Literature Review

At the beginning of this module and even in the previous module the idea of completing a literature review was daunting. Having never completed a similar task before it was very much a case of finding a system that worked for me. To begin with I read the module handbook and reader 7 for advice and ideas. I then went on to read the literature section in 'Doing Your Research Project: A Guide For First Time Researchers' (Bell, Waters, 2005). Within the chapter there were tips on choosing literature including:

• consider the worth of the research 
• looking for bias
• considering more than just your own point of view
• if it is your point of view - you must still consider that the writer may be bias 

Practitioner Brendan Duffy explained that writers won't declare their bias so it is the job of the researcher to expose it.

There were also tips on how to find the literature including:

• giving yourself plenty of time
• using search engines to the best of their potential - search limiters, not losing literature ect.
• avoiding spam
• being patient and persistent

These tips are things I can relate to reflecting on my work so far. At first I struggled with finding appropriate literature using the search engine, Summon. I was finding lots of literature but not specific enough to the research I was doing. As a result I used different search engines such as google and purchased my own books that I found online like 'Directing Musical Theatre an essential guide' (Deer, 2014) and 'Creating Musical Theatre' (Cramer, 2013). These books proved very useful but I felt I needed more variety in my sources. As practitioners Haywood and Wragg state a literature review needs depth and must not be 'a furniture catalogue'. I found a useful collection of videos created by the Royal Academy of Music London on YouTube that document their rehearsal period for Musical Theatre Productions like Sweeney Todd. After encouragement and tips from Paula and fellow BAPP students I went back to using Summon. This time round I had been able to establish more key words from the work I had done on the literature I had already. This allowed me to be more specific with my search and as a result I had a more successful outcome. From these searches I have found many more articles and short sections of literature to review.

In terms of actually carrying out the review I found the chapter written by Bell useful yet again. The chapter explained that within an inquiry you must show what is already known about a subject and how the ideas have been applied. It is important to ask questions to avoid the inquiry being one-sided. To look at all sides it is important to establish relationships between facts. It explains that a good way to do this is to identify THEMES across your literature selections. You can then group all of your literature together under headings and from this you can create a THEORY. This way of organising my work really made sense to me and I have found it successful it giving my work shape and direction.

An example of how I have used this can be shown in my review of an article written by music education professor June Countryman called ' Getting the most for the least time: Ideas on planning, preparing and conducting efficient, stimulating and productive rehearsals'. I initially considered the fact that the article is not specifically based on Musical Theatre work, however it is looking at preparing repertoire for a Music performance which is a discipline that directly relates to Musical Theatre. 

Within my work I have established three main themes and given them the headings:

Creativity VS Organisation

The process of rehearsal looking at balance and flow

Teamwork

Looking at these headings I was then able to pinpoint information in the article. For example the articles very first tip for preparing a rehearsal is 'Be organised' it also states that a choreographer or director should identify the 'tricky' parts of the repertoire they are rehearsing so that they know what to spend more time on. Overall the article suggests that being organised when you are on a limited timescale gives the choreographer or director more freedom. When I compare this to other literature I have examined an opposing opinion I can identify is that of Broadway director Marc Platt. During at interview for the London Theatre guide website londontheatre.co.uk in January 2015 he discusses that he is working on a high budget production that means they have no set time scale as he is not willing to sacrifice his creative visions to fit in with a time scale. These contrasting experiences give me the basis of a theme that creativity and organisation within a rehearsal period are governed by factors like budget and timescale and not just the personal preference of the person in charge. If you are taking a rehearsal it is important that you consider all of these factors in order to get the most out of the time scale you have.

Overall I will continue to use these system to present my literature review in my final submission.

Using Social Media

I am coming to the stage in my inquiry where I am piecing together all areas of investigation in order to analyse and produce my findings. In this time of reflection I am looking back on how I used social media throughout the course and how it has affected my work.

What Social Media Have I used?

I think the obvious form to point out straight away is this blog. Before starting this course I had never blogged, I think like many of us. I can think back to starting Module One and writing my first blog post and staring at the screen not knowing what to write. As I have progressed through the course I have learnt just how valuable blogging can be. It is a great way to document your learning and to communicate with others on the course. It is great to be able to gain ideas and inspiration from others as well as receive feedback on my own work. I have found my blogs essential when it comes to producing my final written work at the end of each module. To be able to look back at my entire learning journey and reference the posts in my evaluation is extremely helpful. I have definitely increased the amount I have blogged in each module as I have realised how helpful it can be. I hope that my blogging for this module is helpful in producing my final work. To ensure it is I have tried to blog about every aspect of my inquiry. Considering this it is my aim this week to blog more about my work with my literature.

Facebook has also played a major role within the course. Although there are many ethical implications to consider when using Facebook there are great positives. My fellow students set up a private group page where we can share ideas, ask questions and gain feedback. This is a great addition to our blogs as it is way that everyone can be notified when a discussion is taking place. I have also used Facebook privately for interaction with my SIG's. Considering the ethics of this, all of my interactions have been done privately and not on public pages.

My other social media pages such as Instagram can also be a place of inspiration and reflection. On my social media pages I tend to follow a lot of people within the Musical Theatre industry and occasionally images and messages pop up that I can relate to my work on the course. For instance part of my inquiry is looking at teamwork within a Musical Theatre rehearsal environment. Whilst on one of my social media pages the following image came up - 

 

It was interesting for me to consider this opinion on teamwork and relating it to the opinions that have already come up in my inquiry. Social media allows access to many opinions and ideas very quickly. It is always important to consider the bias and ethics of what you seeing but overall I have found it a useful tool.

My skills 

This course has forced me out of my comfort zone in terms of social media and technology in general. I was someone that had always used social media as a sideline for interaction with friends and sourcing performance work. My work in Module One highlighted the power social media can have and this made me more conscious of what I post online, it's purpose and who is going to see it. For example I am in the process of setting up a secondary Facebook page. I have made this decision as I am aware of how much I am using sites such as Facebook to look for work as well as interacting with fellow practitioners and customers for my teaching work. Creating two pages will help me to separate my work life and private life.

Committing to a blog has been positive for me as I have seen the benefits that having a journal of a learning process is in terms of reflecting and progressing as a practitioner. The benefits of web 2.0, having people comment and improve your work is great. I wish to carry on blogging my work as a Musical Theatre practitioner so I can continue to use it to develop in my work.

Overall this course has pushed me to try things I have never done or used before. For instance during Module Three I have been carrying out interviews over Skype. I was able to record my initial interviews easily using my mobile. However a change in location to a public setting for my recent interview meant that using my mobile would not be sufficient. Therefore I researched a programme that would allow me to record the interview directly from Skype onto my laptop. I then was able to download the software and use it successfully. This is something I would have not felt comfortable with in the past but this course has given me confidence to try and experiment with technology.

Interviews and thoughts about my presentation

So I have just completed one of my final interviews and it was quite frustrating. I am currently living and performing in Spain and have learnt not to take internet connection for granted! Last week I lost internet in my housing and will not be able to get it back before the end of the course. Luckily I had completed most of my interviews before this happened. This meant I was able to conduct them when I knew the internet connection would be strong and the environment quiet and comfortable. Today I went to a local cafe which is know for its strong internet connection and where I have carried out Skype calls successfully in the past. However today that was not the case. I lost connection a few times and the sound was terrible. Adding to that the cafe was also very busy which did not help my already poor sound. My interview was great and patiently waited whilst I solved the problems as best I could and we did manage to complete the interview. I have one interview left taking place tomorrow and will be looking for a new location quick!

Today's experience has also made me look towards the oral presentation we must do. I recently had a tutorial with Paula and we discussed my poor internet connection. I will not be England for the presentations so will be giving mine via Skype. Paula suggested that I ask a friend that has internet in their house if I can carry out my presentation there. After today's experience I think this will be vital. I will also try to go there beforehand to try out the connection so as to avoid anymore problems! Has anyone else had similar experiences with technology? I would love to know how people are dealing with any obstacles with this part of the course.

Looking ahead with more work on the Professional Artefact

This week has been a busy week in terms of my inquiry. I have completed three interviews, I did have a couple more scheduled but unfortunately they have had to be re-arranged for the beginning of next week due to busy schedules. I have been continuing to read literature and have had discussions with my peers about analysis. Although I feel I have made progress I still feel a little insecure about how I will bring all of my findings and work together. However reading through the slides Paula posted about the session yesterday and other participants blogs I feel a little better. Paula mentioned that when looking at the five stages of an inquiry you may be covering two or more stages at once. I relate to this as I have been implementing my tools of inquiry which has resulted in producing some themes in my work which I now want to look into with more literature. I am also beginning to think about analysis as it is approaching the time in the module when these ideas must start to come together. I am conscious that I need to keep my themes clear through all of these stages to make sure my work connects well together.

Looking ahead to the rest of the module, yesterday I spent the afternoon looking through blogs of previous students who have completed the course in order to assess if I am heading in the right direction. The professional artefact is something I have mentioned in previous blogs and looking at other students blogs has really got me thinking about this creative aspect of my work. I had already considered a visual professional artefact after discussions with other performers of my SIG's had proved this would be a popular choice. However I hadn't realised just how creative we could be. When looking at Jess Boswell's blog a quote from Adesola really stood out to me.

'If the artefact has anything to do with paper and writing then it won't be as strong as it could be. Think of the artefact as a piece of art.'  

Jess then went on to discuss that as money was a running theme in her inquiry she was going to try and create a papermache wallet in which to store the information she wanted to share on giant bank cards. Although I don't think this would be appropriate for my inquiry or target audience, it really opened my eyes to how creative we can and must be with the professional artefact. Another blog and artefact idea that stood out to me was that of Bethany Huckle. For her professional artefact she created an audio scrapbook. I did a little research into what an audio scrapbook is and how to make one. I've posted a link to one blog I found helpful below.

http://www.writeclickscrapbook.com/write_click_scrapbook/2011/01/an-audio-scrapbook-and-a-download-to-share.html

This idea stood out to me as I wish to combine my ideas into a form that uses both visual imagery and sound, so as to appeal to performers that are used to working in an environment that relies on visuals and sound. Although a audio scrapbook combines these two elements, after looking into it more I don't think it would me to incorporate as much moving imagery as I would like. I think my artefact will work better if it is more video based. 

I found looking through previous students blogs very helpful as it has continued to stimulate my ideas surrounding my professional artefact. I have posted the links to both Bethany's and Jess's blogs below.

  http://jessboswell.blogspot.com.es/2016/12/artefact.html

http://hucklebethany.blogspot.com.es/

An update on my planning

So I have mentioned in a few of my earlier posts about a gannt chart I have created to help me organise my work this module. I wanted to post it earlier but it has taken me a bit longer that expected to work out how to get it on here! In the end I have decided to take a photo of the chart on the software I created it on.

I used a software called ganntproject and it was quite straight forward. I'm finding it useful to have a visual timescale of the course that I can access easily on my computer. I would recommend the software if anyone else is looking to create a chart.

Session with Adesola 07/03/17

This week was the monthly group sessions between all modules with Adesola. I attended the evening session that consisted of a mix of module one and three students. To begin the session we all introduced ourselves and stated a topic we would like to discuss. This gave us three main topics that we discussed within the session - Reflective practice/analysis, interviews and module three's professional artefact.

Refelective Practice

Lauren, a module one student, brought up the topic as she had begun reading on reflective practice within her work for the module. Module three students commented on how they had used reflective practice within their first module and how it had progressed through out the course. One of the key points that emerged was how important it is to reflect on your work as at times it might not seem important, however at the end of each module when you must create a body of work it is your anaylsis that forms the basis. Everything links together through reflection, a good example of this was when Adesola pointed out later on in discussions about interviews that when you take an interview you are asking the participants to reflect and analyse on their own personal experiences.

 Interviews

A couple of module three students brought up the point of interviews as they are at the point in their inquiries when they are carrying them out. I am also carrying out interviews this week and some interesting points came up that I had not yet considered. An example of this was the environment of the interview. Lois mentioned that she wanted to make sure that all her interviewees where in a comfortable environment without distractions so that they are able to answer questions freely. I have taken this into account when arranging the time of my meetings, leaving it largely up to my participants when the interviews are so that it is convenient for them and hopefully without distraction. Lawrence, another module three student, had already carried out one interview and said that when the interview started the interviewee they apologised as they were having a bad day. He said this was something he had not planned for. It is important to remember that you dealing with different people and many different factors can effect this. It was brought up that a semi-structured interview can help with this. That when taking an interview you should have your main points prepared that you definitely want to cover but then be prepared for the interview to take a different direction while maintaining it is helpful to your inquiry.

Professional Artefact

Within the session I chose to bring up a subject I had discussed with Lizzie earlier in the week. I asked the group how, as performers, they would like to be presented information regarding rehearsals and how to carry them out. Some similar points that Lizzie brought up emerged again, such as something visual where they can see explanations through imagery. Lawrence brought up a point that I hadn't yet thought of. He said that if he was to watch something about a rehearsal process that he would like the opportunity to interact with whoever made it. This has made me think that maybe I could incorporate an element into my artefact where other practitioners could comment on it if they so wish, this may allow the work to develop further after completion.

Overall the session was very helpful to discuss with my peers elements of the course. I am continuing to carry out my inquiry and look forward to the next session.

  

Chat with Lizzie

So today I have been able to catch up with Lizzie and how she feels the module is going and to share questions and any concerns with each other. I find these chats really helpful as its reassuring to know that others are going through the same process and have similar feelings. We both agreed that there is a lot of work ahead of us but that we are excited to see the end product.

We talked through how the inquiry is going. This was helpful to me as I am carrying out my interviews this week and Lizzie has already done some of hers. I was able to check a few technical questions such as was she able to get a clear recording and how the reception was. She said that so far she felt they had gone well which gives me confidence for my tasks this week.

The main topic we discussed was our professional artefact. We both agreed that we are struggling to decide on a way to present our information, but would like to decide quicky as we don't want to be unprepared when the time to submit them comes. As a perfomer I decided to ask Lizzie how she would like to be presented material on a rehearsal process. She mentioned diagrams and visual images but also having music alongside. These are creative things that performers are used to working with so I think they will have to play a major part in my end artefact.

Overall it was very useful to catch up and we have agreed to another chat soon.

Progress and Literature

So its been a busy few weeks to the start of term. I have been making steady progress with the work for the Module, reviewing my feedback, reading and understanding the handbook and reader, continuing my literature review and organising my inquiry activities. However I have neglected my blog. I know from the previous two modules how important the blogging process is to develop my ideas and to look back on for my critical reflection. Therefore I know aim to pick up my blogging activity once again! I'm glad I have identified the problem know so that I can progress and improve before I continue further with my inquiry.

So last week I unfortunately had to miss the module session with Paula. It was on an evening where I have an earlier show time so no possibility of re-arranging. I was frustrated as after my feedback last term it is a priority of mine to make as many sessions as possible. However reviewing the blog posts of people that attended the session was really helpful. Everyone was asked to identify where they are in the five stage process of an inquiry that can be found in the module handbook. I believe I am currently covering both stages two and three. I am continuing to carry out my literature review and am ready to carry out my inquiry activities. I have also focused on the comments people have made about the professional artefact from the session. I still feel slightly lost regarding my professional artefact. I understand that it should be a creative way to present our inquiry to other practitioners in our field of work, but I am at a loss as to what this should be! My next step is to look at previous artefacts that past students have produced to gain more understanding and inspiration.

My literature review started as a slow process, I have never done a literature review before and although I understood the end goal of the activity I felt slightly at a loss as to the correct and most efficient way to carry out the process. Module two helped a lot with this, however as I began Module three I felt I would be more comfortable and productive if I did some further reading on carrying out literature reviews. One source of knowledge on the topic I had identified in Module two was the book 'Doing Your Research Project: A Guide For First Time Researchers' Bell and Waters, 2014. There is a whole chapter dedicated to literature review and I have been able to gain some further understanding and organise my thoughts. The chapter covers:

• The purpose of a literature review
• How to organise and present a review
• The ethical considerations when carrying out a review

Purpose

The purpose of a review is to show what learning has already happened regarding the topic of your inquiry and how this has been applied in your community of practice. You must gain a further understanding of your topic and look at all sides of arguments made. The chapter contains opinions of practitioners that explain what they believe the purpose of a literature review is. One example is shown below:

“without it you will not acquire an understanding of your topic, of what has already been done on it, how it has been researched, and what the key issues are. In your written project you will be expected to show that you understand previous research on your topic. This amounts to showing that you have understood the main theories in the subject area and how they have been applied and developed, as well as the main criticisms that have been made of work on the topic. " (Hart 2001: 1)

Presentation

I have found the chapter very useful as it gives examples of previous literature reviews so I have been able to see ways of presenting the information. I am considering grouping my literature choices together using headings containing key words on my inquiry area. It is an organised approach to make sure I cover all the areas I need using as many sources as possible. In doing so I will be creating a relationship between the literature and be able to create an overall theory for my inquiry.

Ethical considerations

Throughout my entire review I must consider the ethical implications. When choosing and anaylsing sources I must consider the bias a writer may hold. I must question all information given, looking at arguments form both sides. As practitioner Duffy covers, a writer won't declare their bias so as a researcher it is your job to look for it.

After re-establishing my understanding of a literature review I have continued to locate and analyse sources. My feedback from Module two included that I should increase my range of sources. I have established 7-8 sources but need to increase this to improve my knowledge for the inquiry. This is time consuming but I have tried to plan accordingly so that I have the information on time to get my drafts in. Looking at the blogs of other students I can see they feel the same. Lizzie and Megan have discussed that if they could give their module two selves feedback it would be to focus more on literature. I agree, however at the start this is difficult as the whole idea is foreign and as first you must gain an understanding before you can begin to carry out the activity.

My goal now is to keep my blog updated! Starting with my gannt chart that I mentioned in a previous blog.