In a nutshell.... My inquiry

In a nutshell...

   As explained in previous blogs, I spend a great deal of my professional life, working within care and residential homes, providing musical theatre style entertainment for the residents. As this is such a sensitive and unique performance space and environment, I felt it was a perfect opportunity to expand my existing knowledge and experience to research is topic further and bad my professional inquiry on this performance environment.

I wanted to understand how performance arts can be a beneficial form of entrainment when  delivered in care and residential homes.

This can be catorgorised into sections;

* What forms of performance arts are used within care and residential homes? How successful are these programs in terms of positive feedback, audience participation and rebooking? Using interviews and document reviews, I will gather knowledge from other professionals to gain different thoughts and perspectives.

* What performance based organisations are in place already in care homes? How do they operate to ensure the residents benefit from the sessions/performances?

*How can I expand my existing knowledge and experience to find patterns and attain new interpretations? Moving forward, it is important to see if performance is adapting within these environments as the audience changes over time

 I felt these were all questions that would help me find out how I can develop my skill set to cater for the needs of the residents within my shows in order to benefit my own personal practice, and other performers who work in this sector through a better understanding.
  Firstly, To gain a better perspective, I looked into various organisations and how they operated in order to provide a beneficial form of entertainment within a care home. These benefits can be determined by the positive feedback they receive, the success in terms of continued bookings and/or funding, and also any support from medical/scientific organisations that back up their ideas.  I was also interested to explore the obstacles and limitations they faced and what they do to overcome them. To progress in my practice, I feel it’s vital to highlight these problems, working to resolve them, thus bringing a better service to my clients. The companies I looked at were;

*Green Candle- Remember to dance
*  Age exchange Hearts and Mind programme
*The Baring foundation

Each one brought new ideas into how performance arts can be delivered within care settings, who they are successful along with the obstacles they faced. I found similarities within my own practice e.g the use of props by Green Candle appeared to play a positive part in audience participation and engagement. But I also discovered many new ideas that I will aim to provide within my own shows to improve my services. One point was  the idea of training staff within these programmes, so they become involved in the performance workshop/show itself, to encourage the residents to be more included and involved. These new innovative thoughts, will help channel my shows into a new direction of growth and improvement.

Inquiry tools-

* Observations-
  I wished to understand how other performers plan their entertainment sessions, seeing first hand how they operate and format their programmes. I observed and recorded a show of two performers from the same entertainment company, to see how they structure their shows, what choices they make and why they make them.

Specifics I focused on;

* Song choices- eras, genres etc. I also want to find out if they use a mixture of upbeat songs and ballads and how they work out a set list.
* If dance is involved, if so what style and to what standard.
* What themes do they do? Which one works best? Why?


*Gathering data and reflection as part of my work-

  Working within care homes, I am able to observe and account experiences of performances within different environments.  Each day I’d record events of my shows which I thought were successful e.g received positive feedback or had lots of interaction, along with areas I feel need improvement.


* Interviews-

   Interviewing 6 performers in this field, I wanted to find out how they work and if this is successful- going through the structure of their shows, the music they choose, style of performance and if they get a good reception after the performances.
This is tool I felt not only benefited myself but also the people I interviewed. As Bell says it is an advantage that ‘can follow up on ideas, probe responses and investigate motives and feelings’ (Bell, 2005, p.157). This meant I could get a full insight into how someone works, what their feelings are and their motives behind the choices they make within their career.

Using these tools, I focused on a few specific areas;

Focuses;

Genre- The material used in performances, what era and style e.g. musicals, wartime etc.- I discovered whilst the 1940s appear to be the most popular, (due to the age of the clients and the relevance the era has to their life), the 1950s are becoming increasingly popular as the audience becomes of a younger generation. I discovered the importance of reading an audience and delivering what they engage with and enjoy the most, rather than sticking to your exact plans, despite the reaction you get.

Staging- How material is delivered, including audience participation, choreography and costumes- Naturally, performing in care homes completely differs to usual theatre spaces, so staging of shows is crucial to enhance performances.There can be limitations with spaces varying from small lounges, to specially designed areas for entertainment. As this space can change daily, your shows must be adaptable in order to work for all homes.
     During my inquiry I intended to find out about the use of costume, if people used them, why they did or didn't use them and if they did any changes within a show. From the observations I can see why their use of costumes is so important. The traditional 1940s navy uniform, complete with makeup and hairstyles, added a sense of occasion to their performance, bringing the era to life and creating another dimension to the songs. Again this links in with the sense of nostalgia in which an object or being can arouse memories.
      The final aspect of staging I looked into was how the show was delivered; were the performances closed/fourth wall or we're they interactive with the audience. From my own experience and also the knowledge taken from interviews and observations I feel audience participation, getting people to sing and dance along it extremely effective but , I feel the best thing is to try adapting to each audience to give a personal yet professional service.
   
 

Why they feel their performances can be beneficial- Looking at different positive , experiences of performances that have affected the audience’s mood, moral or reaction from staff-My main aim was to understand the way in which performance arts is beneficial when delivered in care homes, particularly the musical theatre style shows like the ones I carry out. Using interviews, I recorded personal experiences in which the performers felt they had a positive impact on either a particular audience member or a collective group. One of my main findings were that feelings of isolation can be improved, uniting people, to enjoy the performance together. Burrows comments on the effects of the 'Remember to dance' project having positive effects on 'levels of non-verbal interaction, body/facial gestures and eye contact' (Vella Burrows and Wilson 2016 pg 58).
   

How the service of bringing performance arts to care homes can be improved- what areas of bringing shows into care homes can be altered to give a better experience for the residents, be it the performers own actions, or the way in which care homes receive the performances.- The biggest issue raised in this section was staff/management involvement. From the interviews it was clear that in some cases performers are left alone with residents so are unable to get many people up dancing, and joining in, gaining a less positive experience for the residents. When staff are involved as well, they can encourage residents, helping them to dance along and get them engaged with the performances.

 
    Overall I feel my inquiry was a success, in terms of progressing in my career. I have developed a greater understanding of how other performers, be it national organisations, to individual singers operate; what their strengths and weaknesses are, in turn helping me evaluate my own programmes to improve on areas to provide a better service to my audiences.