College Visits

[Dj Dunc]

Hi, I have two college visits coming up soon (one tomorrow) and I was just wondering if theres anything I should be looking out for / asking in particular, other than the obvious what the course is etc. The college I am looking at tomorrow is Cumbria Institute of the Arts to do music tech, and the next is Kendal College to do theatre tech (both btecs)

 

any ideas / pointers people :)

 

duncan

[paulears]

Get the answers to these questions.

 

How many are on the technical programme? If too many - how will you all be a stage manager, LD, etc?

Is it a Diplmoma, Certificate or Award? Diploma is full time technical, at the other end is Award, and normally this is 1/3 of full time, suggesting you will also have to do other non-technical things.

 

The other thing to check is that the actual content of technical BTECs is not fixed. There are units that are compulsory elements, some that are technical 'choice' elements, and others that could be not technical at all. Maybe the centre are running lots of performance type units? You could find you have a dance or drama unit in your technical course - if technical numbers are limited, this is a handy way the centre can run a technical course, with minimal expense. If you hate performing, then this kind of technical course could be pretty horrific.

 

Some colleges run the technical course purely to get their performance courses up to a high level of technical standard. If they have big ideas for a production, they need more than a bit of light on, light off technical input - so they run a technical pathway. The trouble is that there may not be enough 'technical', so they water it down a little with performance content, which is already running, and kind of 'free'.

 

 

So you have to work out what they are doing, and this isn't apparent from the glossy brochures.

 

 

Ask these questions.

 

What units will I be taking? If the answer is these kind of things: (I've changed some of the titles a bit to make it easier to understand)

Animated props

Arts Administration

Arts in the community

ASM for the stage

Automated stage lighting

Costume design 1

Costume Design for Performance

Design 1 -

Developing Costume Design Ideas/Skills

Developing Stage Design Ideas/Skills

DSM for the stage

Electrical installations

Electronics in the theatre

Hair design for performers 1

Hair styling and dressing for performers

Legal aspects

Lighting 1

Live sound for the stage

Makeup design and app 1

Makeup for performers

Masks

Model making

Performing Arts Events management

Period costume for the stage

Period Hair Design and Wigmaking

Period makeup for the stage

Period props

Prop making

Puppet construction

Puppet design

Scenic construction

Scenic Construction for the Stage

Scenic painting

SM for the stage

Sound 1

Special effects makeup 1

Stage costume making

Stage design 1

Stage Design for Performance

Stage Lighting Design

Stage Lighting Operations

Stage Model Making

Stage wardrobe management

Technical maintenance

Technical Theatre Maintenance

Technical theatre operations

Temporary Theatre Electrical Installations

The freelance world

Theatre Events Management

Theatre Front of House Operations

Theatre Technology Operations

 

- then it sounds great.

 

Ask 'test' questions - maybe along these lines. To be honest, the exact answers don't really matter. The important thing is to find out if the people you are talking to understand your question.

 

"what type of stage lighting equipment do you use?"

"Do you have a comms system for use during shows?"

"Do you take shows out of the college, using your own equipment?"

"What kind of equipment do you have in the workshop?" (if the answer is "What workshop" - draw your own conclusions)

"Do you use 15 or 16A connectors?"

"Are your PA systems active or passive?"

"what recording formats are available"

 

and most importantly, if you do lighting

 

"what access equipment will I be trained to use?" The answer to this one could range from Tallescopes, towers, ladders etc down to "the technicians handle that kind of activity due to insurance reasons" - you need to draw your own conclusions.

 

This might help a bit.

[mac.calder]

The question that stands out in my mind:

 

What is the approximate ratio of practical to theoretical? And of that practical work: How much is real life type expeiance (on shows).

 

My opinion is that you want as much "real life" type expeiance as possible - with a solid theory base. I am not a fan of the "Lab" type learning - a certain portion is necessary - no question - but there really is no substitute for the real thing.

[w/robe]

Cumbria list on their web site the units that they will probably be running which all look like good appropriate areas of study. Kendal don't list their units but you should be able to discover what they are running this year and ran last year from their administrator so that you can consider the balance of the course before you go for interview.

 

You also need to consider where you want the course to take you. If you go to Cumbria you may have decided to be a Noise Boy where as Kendal appears to be a more general course.

 

One more question you may like to ask, do you go out on placement? and who arranges this the college or you?

 

Good luck for tomorrow, let us know how it goes.

[Dj Dunc]

Got back from the open day @ Cumbria Institute of the Arts (again after work experience)

 

Nothing much has changed up there and the equipment is the same as I used on work experience, but I was the only one on the BTEC music tech diploma course, but the H.O.D said that they had two groups of 15 this last induction. The facilites are great, with one pc lab with 30 mac g5's with pro tools, cubase, logic etc. two practice rooms with included P.A, Two studios, one digital (not sure of the desk) one analogue, (soundcraft ghost). The outboard/monitors in the studios are of almost commercial studio quality as well. There is almost any piece of kit available for loan for up to a month, for personal or college work from the A/V department (with a large passive pa system available as well), and any of the studios or rehersal spaces can be booked for use.

 

There is a dominant practical aspect to the course @ around 70%, with modules being decided in the spring. Students are shown how to do the course but are encouraged to book a studio and try it, with the main project at the end of year two to record a whole album which the music practice students perform. Tech students also do any of the live sound work on the campus, or on the roadshow tours, and with some of the bands from the college. The course is taught over a 3 1/2 day week, with the free time used for studio work to test ideas/ theory out, or do background work.

 

If theres anything Ive missed out, just holler

 

In two weeks time im going to look at the kendal (BTEC Technical Theatre diploma) so I will give the same report then

 

dunc