14... And manage a whole schools sound and lighting?

[jstainsby]

Hi Guys,

 

Just out of some interest I'm wondering... if I went into the sound and lighting industry would doing all of this set me up well?

 

I manage all of the sound and lighting in our school, everything has to go through me before it can be done? I have done multiple shows and work with pretty advanced equipment and know how to use it all effectively

 

e.g. ROLAND M300 SOUND DESK

ROLAND DIGITAL SNAKES

SHOWCAD LIGHTING SOFTWARE

USING NUMEROUS LIGHTS UNDER PRESSURE

MICROPHONES

 

I also teach staff how to use it? How well would this set me up for a career?

 

[paulears]

All good stuff.

 

It certainly doesn't spoil your entry into the industry in maybe four years or so, but you have huge amount to learn. I can only use myself as the guide, because I have no idea of what you know. You will have to determine which of these comments apply.

 

You learn on what you have, so because you use it, you become familiar with how in your circumstances, you use it. There are snags to this learning as you go technique. You won;t get exposed to how people in the industry really do it. If somebody bought all this kit for your school, you only know how you use it for your needs. Try to imagine a visiting company coming in and asking for things you have never done - basic things perhaps, but taxing. Let's say on your Roland you need four monitor mixes, and one of them need to include the reverb produced by a footswitch device the singer has, but she wants reverb in her monitor but none in the FOH mix. Could you figure out how to do that? Could you do it quickly, and would your system work under pressure - which is never school hours pressure, it's totally different.

 

The mixer is not that common professionally, but is one of a number of popular ones we see from time to time. This year, for example, I've had people bring in Yamaha, Behringer, A&H and Soundcraft - I've personally never used a Roland ever.

 

Showed is rarely seen in performance venues - a few clubs and music venues, but it's not on the list - so knowing it won't help you very much.

 

You also need to realise that you 'instruct' the staff how to use it, you don't 'teach' - it's subtle but quite different. By the time you leave, this knowledge will become historical, so won;t really help that much. It's great to be involved, but without somebody giving you outside experience - and amateur experience away from school can be excellent, your knowledge will have very big holes in it.

 

Also be aware that teachers frequently lie. It is a very handy technique to give a willing an enthusiastic student a title, and they always then put in extra work and time to do things. Never ever put these titles on documents or even on CVs - until the time you really are in charge. Teachers never really dole out responsibility, and a job role is not a job without it. They obviously welcome and encourage you, but remember that it's four years until you are legally allowed to accept this kind of responsibility. Quite often teachers don;t have the responsibility either - it's down to management. A good test is to ask your teacher to order some gel, in an unusual colour - one you have never ordered before. If the teacher has the order pad, the order codes and authorised signature, he or she has responsibility. If they have to get a gel order approved by somebody else, then how could they have given you the responsibility they placed on you?

 

You are no doubt a valued student - but never (and perhaps never even on an internet forum) tell people you're in charge. Many of the members may well have been teachers, technicians and other faculty members, and they know how the system works. Pips on the shoulder, like in the uniform services have to be earned and approved. If you are a cadet, you might well have the title 'corporal' or even 'sergeant', but try telling an older enlisted private what to do - it doesn't work.

 

 

Being very honest - reading your post, it shows you're very keen - now. It doesn't set you up for a job very much, because being able to operate a few bits of kit in the non-professional world is just better than knowing nothing at all. What you need is work practices and tasks using as much different kit as possible.

 

You mentioned microphones? The obvious question would be to ask what you know about microphones and if given a full mic box - could you allocate the most suitable for each sound source. For instance, what condensers do you use at school, and how you power them? Makes, models, dynamics, condensers, polar patterns, sensitivity, impedance, pads that kind of stuff.

 

Keep going. Learn as much as possible. Read the heavyweight books and try to understand the science and the concepts. The internet is full of advice. Some even accurate. Can you work out which is right?

 

Have fun now. Career aspirations come later, when you've opened a few horizons.

Best wishes

Paul

[ojc123]

A number of my ex-student technicians from the last 30 years now work in the industry. I was never trained as a theatre technician and learned as I went along. My training was in science, and teaching & learning. I now learn from my ex-students on a fairly regular basis.

 

The successful ones had the following qualities:

• 
   
  
• Humility - they were aware that they don't know everything.
  
• Willing and able to learn - They were all academically successful, independent learners who didn't need to be spoon fed information and would learn the stuff they didn't like as effectively as the stuff they did like.
  
• Ability to read and follow the manual. Most of the kit they used at School is now out of date but their knowledge of what they're trying to achieve and how to learn will never be out of date.
   
  

Most did Physics and maths.

I always found that the attitude they had to learning to coil a cable and clearing up after an event was a good indicator of their likely success.

 

As to whether your experience will stand you in good stead in the professional world, I do not know. Your attitude to your experience and the professional world is the important bit. If you walk into a professional theatre and exude, "I can do stuff and I'm brilliant." then I guess you'll get up everyone's nose. If you are willing to do what you're told and show an interest in everything then you might do well.

 

Get as much and as varied experience as you can, enjoy what you're doing and don't get 'up yourself.' (As my students would say.)

[richardash1981]

This is off topic, in that I'm not in "the industry" professionally, but I am in the electricity industry and now find myself on interview panels for students, and looking after them once they arrive. That over, I would second a lot of what ojc123 has said.

The successful ones had the following qualities:

• Humility - they were aware that they don't know everything.
• Willing and able to learn - They were all academically successful, independent learners who didn't need to be spoon fed information and would learn the stuff they didn't like as effectively as the stuff they did like.
• Ability to read and follow the manual. Most of the kit they used at School is now out of date but their knowledge of what they're trying to achieve and how to learn will never be out of date.

The second two especially will take anyone a very long way. There is no way anyone can know everything they need. But in this age they can fix that problem very quickly, if they have the right attitudes and skills.

 

Most did Physics and maths.

I always found that the attitude they had to learning to coil a cable and clearing up after an event was a good indicator of their likely success.

The seemingly little stuff like this builds relationships whose value is incalculable. I can get things done (if I really need them) I couldn't if I wasn't prepared to do the nasty stuff for other people when they needed it. This isn't about the snake-oil used-care-salesman stuff that too often is dressed up as people management, but genuine respect for fair people who work hard and do their best by others.

[jordanconstable]

School's a great place to start. I was in a similar position at my school. I had lots of new equipment to work on and loads of time to teach myself the basics on it. As well as this, I got in with a local theatre group doing technical when I was 12, which is the best experience I could of got at the age.

5 years on, I'm still with that same theatre group, but now in my second year studying Theatre Production, and in the process of applying to study a 3 year Hounours degree in the same subject.

If its what you want to do for a career, get as much experience both in and out of your school as you can, and take every opportunity you can get. If you've got a college you can go to which will offer a specific course in the industry, I'd recommend you do that. Any industry specific qualification would help you out.

Hope this helps :)

[Weir69]

Also try to do something different, challenge yourself. If you stick with what you always do then you won't gain any more experience. Try coming up with a more interesting lighting design, try to integrate your own equipment if you have any.

when I was in my first year at high school I just kept things simple, but as I became more confident I started to change things, come up with new ideas. It doesn't matter if it doesn't work, like when I though a few cheap LED PAR cans could light up the whole stage, because you learn from these mistakes.