Melody Stockwell

Before this lesson my mind was blank on what I could possibly do for my artefact, but now I have lots of different ideas running through my brain. I think I’m going to make a mini documentary on performing a completely new skill. Just a concept at the moment, but need to see how this would work in reality.

After catching up on the lesson about overviews today I am feeling clearer on how to make this work for my inquiry. I found it interesting thinking about insider/outsider perspectives, talking about distanciation and inter-subjective dialogues. I am in the process of writing up my findings and I can’t wait to delve deeper into the similarities and differences of peoples practise.

I found catching up on the lesson about literature reviews really helpful! I now understand how this review differs to module 2. I am feeling a little overwhelmed with university at the moment as my working life has doubled compared to last year. I know this module is going to challenge me but also know how rewarding it will be at the end.

So prior to this lesson, I was happy to have completed all my interviews so I can focus on analysing my findings. I feel like this lesson has helped me think about my data in a different way. I can't wait to see what themes arise when reading through everything and I will definitely be using the triangle technique on my data to make sure I cover everything. Now lets get analysing!

After watching back lesson two and defining some of the research words, I feel like I have a better understanding of what is to come throughout the process. I am currently in the middle of interviews and really enjoying what the participants have to say.  I have never done anything like this before, so although daunting, I am excited to see what information I find.

So it's the start of module 3. The third and final module of this course. I have to say, I feel both nervous and excited for for the journey ahead. I am really looking forward to interviewing other performers and can't wait to see what they will say. I also feel overwhelmed with the analysis part of the module but hope it will all become clear in the next of couple weeks.

That’s it ! We finished module 2 ! This module has been very hard work and I am so proud of what I have managed to accomplish in 12 weeks.  Although it was tough, I really enjoyed designing my own inquiry project and look forward to carrying it out in September. Now for a much needed summer break (not that there will be much relaxing on my part).  Enjoy everyone and see you all in module 3.

  It’s that time of the module again when we need to focus on fine tuning our work, which by this time feels like our baby ! One of my biggest issues is knowing when to stop editing.   I’m so proud of how far I have come and can’t believe what I am doing after 6 years out of academia. Let’s all get to the finish line before a well deserved summer break.

  The last couple of weeks have been very stressful, meaning I haven’t been very active on my blog.  I’ve had a lot going on with moving to a new country for a year, only to find I will be moving back again in the next 3 months.  Luckily, it came at the right time, being after draft handing and before feedback. Now I am ready to move on and finish my work to a standard I am proud of.

  YEP! I did it.   For a long time, I have been wanting to start my own business and work on something that inspires me. I have started my own little entertainment company as well as a marilyn Monroe act! I’m so excited for this new chapter in my life and can’t wait to see where it takes me.

Coming up to the draft deadline is always stressful. I’m feeling apprehensive with what I have created so far, but hope everything will become clear soon. A lot has been going on for me in my personal life recently, all positive, but it means I need to focus on my time keeping more than ever.

Its taken me a while, but I’ve finally come round to the idea of one research project. The title I have in mind is something like:   Why do performers diversify and can they transfer knowledge from previous skills to enhance their learning of new skills I want to look at how learning one skill in dance may help or hinder learning a new one in circus and vis versa.   For example, I started dancing before I started circus. When I first started circus I already knew how to have stage presence, core strength and flexibility, which helped me when I started learning aerial hoop. I am really passionate about learning new skills and have done this all the way through my career. I believe this will give me a deeper understanding about what I do and ultimately help further my career. I would love to hear peoples opinions on this subject if anyone has any ideas or thoughts. 

Catching up on the Ethics More form lesson today was great. I had been stressing about what this would entail for the last couple of weeks and after listening, I feel it is accomplishable.  As well as this, having all my forms and data methods now means when I start module three, I will be ready to hit the ground running.

After catching up on the methodology lesson, it helped me finalise my ideas but also to think about other avenues I could explore and how I could structure my research. It made me think about how I would like to include some type of statistics in my work and how it would add a more in-depth analysis to the data. This is an area that’s always fascinated me.  I’m excited for what this project will bring about and how it could enhance my career. 

Hey, This is just a quick check in after Mondays lesson on Ethics. Ethics sounded overly complicated when I first read through the module handbook, but after this lesson I understand it is pretty much about making sure everyone involved feels safe and that we look at everything with our best intentions. I think this will be challenging because it isn’t something we think of everyday.  But as long as we try to think of what’s best for everyone each step of the way, it should be an ethical research project. I am still in-between ideas at the moment as want to make sure I have a concrete idea by the end of the week so I have plenty of time to research before the more form needs to be done.

After a horrendous two days laying in bed I finally watching back the lesson on little wonders, I’ve been able to start brainstorming some ideas for my project, which is very exciting! So far … My little wonders are: Different perspectives from the audience  Why do we collaborate? working outside the normal 9-5 Meeting different people can you always learn and progress what does meeting my potential look like My big questions are: Letting people be individual  Judged less on looks and body image, more on talent Making auditions affordable (travel, headshots, etc) Age not being asked at auditions (unless under 18) Pay gaps and why some skills should be considered a lesser skill I feel like I am starting to have some potential avenues to explore which mades me very excited

After having my first read through of the module 2 handbook, I’m feeling a little more excited about the next 12 weeks. I can understand the process a bit more and look forward to the lesson on little wonders .

After the first zoom call for module 2, I am feeling a little nervous but excited for the next 12 weeks. I believe they will be rewarding but very challenging. 

Today I have been going through my essay, finalising it, ready to submit with my artefact. I am really happy with what I have produced and feel this is a huge achievement already. The fact that I have been doing these studies alongside a full-time touring show, makes me realise how much I am capable of. I look forward to next year and what the course has to come.

Today I filmed my artefact and I am very happy with the result. I wanted to sent it in as a video as I think it is the best way to represent my project. I will also be adding a voice over on top as I think this will be the best way to explain everything.

67 mini clay figures, bruised fingers, 8 cups of tea later and we are making amazing progress. I can’t wait to see the final product.

Today I scoped out the perfect location for my artefact, I want to place it outside in nature as it will have more of an impact.

  Today I gathered items ready to start creating my sculpture. I have lots of meaningful things that I hope will make sense in the end. I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew. Update pending ...

Today I have been planning out exactly what I want in my artefact. I really want this to represent me and everything that goes into my practise. I have found it hard to condense my practise into something that makes sense to another person, but I am happy with the plan I created and look forward to starting it. 

I really enjoyed catching up on Wednesdays lesson with Pedro. Before this lesson I had very little idea on what I would do for my artefact, but after this lesson, I came up with some very creative ideas that I think will be a good way to represent myself! Throughout all of pedro’s lessons, I have enjoyed writing with music playing in the background. I have never done this before as I always thought silence was better. This has helped me realise that music can be a useful tool to help let your mind explore.

I watched back the second academic writing zoom the other day and have already found it very useful for looking at academic text. I liked the idea of setting time limits in reading a text as some of these texts are very long and use difficult language. By setting a time limit it gives me time to scan the pages for ideas without getting lost in the text. I also like the idea of structuring my essay with PEE as this can make it easier for the reader to understand my point. 

On Friday, I started back on my tour of the Mad Hatter’s Circus. We have done three days of rehearsals, changing the show slightly for the spooky season and to have a refresh.  Im excited to see how I can incorporate my current contract into my blog posts and see what discussions it raises that might be useful for my essay.  I know I will need to keep my time in check in order to balance my work and study and look forward to navigating the obstacles ahead.

Watching back the writing workshop helped me find a new approach to how I can brainstorm ideas.   I really like the method of having a time scale and the notion of having to keep writing, which means I can consider many concepts and ideas without feeling like I need to be correct.     It felt like a safe space to write everything down that was in my head, ready for me to read back and decipher. I look forword to next lesson to dive deeper into academic writing.

Today I Caught up on Pedro's lesson. I really enjoyed having a time scale to think about what I have learnt during my practise as it helped getting all the ideas out of my head without feeling stressed.      I found it very interesting reading everyone’s comments about what they had learnt. A lot of these resonated with my own thoughts and I realised that we have a lot it common.   The comment that I chose to write about was Bella’s “most authentic you”. This really resonated with me because when I was at college I tried so hard to fit in and be like everyone else. This made me really unhappy for many years and it was only once I stopped trying to be a carbon copy of my classmates that I realised how important individuality is. Being true to who I am has played a crucial part in my career and most of the time I am cast on my personality or uniqueness.   I liked the idea of politeness sometimes being counterproductive. I do feel us English tend to be polite even ...

I went to class today and it got me thinking about corrections. Corrections are a key part of development and learning, however, sometimes corrections are hard to decipher. How do we go about understanding what we need to improve if the correction given is incomprehensible or vague. I find more often than not corrections in class can be more about intension than a gesture, which makes it harder to understand what needs to be done. Does anyone else ever feel like this?

Today I have been preparing for an audition and it’s made me think about how auditions have changed post covid. Before covid I rarely had to submit audition material online. However, I feel this has become the norm for so many companies now as it gives them many benefits, such as not having to pay for studio time, being able to reach a larger number of applicants and not having to travel abroad. For us performers, there are so many advantages this has on job opportunities. We can reach more companies, including ones abroad that normally only audition local talent. We don’t have to spend money travelling into London or other major cities just to be cut at the first round. We also know if we get through the online rounds, they found something interesting about us, which can give us more confidence. As well as this, there is time to learn and refilm the material they give to put our best foot forward.  As amazing as these online auditions are, there are also positives to an audition i...

I had my first one-to-one the other day and it has made me even more excited to start learning and discovering what I am capable of, both academically and creatively. This week I plan to re-read the module handbook, start answering some of the questions and researching people mentioned in the lens section. What is everyone else doing this week?

Hope everyone is doing well, Catching up on Tuesday’s lesson made me think about what item I would choose to represent me and where I have come from.  As I was not able to share this with the group, I thought I would write a blog about it. The item I would choose that represents me is a book. (See below, I have also tried practising the Harvard referencing method) Salt, C. (2003).  The Methuen book of contemporary monologues for women . London: Methuen drama.  When I was younger, I always considered myself a dancer and nothing more. One day in drama class, a teacher handed me this book and it changed my view on what I wanted to do in life. It sparked my interest in acting/musical theatre and taught me not to put myself into a box. I can be what I want and learn whatever I want to become so much more than a dancer. This was such an important lesson for me and has made me who I am today. This is the reason I have trained in so many different practises. Therefore, I choose t...

Hi All, This is is my first time writing on my blog for BAPP. I am excited to start my journey with middlesex University and have missed academia for many years, as I graduated back in 2018. This is just a little post about what I have been up to this far and I look forward to keeping a log of my experiences and Journey throughout the course. When people ask me what my practise is, I find it hard to answer as I have a background in many. From a young age I have been dancing and Singing in shows, being lucky enough to perform at the London Palladium and Royal Albert Hall.  As I grew up, I knew I wanted to persue a career in the arts so I could carry on enjoying performance.  At the age of 16 I decided to audition for musical theatre colleges not thinking I would get excepted at this age. However, I was lucky enough to get offers from two Colleges. I started at Performers College in 2015 and studied for three years gaining my Diploma in Musical Theatre.  Since leaving Colle...