professional ethics around what we are told we have to do legally, especially when working with children as there are many do's and don'ts in this field that we must stick to strongly.
I feel that the following are some of the main ethics we apply in my work setting when teaching children to dance.
Health And Safety
We must make sure that the space we are working in is free of any hazards and that it has been checked for any sharp objects or things that could potentially harm any of the children and myself. It is ideal to have sprung floor to prevent any injuries. There must be a source of ventilation and access to drinking water within very close proximity of the studio, ideally inside. The children must all be wearing appropriate shoes for the class to prevent any injuries. The doors in the studio must also be closed during sessions, so only the adults can open them, to prevent any children getting out.
PAR - Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire)
Before allowing a child to join in a class, the Parent/Guardian must fill out a PAR-Q so that the teacher can know of anything that could prevent a child from doing certain activities. It should also contain the Parent/Guardians contact details in case of emergencies and state any special requirements that need to be met for the child. I feel this is very important as we can always look back at this and check, for example if a child has asthma we should let them have more rest periods and make sure they always bring their pump to class.
Music
When choosing music to play in a children's dance class, it must be age appropriate and we must have PPL Licensing to play any music in a public place. It is not appropriate to play any music with swearing or sexual innuendos within the lyrics and the music must be groomed properly before it is played in a class. This can sometimes be difficult as a lot of children these days love commercial music and you want to play songs they know and can identify as this makes their classes more enjoyable. But it is very hard to find popular commercial songs without some bad lyrics.
I feel that the following are some of the main ethics we apply in my work setting when teaching children to dance.
Health And Safety
We must make sure that the space we are working in is free of any hazards and that it has been checked for any sharp objects or things that could potentially harm any of the children and myself. It is ideal to have sprung floor to prevent any injuries. There must be a source of ventilation and access to drinking water within very close proximity of the studio, ideally inside. The children must all be wearing appropriate shoes for the class to prevent any injuries. The doors in the studio must also be closed during sessions, so only the adults can open them, to prevent any children getting out.
PAR - Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire)
Before allowing a child to join in a class, the Parent/Guardian must fill out a PAR-Q so that the teacher can know of anything that could prevent a child from doing certain activities. It should also contain the Parent/Guardians contact details in case of emergencies and state any special requirements that need to be met for the child. I feel this is very important as we can always look back at this and check, for example if a child has asthma we should let them have more rest periods and make sure they always bring their pump to class.
Music
When choosing music to play in a children's dance class, it must be age appropriate and we must have PPL Licensing to play any music in a public place. It is not appropriate to play any music with swearing or sexual innuendos within the lyrics and the music must be groomed properly before it is played in a class. This can sometimes be difficult as a lot of children these days love commercial music and you want to play songs they know and can identify as this makes their classes more enjoyable. But it is very hard to find popular commercial songs without some bad lyrics.
Tuesday 22 October 2013
I believe that this article from Equity really supports the research I have been doing on performers working for free. Please feel free to comment on this subject :)
http://www.spotlight.com/news/archive/2012/07/04/equityrsquos-guide-to-the-issues-around-low-no-pay-for.aspx#.UmbMDVBJOFs
http://www.spotlight.com/news/archive/2012/07/04/equityrsquos-guide-to-the-issues-around-low-no-pay-for.aspx#.UmbMDVBJOFs
Survey
Here is a short survey I created on working for free. Would be great if you could take it. Thanks
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9F7BK6T
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9F7BK6T
Tuesday 8 October 2013
working for free.
Having just had a short but inspirational chat with Alan Durrant, I felt I wanted to blog about this issue whilst it was still fresh in my mind. Unpaid jobs within the performing arts are on a rise and I want to explore this issue and see if i can find research that supports working for free. I have like many other performers worked on jobs for no pay, my main reason was to gain experience and network. But, how long can you work for free before you need money to pay your bills? If money wasn't an issue I would perform for free every day, as it is what I have a great passion for and I would love to do it all the time. But money is a big issue in this world, we have to have money to survive, we live in a society where money rules. So how can we justify working for free?
I found this very interesting info graphic, made by 'Jessica Hische', which I feel is mocking the idea of working for free and thought I would share it below:
I found this very interesting info graphic, made by 'Jessica Hische', which I feel is mocking the idea of working for free and thought I would share it below:
Wednesday 2 October 2013
Questions??
After reviewing reader 4, I feel as though I have developed many questions regarding my Profession and the way I work and learn within it.
What is the definition of Knowledge within the performing arts? There are so many sub sectors in the industry that it is hard to label the knowledge we use. Do we give ourselves enough credit for the many different skills and attributions we use in our everyday profession. I'm my own accountant, I'm an administrator, a teacher, a student.
Do we ever stop learning?
Is it ironic that we teach and guide others in a skill we are still learning?
In the performing arts industry it is imperative that we are continually researching and keeping up to date with changes within the industry. But how research may be viewed by others is different to how it is viewed in my profession. Taking a class is research. Learning a new song is research. Typing an actors name in Google and learning their biography off by heart is research. Watching somebody on a train and creating a whole story for them, and then portraying them in my next acting audition/class is research. I believe that everything I do is research, as it creates knowledge in which i base my creativity on.
What is the definition of Knowledge within the performing arts? There are so many sub sectors in the industry that it is hard to label the knowledge we use. Do we give ourselves enough credit for the many different skills and attributions we use in our everyday profession. I'm my own accountant, I'm an administrator, a teacher, a student.
Do we ever stop learning?
Is it ironic that we teach and guide others in a skill we are still learning?
In the performing arts industry it is imperative that we are continually researching and keeping up to date with changes within the industry. But how research may be viewed by others is different to how it is viewed in my profession. Taking a class is research. Learning a new song is research. Typing an actors name in Google and learning their biography off by heart is research. Watching somebody on a train and creating a whole story for them, and then portraying them in my next acting audition/class is research. I believe that everything I do is research, as it creates knowledge in which i base my creativity on.
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