Filed under: Uncategorized
18th January- First Day!
Today was my first day at A Mind Apart! When I arrived Natasha gave me an introduction to the company and a rundown of my tasks as an intern, before giving me a tour around Burton Street. I never even knew that Burton Street existed , seeing as I spend most of my time within the student locality in Sheffield, but I think it’s a brilliant place.
My first task as an intern was to start planning Logan’s superhero birthday party so, after exchanging a few emails with Logan’s mum, Melanie, we booked Burton Hall to be the venue for the party.
I then went to the Montgomery Theatre to start my assistant directorship. We played loads of fun drama games that helped us to get to know each other. Everyone seems great and I’m really looking forward to working with them all!
25th January
Today Natasha and I had a meeting with Faye Smith to talk about P.R. and marketing the parties. I’ve been given a few articles to write that could potentially go into the local newspapers which sounds pretty exciting!
We then went back to the office and I spent some time working through some websites doing research on other children’s parties, promoting our parties on local websites and setting up an email for the parties section of the company.
26th January
I started today by designing the invitations for Logan’s party and sending them on to Melanie, who had offered to print them and send them out. I then made some enquiries into the party bags decorations for the party so the room could look fab for Logan’s big day!
After a bit more organisation for the party, I wrote an article for Faye about ‘Ten Top Tips for Children’s Party Food’.
30th January
Today I started by updating our display board with more information about the parties and some brill photos. I had to get it finished by the end of the day so that Tash could display it at the performance of Peter Pan that she had written and directed. Sadly, I won’t be able to go because I’m on a university trip, but I’m sure it’ll be fantastic!
I then put the orders in for Logan’s party bags, decorations and, most importantly, table cloths (-we don’t want to go messing up Burton Hall!)
5th February
Today I went with Jodie to a Cinderella themed party in Hathersage. Despite slightly snowy conditions, we made it to Maisie’s party at her local church hall, put on our ball gowns, and taught ten girls how to be ladies and pass the prince’s test with elocution lessons, dancing lessons, masquerade mask making, assault courses, and a few other exercises- all in a day’s work for A Mind Apart!
9th February
Natasha and I spent the first part of today going through the plans and timings for Logan’s party and deciding what activities we were going to do, which was very exciting! We then went up to the catering manager here at Burton Street to confirm everything was ready.
After that I designed certificates for the children to take home for taking part in Logan’s birthday and put the party bags together.
I then spent some time creating a ‘party checklist’ for the planning and organisation of future parties.
11th February
Logan’s big day! We came in at 9.30 to finish blowing up balloons and decorate the hall. Logan and his family then arrived, shortly followed by his superhero friends in some fab costumes! They were all brilliant and danced, acted and played like true superheroes before sitting down for lunch and birthday cake and collecting their certificates and party bags. (There’s a case study for both Maisie’s and Logan’s party on the parties section of the website with a bit more information on the parties.)
16th February
Today I spent time creating a costing sheet for the three types of parties to alongside the checklist. I then wrote the case studies for the two parties as examples of how a party with us can be just entertainment, or the full works and uploaded those to the website.
22nd February
Today I’ve been sending some emails out to local events managers, trying to book some of the children that go to A Mind Apart’s dance and drama classes to perform at local events and festivals over the summer we’ve had some emails back already to confirm, which is exciting and gives us a great way to spread the word about the parties.
I then came up with some new themes for parties and created some initial plans for games and exercises for the new themes.
Filed under: Christmas
Christmas is a magical time of the year when everyone is sending each other beautiful Christmas cards with best wishes. For most of us this is the period of relaxing with family and friends, joining together to enjoy the festive period exchanging gifts and sharing in the generosity and goodwill of the season, all of the time thinking about wonderful things to bring happiness and love into our homes.
Christmas at A Mind Apart Theatre is a very exciting time for all the staff and volunteers. Before we finish or our holidays, we need to do a lot of things in a very short time. We are very busy and we need to cooperate together to get the jobs done. There are festive wishes and Christmas cards to send out, Christmas decorations to put up, classes to finish delivering, students work to mark, bookings to make for the new year, paper work to complete for contracts, bids to be completed, applicants to be selected for our Brazil volunteer programme, meetings to be had and not to forget the important Christmas networking events.
When we talk about a Staff Christmas Party, we think about having fun, making friends, unwinding with a drink, dancing and maintaining a good relationship between management and all of the colleagues in the company. This year A Mind Apart Theatre’s Staff were invited to join the Burton Street Christmas Party. Straight away we thought that is a very nice idea to get together in one place. We rarely have the chance to socialise together, so this was a great opportunity to find out more about one another other as some of us did not know each other too well.
The Christmas Party was held on Saturday 10th December, and was organised by staff at Burton Street. It took place at the Hillsborough Club on Bradfield Road. Jodie, Natasha, Jude, Fred, Caroline, Nicola, Chloe and Sylvia represented A Mind Apart at this party. The venue was decorated with fairy lights, the evergreen branches, colourful balloons and tinsel. There were decorations and the party poppers on the tables, and plenty of different delicious food at the buffet which included sandwiches, pizza, potatoes, crisps, chicken, and cakes and much more. The party started around 7.30pm but as usually the proper fun started later with Burton Street’s staff having a very good time talking with colleagues from work, making new friends, drinking and dancing to Christmas music. We all had a good fun indeed! We were sitting at tables, talking to each other about our work with children and sharing our exciting experience at A Mind Apart. Later in the evening some of us decided to go to the city centre to meet more of our friends. For those who did not fancy going to the city centre it was another chance to carry on the fun with Burton Street’s staff as the party continued to midnight.
Everybody seemed to have a fantastic time and we will be looking forward to next year’s event.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!!
By Sylvia Smietana (volunteer)
Filed under: A word from Jodie
Welcome to the first ‘A word from Jodie.’ I have decided to begin this newsletter to give you further information not only about A Mind Apart, but also about the techniques we use and how we use them to see progress and development in the people we work with. For those of you working with young people this will be an opportunity for you hear how performing arts is a successful tool to develop key life skills with the individuals and groups you are working with. In between newsletters from me, should you have any questions you think I might be able to answer, you can email me on Jodie@a-mind-apart.org.uk and I will answer them in the following newsletter.
Following over seven years of training in performing arts and over five years of working and continual development and training in the industry I have seen individuals and companies come and go, attempting to begin classes in specific areas and failing to either offer them at a reasonable rate or to recruit the children and young people in that particular area. I would like to focus this first newsletter on performing arts classes and how to find the right one for your child.
It can be a daunting experience sending your child to a drama or dance class for the first time. There are many questions you might ask yourself. “Can I afford this expensive hobby for my child?” “Will the class develop my child’s confidence?” “How do I know the teacher is qualified to teach?” “Is the teacher CRB checked?” are just a few that might be running through your mind. As we move from one term to another here are three top tips on what to look out for and how to find the right class.
1. Always do your research.
I ca not stress enough on how important this is to you and your child. If this is something your child wants to try for the first time you need to know that you can trust the teacher and their experience and that they know what they are doing. If this is something that your child has decided they want to develop further it is important that you find a class that they are comfortable in and that allows them to grow as an individual in confidence and skills. Children often do grow out of the first class they might attend after a few years, but if you can find a company or class that offers progression in a safe environment, either with another teacher or harder styles/techniques, this will save you having to repeat this process all over again.
We at A Mind Apart understand the importance of progression for individuals and make sure that there are progression opportunities for all of our children and young people throughout the company. Classes are divided by age and ability making sure we offer our children and young people the best training and support available.
Make sure you ring the class and speak to the teacher, if possible, before sending your child. If you are particularly concerned ask to observe a session before your child attends. Most classes should allow you to do this, and if they don’t I would question why they will not permit it. Find out as much about the company or individual teaching the class as possible. This might include visiting their website or speaking to other parents whose children attend the classes. If the class is run by individuals always make sure they have a CRB check and you have seen it. They should usually be held for three years before a new one is expected and should be ‘enhanced’. If the class is run through a company, they are not allowed to employ teachers to work with children without a CRB check. You can ask to see the child protection and safeguarding policy which should state this in it.
2. Don’t assume because the teacher has been acting for years that they can teach.
A common mistake by parents is to send their child to a class where the teachers claim to have years of acting experience, but no teaching experience. I must stress that there are some great actors out there who are just as equally great teachers, but this is not always the case and is rarer to find than you might think. During these hard times, the economy has also hits those within the performing arts sector both in the community and commercially. My recent experience is showing me that many actors are now out of work and are turning their hand to teaching. This is a difficult scenario. Often when I interview such individuals I realise that they have very little experience of working with the target groups A Mind Apart works with and would not be able to cope with challenging young people. However in many cases their experience of being directed by a range of individuals can prove to be invaluable. A Mind Apart has a strict rule that any facilitator or teacher must have a qualification in performing arts and experience of teaching (and in some cases a teaching qualification). Where experience is low we work hard with the individual to train them through the company offering the support they require and finally allowing them to teach alone when we feel they are competent enough. All of our teachers have regular spot checks and feedback to maintain a high standard and are offered a high level of support when needed.
Unfortunately this is not the case with everyone, and many actors are turning their hand to teaching to get through the difficult times we face. The questions you need to ask are “do they intend to continue their acting career? And what will happen if they get a casting call?” We are all aware that children need stability, and that should be no different when you are choosing a class. You need to know that the class will not be cancelled every other week because the teacher can’t make it. Is there cover if the teacher falls ill? And is this something the teacher is truly passionate about or is it just a stop gap until more work comes along for them? It is also good to consider how many adults are in the class with your child. It is good practice for there to be at least two adults in a class, usually one teacher and one assistant. This demonstrates good safeguarding and child protection for your child. Don’t feel worried if you feel you need to see a child protection and safeguarding policy to give you peace of mind. If the class or company does not have one I would seriously think twice about sending your child there.
3. Shop around and find the best price for you.
Spend time shopping around. Most of us are tight for cash and wouldn’t go into the most expensive shop in town and automatically buy the most expensive jumper. We would probably spend some time shopping around. So why do we not shop around for a fair price with something like out of school classes? There are plenty of companies that have a good reputation but charge a ridiculous amount of money for classes per term and don’t even guarantee individual support for your child. In such commercial companies classes often have 20-30 students in them and it is easy for your child to be overlooked. Yes, they offer quality this is undeniable when you see them working nationally. But it’s also worth pointing out that such companies work on a franchise basis, which doesn’t always guarantee individual quality. These companies are interested in money and you need to decide whether you think they will invest in your child like you would expect for the fees they charge. Such quality can be found at lower prices, you just need to look around.
A Mind Apart is based in the community and offers classes in various areas across the city. The aim for this is to maintain small classes where we can focus on each individual child and make sure their confidence and ability is developed and nurtured as equally as the others in the group. The classes are offered at affordable rates which are determined so that we can cover costs of the running of the classes. We want to make performing arts available to everyone and so do not aim to make a large profit on such classes. Those that do make profit fund the classes that don’t meaning that we can deliver in more areas across the city and maintain small sized classes.
Your primary concern is your child and it is important that you find a class that understands that and more importantly puts your child as their primary concern. Follow these three tips and you will be sure to find the perfect class for your child and your purse. Should you have any further questions regarding sending your child to a performing arts class send them to Jodie@a-mind-apart.org.uk and I will respond in the next newsletter.
If you are interested in finding out more about A Mind Apart’s classes you can contact us on 0114 2321172 or email info@a-mind-apat.org.uk. For further information on A Mind Apart check out the website at www.a-mind-apart.org.uk
Filed under: Interview
Natasha Jade McGowan, Project Manager of A Mind Apart Theatre. She joined our team in 2009 after she graduated BA (hons) Performing Arts at Salford University in Manchester, where she has gained her knowledge of Drama, Music, Dance, Singing & Literature. Since then she began teaching and has been teaching constantly for the past 3 years. She has taught at 28 different primary schools, 9 different secondary schools and 4 different colleges. She has also done a PTTLs qualification and has been trained by some of the best teachers and facilitators around like Jodie Marshall, Kat Fletcher, Karen Mulcany, Lousia Potts, Samira Kellend, Karl Towsend, Steve Haythorne, Amy Beard, Bridgette Rickett, Jo Beadle, Mark Bishop and so many more. Her duties in A Mind Apart Theatre include teaching & managing 3 evening drama classes, delivering from a tutoring basis, managing & developing events that advertise various company services such as Mad hatters tea party & the Brazilian festival and also managing volunteers & other staff members, training & monitoring standards with the company.
Interviewer: Could you tell our readers why you wanted to teach and what inspired you to work at schools with the children and young people?
Natasha: On the 17th of August 2001, my life changed I went from being a spoilt only child to being an older sister to a brother who was fantastically intelligent but struggled with his emotions, when he was 5 years I realized he must do drama it would enhance his social skills and harness his fantastic imagination but every class he went to seemed like he wasn’t getting the attention he deserved so I started one up for him in my local scout hut 3years later here I am. He doesn’t do dram with me anymore apparently I boss him about.
I: What do you teach your students?
N: I teach a variety of things such as Improvisation, Comedy, Singing, Physical Theatre, Confidence skills, Life Skills, Interview Skills, Script Writing, Directing, Audition Techniques, Team Work, Performance Skills, Devising, Shakespeare, Text Work pretty much loads of things.
I: One definition of teaching is given as the act or profession of a person who teaches, in this occasion we particularly think about teaching children. Could you tell us something about your teaching with young people?
N: It’s not just young people I like working with it is everybody there is no type or age I don’t enjoy working with, I am constantly interested in the ways we are different from each other I love to find out different personality traits and learning techniques. I feel like I fit in when I perform or when I teach, I know I’m good at it so I feel like its right, I was given good opportunities I know that not everyone is so I want to make sure as many young people as possible get the opportunities that I had.
I: The occupation of a teacher is very often described as keeping up to date with developments in their subject area, new resource, methods and national objectives. What do you do to help develop your skills and experience?
N: I have regular singing lessons, I act, write, direct, devise and sing professionally, I am part of a skills haring group where we share our experiences and teach each other new thing such as JuJitSu, Writing, Poetry and different forms of theatre. I am also on Teaching course atFreemansCollege.
I: How would you like to improve what you do?
N: I would like to be able to give more young people these opportunities.
I: Many young people find it very hard to make the big decisions in their life. Most young people are thinking about choosing College or University or an occupation in the close future. Can you give any advice for people, who would like to work in a job similar to yours in the Arts?
N: Always expand your skills, no one wants to be taught by someone that doesn’t practice what you preach, volunteer as much as possible, even though I work I still volunteer at loads of different events and companies. Teach as many different types of people as possible and it is going to be hard the benefits are worth it and don’t expect to earn much money.
I: I know your job in A Mind Apart Theatre is not only teaching, and that you have a lot of different duties. How do you enjoy your job and the variation?
N: I love my job here, it is my dream job, for as long as I have wanted to be in this area of work this is exactly what I have wanted to do, the freedom as well as feeling like I am making a difference to the world we live in. I am supported here while allowed to make my own mistakes and don’t feel trapped or stifled, I feel like I am good at my job and am learning everyday how to be better.
I: My last question relates to your private life, Could tell our readers a little bit about what do you do in your free time?
N: Free time? What free time?
I am a film geek, I watch pretty much a film a day I go to the cinema as often as work allows but mainly free time is filled up with expanding my skills performing or rehearsing or learning and then spending time with my partner and my 10year old brother and 5year old sister.
I: Thank you very much for finding your time to tell something about you.
Filed under: Work Experience
Monday:
On Monday, when I first arrived I had my induction into the company which involved going through rules and regulations and learning health and safety procedures. I then started on a updating a research document for upcoming events in Sheffield, targeting school fairs or activities in Sheffield City Centre. After an hour or so of this we then, made our way to a drama class being held for 4-8 year olds. I really enjoyed this lesson as it was amazing to see just how enthusiastic children could be about drama. We did different warm up and creativity activities before listening to the children’s performances for their fund raising festival.
Tuesday:
For Tuesday I also started doing some office work at the beginning of the day including, cutting leaflets out and arranging letters which we later used for marketing and promotion the company around the local area. I thought this was really interesting as I’ve never worked in marketing before and I think I understand how it works better now. In the afternoon, we made our way to one of the local community centres and participated in a break dancing lesson funded by A Mind Apart. It was a great example of how cheap sport could be for young children and they all loved it. We also had another drama class for young children back at Burton Street which I lead a warm up for which I really enjoyed. The kids were really friendly and focused throughout the whole 15 minutes.
Wednesday:
On Wednesday, we started by heading over to run a confidence and body language session for 16-19 year olds. It was good to see how drama could be applied to other areas and not just young children; it can also benefit you in interviews and attitude. We then ran through an evaluation for my warm up and I discussed with Tasha how to improve for later sessions in both different activities and different teaching techniques.
Thursday:
For Thursday, I completed a publicity document (certificate for drama classes) which I will use for evidence of my work.
Filed under: Work Experience
Work Experience at A Mind Apart theatre Company
By Shannon Fowles
Monday:
When I first arrived, Natasha gave me my induction about the rules and regulations of working in a company like this. After, I was introduced to the tasks I would be doing such as, updating events and festivals and assisting in teaching. Straight away I began one of my tasks which was to decide on what activities to do in my warm up session next Tuesday, this was very challenging. Natasha and I then journeyed down to the Sharrow drama class, where I met some very talented and expressive children. I observed them performing their stories and tried to help in any way I could by either suggesting actions to do or how to say their lines.
Tuesday:
I arrived at the office for 11:30 and began my duties. Firstly, I checked for the post and then started photo copying some forms, designing the publicity document, started my blog and filled out a volunteers application and emergency contact sheet. I will use the publicity document (certificate for street to feet dance class) as evidence for my work. After my break, I phoned some contacts to enquire about the annual celebration event and if they would be able to make it. This was very scary as I have never done anything like this. By doing this duty I have gained knowledge on how to promote and advertise an event to an individual and how to communicate through the phone better. In the afternoon Jodie and I went to the Shiregreen Street to feet dance class. Here I met Caroline, and we joined in the dance class. The dance the class was learning was for the Annual event on Friday, and i had to learn it to so I could perform with them.
Wednesday:
To begin with, I did some filing for Natasha and washed the cups. I then started to print some leaflets off, and cut them up with the guillotine, which I broke more than twice. This mainly took most of my day up. Later, I started on the business cards to hand out at the event. I also made some order forms for the Annual event on Friday. Today has mainly been straight admin work and a hard day at the office.
Thursday:
On Thursday, we were mainly preparing for the annual event tomorrow. I designed a poster advertising the T-shirts Jodie wanted to sell on Friday and some forms for different classes, this tested my computer and design skills and how they are used in the work place.
Tasha and I headed off to the ‘Body confidence and language’ session, which was a class held for 16 to 19 year olds. Here, we played a few team work games and we participated in mock interviews. It was really interesting finding out how your body language can affect the chance of getting a job. When we got back to the office, I helped Tasha fill out an evaluation form for the class before, which would help me when I fill out my evaluation form for next Tuesdays warm up. To finish off with at the office, I continued my work while listening to the ‘Back street boys’ album and the ‘Wicked ‘soundtrack. Afterwards, Tasha and I headed off to the Brunswick retirement home, where a charity event was being run. It was a ‘Race night’ for a young Sheffield born lad, Russel who is an F1 Driver with the potential to go to the Olympics. The event consisted of three talented young people singing and a powerpoint presentation of what he has done so far in his career and a short race, bingo styled game. However, the night didn’t go as planned as the presentation wasn’t showing up on the screen so Russell had to improvise by giving a spoken presentation about his work. This really showed me that you have to be on your feet at all times as you don’t know what could go wrong. Throughout the whole show I was in charge of the lighting, which is harder than it looks.
Friday:
Tonight was the Annual event! When I arrived there was an array of activities occurring. Caroline was in charge of mask making outside and there was some sort of Jujitsu class happening which looked very energetic. After, a quick run through of the dance with the kids I decided to create a vibrant mask with Caroline and some children. I also helped place the children in the Sensory garden for their stories, where two groups of guests were taking round the garden to listen to the children’s stories. This was a great way to put on a performance. After, the guests were escorted to the hall as the show was about to start. I was put in the back room to keep an eye on the kids and look after them. Most of the kids told a story and sang a song which was very good. My favourite performance was Lion King as it was very vibrant and lively and created a joyful atmosphere. The young people from last night were also there, and the staff decided to do ‘major’ cheering skills to support them. The dance performance went really well and the audience seemed to like it. At the end, staff and volunteer certificates where handed out which really showed the relationship between staff members in the company, and to run a company like this you need trust and reliability. I spent the rest of the night having a fun time and watching the show.
Monday:
Monday night, I went to the Sharrow Lane class, and as it was the last class before the summer holidays we decided to play a few games. We played ‘Chicken Leg’, ‘Wolf’, Who’s coming to the party’, hide and seek and ‘Park Bench’. I loved park bench as it was all improvisation and you had to get the person off the bench by acting. This really tested the kids on their brilliant drama skills. The game ‘who’s coming to the party’ was really good as well, as the children had to interpretate a mood or an object through acting. I had a lot of fun tonight. The games tonight also helped me think about what I wanted to do for my warm up tomorrow.
Tuesday:
Tonight’s classes were ‘Street to Feet’ and the drama class at Burton Street. Unfortunately, the class ‘Street to Feet’ was cancelled tonight as Joe had forgotten the keys, so I headed straight over to Burton Street. The class tonight consisted of the young people I had seen sing at the Annual event so I was quite familiar with them. However I decide to start my warm up with a name game so I could get to know them better and vice versa. I shouted my name and they shouted it back to me and then the next person did the same, we carried on doing this round the circle until it got back to me, where I decided to do it again but faster, so that it would get the kids focused and involved. Afterwards I decided to do an action to number’s game. I told the kids to jog on the spot and when I shouted a number from 1 to 4 they had to do the action assigned to that number (i.e. 1=Jump, 2=Touch the floor, 3= Star Jump and 4=Lay on the floor). I decided to add different levels into this game, by mixing up the numbers and increasing the speed, the kids really enjoyed this and it was really tiresome! To finish off with I played a gamed of ‘Chicken leg’ which went okay. Overall, the warm up seemed a good success and really tested my teaching skills as I am not very confident teaching in class so it was a real confidence booster. Next, we decided to play some games such as, Park bench, who’s coming to the party and freeze. These were all very dramatic and a good way to end the class. Caroline had written an evaluation on my
warm up, and she said it was very thought out and I delivered my plan energetically, which I was hoping for.
Wednesday:
My first job today was putting away the gazebo from the Annual event… it was interesting…. After about half an hour of tackling the tent, I washed the cups, sorted out the sheets left over from Friday and put them into different piles and continued with my evaluation from last night and my blog. I also started looking for Parent and toddlers meetings around Sheffield, so that the company could send leaflets out and notify people about the children’s party’s we do over the summer. After this Tasha and I went to the Park Hill youth centre where we did a drama class with a couple of kids. This was really fun as the kids were really good at drama especially in the ‘magic box’ game where most of them had vast imaginations and some of the stuff they were acting out was unbelievable! We also sang the song ‘Love the way you lie’ which was really good as we learnt how to breathe properly and project our voices when we were spread out around the room. I think today has been the longest I have done in the past week, today has really shown me how tiresome work can be!
Thursday:
Tasha and I decided to tidy up the office today, so I got to work with washing the cups and sorting out the files on the shelf which was like a complicated game of Tetris! I also made some more masks and sorted out the mask bag so that it was ready for today’s Body confidence class. At the Body confidence class we used the masks to write things on that we like about ourselves and what we could improve on, then we designed them. To finish off, we played some games such as agree and disagree and picking up a card and acting out what was on it. On our way to Vittles, Tasha stopped in Mint to look at some snazzy purses and also the food market, it’s not all just work! At Vittles we were treated to a nice cuppa and a slice of carrot cake. When the meeting commenced, my job was to note down any valuable information for the Alice in wonderland themed party at Vittles. The party will be a chance to promote A Mind Apart in that area and will give some of the kids a chance to perform, dressed up as the characters out of Alice in Wonderland.
Friday:
These past two weeks have flown! It only feels as if my first day was yesterday! Well no slacking there’s work still to be done, while enjoying a bit of music. I typed up the notes from yesterday’s Vittles meeting and finished off my blog. I then started and finished the ‘Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at Vittles’ flyer, and filled in an evaluation form for YASY’s class yesterday. Tasha found some dance monologues we could use for my National theatre audition next year. I really like the Black Swan monologue as I could incorporate it with dance and really relate to it. We then adapted it and edited the script down into a monologue, which was really useful as it has made me familiar with the script. To finish my final work experience day off, Tasha took me to Redirection, where I practiced my monologue with others. My work experience placement has been AMAZING and i have learnt a lot of different life skills to help me in the future. I recommend doing your work experience here as you gain a lot out of it.
Filed under: Who's behind A Mind Apart?
In November we had a new member of Staff, Fred Snellgrove. He has taken the role of General Assistant and has settled in quickly and is doing a great job. We thought it was about time he introduced himself, so here he is:
“My name is Fred, I am currently 19, I will be 20 next March, and I have recently joined A Mind Apart as a general assistant to the company.
I went to Tapton School, where I studied GCSE Drama and achieved a B overall. For a short time I also studied A Level aswell.
I was born in Sheffield and mainly lived in the S10 area until I left home at 17. After that I spent 9 months living in hostels, I eventually moved into my own flat at the end of March 2009.
I see myself as a sociable, funny, out going and charismatic kind of person, and enjoy challenges.
This is my first job in the arts industry, I have mainly worked in the hospitality business, where I started at 14 as a porter, and then worked my way up into waitering and bar work. I also did an apprenticeship in hospitality at a Bed and Breakfast when I was 18. Other than that I have done mainly odd jobs, and labour work.
I decided to apply for this job as I enjoyed drama at school, and I am interested to see how drama is run from a business side compared to the actor’s side. I am also interested in helping big projects and groups of people.
In my free time, I’m a everyday 19 year old I like going out with my mates, partying, having a good time, chilling, kicking back on PS3 or a 360, I am a big Chelsea fan and I go to see them play regularly and I enjoy playing football myself when I get the chance.”
Filed under: A word from Jodie
The arts are a vital part of our daily lives and have a large part to play in our economy and culture. The UK is seen as one of the best places to study the arts and practice as an artist, whether that be in performance or any other art form. We are privileged to have some of the best drama and dance schools in the world in the south of the country and have had the privileged of seeing many actors become Hollywood actors from these schools. It is recognised that the public sector play a large part in our society and in some cases, such as the NHS, are a necessity to our daily lives. These are important and needed but it is also important that we do not forget the importance of art and remember that not all art is for ‘arts sake’. More recently we have seen the arts be used in the UK to develop education, to do key work with disadvantaged groups and to improve mental and physical health. We personally see this kind of work on a daily basis and have seen many children with learning difficulties come to life when being able to express themselves physically. We have seen patients in hospitals forget about their terminal illness for a vital few hours and focus on their mind set and being creative, and potentially improving their chances of recovery. The creative part of our brain has an important part to play in our development both as a society and as individuals. For many, the arts is about a change of mindset for patients that need to begin thinking positively towards recovery, it allows subjects such as maths and english to be taught in a kinestetic way for the students that learn by ‘doing.’ There are many other benefits to the arts and the work that is done by artists both commercially and in the community. To see this disappear due to lack of funding would be detrimental to our society, and would take away one of the few things the UK does well.
Please follow the link below and sign the petition to support the arts in this difficult time:
http://artsfunding.ning.com/forum/topics/save-the-artspromotional-video?xg_source=msg_mes_network
Thank you
Jodie Marshall
Managing Director
Filed under: A word from Jodie
As I sit and watch BBC politics extra I can’t help but wonder where the arts stand on the governments agenda for introducing yet further cuts. As a sector we have always been vulnerable when it comes to government spending, but I can’t help but be concerned more than ever now the government has changed. At least the previous government acknowledged the importance of the arts not just for the individual, but for the economy and employment market. As I read on The Guardian website earlier today, the arts bring in a large return for the economy on something that can often cost a minimum amount. Not only have we seen a development of the arts being made available to young people but we have seen it made available to all ages and backgrounds. Community arts and more so community theatre, is becoming a natural part of our environment. In my short career I have seen it develop and grow to a place of respect and higher class. It is no longer looked down upon, but instead it is seen as a vital tool for development that can be used to empower, inspire and change lives. If funding in the arts is cut, community companies could be the first to be hit. Many are already struggling to make ends meat and are making staffing cuts that they can’t afford to make. This crucial time in politics could potentially change the arts dramatically. Those companies that are not strong in the business side could potentially be lost for ever. As sad as this may be the reality is that community theatre companies need to be strong in diversification and running a business. The only way I can see those smaller companies getting through this time is by developing a strong business strategy that does not rely on government funding. We are certainly looking at our strategy, and I’m sure many other companies will be doing the same in the coming months.
Jodie Marshall
Managing Director
Filed under: Who's behind A Mind Apart?
we currenty have a work experience student with us from Sheffield Colleges and we thought it was about time he introduced himself. So here he is:
Hi My name is Sean Bennett I am 18yrs old and I live in Sheffield. I go to Norton College and I’m on a course called Practal Skills for Work and I’m on a workplacement with A Mind apart based in Sheffield City Centre.
On a Wednesday afternoon I do contemporary dance with Kay Dyes at Sheffield Colleges and we have been doing it for a few weeks now, I really enjoy it. My Interests are dance and Performing Arts. I am on a workplacement at A Mind apart and I thought it was very interesting to do so I thought I’ll try it.
I have enjoy it so far doing the paper work and helping out, I like it so I hope to continue enjoying it. I am looking forward to learning about the things what are happening with A Mind apart and get more information about it.
