Well, my first summer of graduate school is over! I have now finished 1/3 of my graduate degree. There were some extremely frustrating times as well as some very enlightening times and classes and people as well. This summer I took a bunch of Technical theatre classes - Lighting, Design Methods, Creative Costuming, Makeup, Directing, and Dramatic Lit. I was really glad to have the opportunity to meet a ton of wonderful people and make some great friends! I was also very glad to have a lot of my current teaching practices confirmed as well as learned a lot of new techniques to take back to my kids.
I was also very pleased to learn some new techniques in the areas of lighting and makeup that have been particularly difficult for me. Since I am colorblind lighting and makeup have always been a much more difficult practice for me to master. I was pleasantly surprised to have an instructor that was able to cater to my disability - and show me how to attain the same results as everyone else AND have it make sense to me at the same time. Saturation charts and the color wheel are fastly turning in to my best friends.
I think that the best part of the whole experience, however, has been meeting some great new people that are in the same boat that I am. That they are one-man-bands or just starting drama programs and go through the exact same trials and issues that I do. It will be great to be able to contact some different resources that know what I am talking about and what I need. I am very excited for the next two summers! In fact, that has turned into the highlight of my year thus far!!
Into the Fire!
Well, I am now in the full swing of my Graduate program at Central Washington University! The first 2 sessions were great. Hella stressful, but really great. Papers that are 5 - 10 pages due in 2 days. Entire design projects for large-scale shows due in a week - CRAZY!
However, I am loving getting to know all the new people and getting the chance to network. The other thing that has been really nice is the confirmation that I have been teaching the right things in my classes thus far AND getting new ideas for teaching from a different set of professors and educators. I think that I got so used to the way that I learned things in my undergrad that having the ability to get a new perspective is VERY refreshing.
I love the people! All the "first years", as we call ourselves (kinda a la Harry Potter) have been really good to work with. There is a wide knowledge base and a very diverse variety of teachers at the program. Since this is the case, a lot of what we are covering is a review, of sorts. Many of the teachers do not have theatre backgrounds, so they have the need for really basic skill that someone like me, who graduated in theatre earlier, already has. However, I like the opportunity of watching different professors than who I had in my undergrad teach some of the same things. It gives a new perspective to the subject and it gives me a chance to look at the way that they teach that subject.
I am really stoked for the rest of the summer!!
However, I am loving getting to know all the new people and getting the chance to network. The other thing that has been really nice is the confirmation that I have been teaching the right things in my classes thus far AND getting new ideas for teaching from a different set of professors and educators. I think that I got so used to the way that I learned things in my undergrad that having the ability to get a new perspective is VERY refreshing.
I love the people! All the "first years", as we call ourselves (kinda a la Harry Potter) have been really good to work with. There is a wide knowledge base and a very diverse variety of teachers at the program. Since this is the case, a lot of what we are covering is a review, of sorts. Many of the teachers do not have theatre backgrounds, so they have the need for really basic skill that someone like me, who graduated in theatre earlier, already has. However, I like the opportunity of watching different professors than who I had in my undergrad teach some of the same things. It gives a new perspective to the subject and it gives me a chance to look at the way that they teach that subject.
I am really stoked for the rest of the summer!!
Yay - the addiction returns!
My top 3!!It is back! My drug - as it were - So You Think You Can Dance is back! For some reason watching all of these people do what I wish I could is mesmerizing. The more I watch, the more I want to watch. Is it that I miss being on stage so much that just watching others do it is very satisfying? I am not sure. All I know is that I love it! Yay for the DV-R and watching it over and over.
Wow...
It is like comparing night and day. I have now had the opportunity to work with the students that I will be teaching at Skyline High School. It is unbelievable the difference that I saw in the focus and quality of work that I saw from these students when compared to all the others that I have taught to this point. Now, I understand that I only had one day to compare, but even then, the feeling of yearning for understanding and improvement that I received from these students was great! I truly got the impression that the vast majority of these kids wanted to be in a real drama class and to learn new techniques and methods - including both acting and technical theatre students.
This is not to say that the students that I have had at other places did not want the same things, but they definitely were not as focused and motivated to accomplish anything near what I experienced with this new set of students. Starting with this kind of base and motivation excites me very much! The quality of work that can come from this kind of experience is unbelievable! I am way more excited about this new opportunity than I dreamed possible!
This is not to say that the students that I have had at other places did not want the same things, but they definitely were not as focused and motivated to accomplish anything near what I experienced with this new set of students. Starting with this kind of base and motivation excites me very much! The quality of work that can come from this kind of experience is unbelievable! I am way more excited about this new opportunity than I dreamed possible!
Motivation?
This is going to be a little weird. chicken butt. <--- Candace's two bits.
The rest of this year is going to be weird. It is the first time I will move from one place to another because of my job. I do not know why, but the whole concept of finishing out the year in a place that I know I will not be coming back to will be interesting to say the least. It also makes further interactions with the other teachers kind of awkward. Especially since they also know that I am not sticking around. Makes me kinda feel like I am abandoning both the teachers and the students who I interact with on a daily basis.
The prospect of going to a bigger school with an already established program just makes the current situation seem bleak and unproductive. It will be a challenge to stay motivated - but even that will hopefully help me stay on top of things.
The rest of this year is going to be weird. It is the first time I will move from one place to another because of my job. I do not know why, but the whole concept of finishing out the year in a place that I know I will not be coming back to will be interesting to say the least. It also makes further interactions with the other teachers kind of awkward. Especially since they also know that I am not sticking around. Makes me kinda feel like I am abandoning both the teachers and the students who I interact with on a daily basis.
The prospect of going to a bigger school with an already established program just makes the current situation seem bleak and unproductive. It will be a challenge to stay motivated - but even that will hopefully help me stay on top of things.
Yay! Time for a change.
I have accepted a position to teach Drama at Skyline High School in Salt Lake! I will be moving into a full Drama program (yay no more Speech!) where I will teach Drama 1, Drama 2, Drama 3, Technical Theatre, & Film Studies. The theatre is HUGE - about 2,000 seats - and there is also a black box theatre to do smaller shows.
That is all I know at the moment. I will be going down to sign contracts and get all the details taken care of soon. I will post more as I learn more.
That is all I know at the moment. I will be going down to sign contracts and get all the details taken care of soon. I will post more as I learn more.
Another closing.
My students and I have just closed Once Upon a Mattress. The response to the show was very positive! Everyone seems to have had an enjoyable experience. All of the comments that I have heard have been positive.
Here are some production shots from the show!!