{"id":2618,"date":"2024-03-06T15:33:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T15:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/?p=2618"},"modified":"2024-03-06T15:33:05","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T15:33:05","slug":"theres-no-such-thing-as-a-waste-of-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/2024\/03\/06\/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-waste-of-time\/","title":{"rendered":"There’s No Such Thing as a Waste of Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Work placement is a challenging experience \u2013 making the tea is harder than it sounds!
Harder still is maintaining motivation and momentum when things aren\u2019t going the way you planned. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from work placement is often things don\u2019t pan out exactly how we imagine they\u2019re going to. In these situations, it is our attitude and how we respond that dictates how much we benefit. In this, my second blog post, I will use the \u2018Johns Model of Reflection\u2019 to dissect and assess my own response.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Johns Model of Structured Reflection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Phase 1 – Describe the Experience!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The second of my two work placements was with the \u2018Belfast Ensemble\u2019, a prestigious theatre company local to Belfast. Some weeks earlier I had spent an introductory day with the ensemble at the Grand Opera House in the city centre. This had been a very enjoyable experience, and I\u2019d spent the day shadowing the company\u2019s audio technician as he worked on a production with Mark Almond (of \u2018Soft Cell\u2019 fame). I was now booked in for a full working week at the Lyric Theatre with the ensemble as they prepared to debut a new opera, \u201cThe Headless Soldier\u201d, written and directed by Conor Mitchell.\u00a0
\u00a0
Although I have played many a convincing tree and the occasional nonplussed sheep in school nativities, I\u2019m not particularly well travelled in the world of theatre and said world of theatre can be daunting to the uninitiated; terminology, etiquette and technical know-how are the order of the day. How naive I was, thinking I\u2019d fly under the radar, not knowing upstage from down, and quietly shadow the company\u2019s audio technician.\u00a0
\u201cAfter a full week of sound tech experience, I\u2019ll be pretty clued up!\u201d, I had thought to myself.\u00a0
\u00a0
Almost on arrival I learned this was not to be; brief reintroductions and I was set to work with the lighting technician, Mary, who showed me how to rig bars with stage lights. At this stage (get it? Stage?) I had an inkling that my week was unlikely to be purely audio related \u2013 I shared this hunch with Mary, who chuckled and reliably informed me that it would, as is often par for the course, be all hands to the pump.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the week was spent frantically odd jobbing; I spent time rigging projectors, setting up orchestra pits and lifting heavy things, the hustle and bustle culminating in three performances of the opera. I was asked to be a stagehand for these performances, and so it was that I found myself in blacks, hiding in the wings and watching the opera each night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crux of the matter is I didn\u2019t spend any time doing what I had originally wanted to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phase 2 – Reflect on the Experience<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Initially this involuntary change of pace left me feeling more than slightly dispirited. I thought that, as I was not gaining any experience of the audio technician role, I was wasting a week; audio was the only element of this environment that I had any experience in, so most tasks pushed me far out of my comfort zone and necessitated the asking of a lot of questions, many daft. \u00a0
Struggling with the feeling that I stuck out like a sore thumb, I was comforted somewhat by a quote from \u2018Beginning Reflective Practice\u2019 <\/em>by Melanie Jasper [1]<\/em> which says, \u201cIt is normal to experience \u2018reality shock\u2019, anxiety and insecurity when entering new environments\u201d. \u2018Reality shock\u2019 seemed a fitting term for what I was experiencing, but looking around I noticed that everyone was pitching in, regardless of their professional role. \u00a0

A prime example of this occurred just before the first performance, when we encountered a problem with stage transitions. The writer and director, Conor Mitchell, had only recently finished the opera (the last of the score having been written a matter of hours before the orchestra were due to rehearse it), and so there were creases to be ironed out. \u00a0
The dramatic and violent first act left the stage in a total mess \u2013 Lego, pills and fake blood smeared across a linoleum floor, a dining room table and chairs plastered in bolognaise and wine. Everything had to be cleared from the stage quickly and carefully, including the very heavy furniture, for the beginning of the second act. We set to work choreographing the stage reset and, to my surprise, even Conor was drafted in as a stagehand.\u00a0

Enthused by the team spirit on display, I even felt confident enough to pipe up with some suggestions of my own. In the end an interval was added in to allow for the stage to be properly cleaned, however seeing how everyone had come together to try and solve a problem had made me feel more comfortable with being spread across different roles and tasks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Rather Impressive Lyric Theatre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Phase 3 – What Influenced Me?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Had I asked, I likely would have been allowed to shadow the audio technician for the entire week. There were a few times I considered making this request, out of concern that I was allowing a learning opportunity to pass me by, but I refrained, largely due to my own social awkwardness; my fear of being perceived as a hinderance, or coming across as difficult or pushy and being shunned as a result, probably prevented me from gaining the experience that was most relevant to my course. I was also conscious of the fact that I was in quite a privileged position, having been allowed to spend the week there in the first place, and decided I didn\u2019t want to push my luck. Having discussed with a few friends on different work placements, this feeling of \u201cowing\u201d something to the placement provider seems to be a common theme; I don\u2019t think it necessarily benefits the student.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phase 4 – What Could I Have Done Better?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the week, I was feeling more comfortable and confident working with and around the Ensemble, and probably would have asked for the chance to shadow some audio work; however, by this time, performances had begun, and I was heavily involved as a stagehand \u2013 I even had to cue one of the younger actors (although he definitely didn\u2019t need my help). At this point I was happy to feel like part of a team, however, if I had the opportunity again, I would try to swallow my nerves and mention at the outset that I had a very active interest in audio and would love to be involved in that side of the production where possible. As is often the case, don\u2019t ask don\u2019t get. In her book \u2018Placements: A Survival Guide For Students<\/em>\u2019 [2]<\/em>, Christine Fanthome states that, for a quality work placement, \u201cobjectives and learning outcomes should be agreed and defined prior to the student beginning the placement\u201d. This wasn\u2019t something I considered at the time but is a technique I will certainly employ from now on; by discussing my interests and what I aimed to gain from the placement with my employer in advance, I would have finished the week with a lot more audio engineering experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phase 5 – What Did I Learn?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Although I didn\u2019t spend the time as I had originally intended, I don\u2019t feel as though a moment was wasted. I have come away from the week with the strong belief that, in the creative industry, versatility is invaluable.  
 
Theatre is a great source of employment for audio engineers, and so competition for jobs can be quite fierce. By spending a week helping with various aspects of the \u2018Headless Soldier\u2019 production, I feel I\u2019ve gained a good amount of experience across the board. The day-to-day reality of the industry is that understanding how to rig a lightbar, or mount a projector, or knowing upstage from down, can be the difference between securing a job and being pipped to the post.  
I was told ad infinitum that \u2018it\u2019s not what you know, it\u2019s who you know\u2019, and this also has a backbone of truth. In that week alone I made several very useful connections with audio engineering professionals responsible for the tech teams at both the Lyric Theatre and Mandela Hall, a large local venue which plays host to major bands and events. We exchanged contact details, and I realised that often a foot in the door can land you the job you\u2019re after. In many professional environments, enthusiasm and willingness to get stuck in, regardless of the task, leaves a lasting impression.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All professional aspirations aside, the week left me with a newfound appreciation for theatre, particularly opera, and the performers involved. As a keen musician myself, watching true professionals ply their trade was fascinating. \u00a0
\u00a0
And so, it seems the case that if you learned something, nothing is a waste of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/span><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/em> Jasper, M. (2013). Beginning Reflective Practice.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/em> Fanthome, C. (2004). Work Placements – A Survival Guide for Students<\/em>. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/978-1-137-08191-9_1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Work placement is a challenging experience \u2013 making the tea is harder than it sounds! Harder still is maintaining motivation and momentum when things aren\u2019t going the way you planned. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from work placement is often things don\u2019t pan out exactly how we imagine they\u2019re going to. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1410,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2nd-blog-post"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1410"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2618"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2626,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2618\/revisions\/2626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.qub.ac.uk\/ael3001-23\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}