A Blog Entry by Ciara Captain

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I’ve always been told that I ‘land in muck and come up smelling of roses’ in relation to my patterns with luck. This was one of those moments. I had only gone and secured my work placement. When I reflect over the past few weeks, I find myself using the same reflective process as Graham Gibbs to better the week following the next. “It is not sufficient simply to have an experience in order to learn. Without reflecting upon this experience, it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost.” (Gibbs, 1988) [1] and I agree and am reminded of that every Saturday morning when I attend JAM (Junior Academy of Music). 

[2] Image 1: Diagram depicting Gibbs’ model of reflection  

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It was nearing the start of my final first term at Queen’s. I received the reminder email, “Hi all, I hope your placement hunting is going well…” it was at that moment I had realised I had forgotten that I was to have found a work placement for the start of the academic year. How could the jigsaw that is the final year of my degree work itself out when puzzle pieces were missing, in other words I had no arrangement for my work placement. I assessed the list received prior with the suggested placements we could apply for, and it was as though the computer mouse had already spoken. The mouse lay balanced on the Email of Juliana Licinic (JAM Co-Ordinator). My fate was seemingly chosen. 

I had found myself approaching the teaching route. The avenue that at the time seemed like a dead end for the career I strive for. But I approached this as a possibility to trial this theory of mine to confirm any disinterests I may have or any curiosities I could remedy without having the guilt of the possible death of a metaphoric cat being involved.  

As a music performance student, I am often asked what I want to do after graduation. “What is the plan then for after?” or “So are you looking to go into teaching then?” To which I usually reply with either “I don’t know.” or else I jokingly reply, “Get famous!” which is often met with a laugh. Though when I do think about the response that I want to be able to confidently give, it would be, “I’d love to be a performing musician and tour my music around the world to an audience.” Choosing a work placement was difficult in that regard. I’m sure they didn’t have a similar opportunity to give me on the suggested work placement sheet. So, I had to return to the drawing board.  

JAM (Junior Academy of Music) is a programme for children between the ages of 4-18 to come and develop their musical abilities and social skills. As someone who struggled with music lessons in school due to the lack of encouragement and support received, I left school with very low confidence in my musical abilities. This is when the thought crossed my mind, maybe teaching would be a terrific opportunity for myself. They say history repeats itself and I would admire the idea of going back in time to right the wrongs of my past teachers and give a child a much better experience of learning than I received. This further led to my decision. I contacted Juliana through email with a confident tone that gave the impression that I was capable and up to task. I mentioned my previous work with children, my musical ability in brief terms and flattering charm. This worked in my favour as I had been granted a placement opportunity and without a formal CV. 

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Week 1 was when my smoke and mirrors became less of an illusion. My smoke had begun to clear, and my mirrors were starting to reflect my anxious self. I felt like a new kid on their first day at school. My biggest fear, what if the kids knew more than me? I came to music with a considerably basic understanding of music theory. It was as much about finding my feet as it was landing on them, especially in front of the children. They would view me as equal to Sam Smith, their teacher, who most of the kids recognised from previous years of being in his class. The challenges that I was presented with in my first week were trying to grasp an understanding of how the lessons are taught whilst looking after the children who would talk over Sam. The main challenge was being able to take in what Sam had said the kids should do so I could support both the children and him as a TA. This term both Jam 1 & 2 groups focused on sight-singing whilst incorporating that into games. Having games to teach the children in a way that is educational yet subtle and enjoyable is a great idea and through the past weeks I have seen a progressive growth in their confidence and recognition of different tones and beats. As proposed by Schon, “We are often unaware of having learned to do these things: we simply find ourselves doing them.” (1994 ,54).[3] The games are also a great tool for myself as I can evaluate why the games are played, their purpose and beneficial outcome but also because I can learn as well, and it creates a safe environment for both children and adults to learn. 

Week 2 was when Jam 3 attendees would return to JAM to in turn ‘jam out’. I was appointed as a TA for the Senior Guitar Ensemble with Dario Cafolla. Jam 3 consists of teenagers aged 8-18. This was my Dewey Finn moment. and no, I’m not referring to the School of Rock scene where he and the children perform and astound the audience at the local Battle of the Bands, but I am referring to the scene where Dewey is outed for posing as Mr. Ned Shneebly and faces his downfall because I as well seen my downfall not far ahead. I approached the class with the impression and façade that I knew what I was doing and was capable of leading lessons alongside Dario, after all I was Queen’s Music Performance Student with Guitar as my main instrument. The ensemble consists of diverse levels of playing and fluidity of guitar. When I noticed that half the kids who were slightly older than half my age were at the exact level as me, that’s when I knew they could see right through me. From this stage I felt as though I was there to be taught rather than being there to teach. Dario and I thought it best that we split the room in two so that we could teach the group their sections and be able to divide our attentions for a more successful outcome. It was as though the kids who were in my group preferred Dario’s attention over the new TA as they just continued with the piece politely refusing my help. 

As the weeks have gone on, I do look at the positives and the rewards I am reaping. Relevant to my experience in teaching and involvement of work placement, getting to grips with this academic setting has been a challenge but just like the children I find myself learning too. To summarise my evaluation of my placement so far, I would have to collect my thoughts on what has gone well for me and what has not. Based on my experiences so far, if I considered Gibbs’ model of reflection, I would wonder what I could have done differently and what I could have done to avoid this from reoccurring in the future (conclusion and evaluation). Firstly, letting my anxieties quickly flood in when my lack of confidence would appear was my first mistake. I should have composed myself. “As full of labour as a wise man’s art for folly that he wisely shows is fit; But wise men, folly-fall’n, quite taint their wit.” ― William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, (III.i.), [4] to put it simply, it takes a wise man to act a fool. If I had kept up to the appearance, I may have succeeded first time around in how I was perceived by the students. Though to counter this I have seen developments in their attitude towards myself. They are keener to chat away and approach myself rather than always approaching Sam as a first call. Right now, I am still trying to side over my guitar ensemble, though I’m sure that’s down to their teenage angst and my misfired attempt to be ‘down with the kids.’ 

Going forward I am eagerly anticipating my ‘rising from the muck’ moment and achieving my goals of making a difference to those I am teaching. As suggested by Kathleen McMillian, “It is part of human nature to learn continually from experience, generally growing more proficient and wiser in our responses to events as we grow older” (2013,31) [5]. I am encouraging myself to come into each following week with more profession and patience for the process, after all I am enjoying my placement and most of all I am grateful for the experience to trial a career possibility for when I complete my degree. I aim to remind myself of my starting goals for this placement and in the words of Dewey Finn “Those who can’t do teach, and those that can’t teach… teach gym” [6] so I think it would be in my best interests to keep going with JAM. 

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[7] Image 2: Myself and other JAM volunteers completing work placement

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