December 2011
The Up For Arts project is funded by Voluntary Arts England and Liverpool Primary Care Trust. As is the case for many organisations in this current climate, funding is regularly being withdrawn and therefore it is essential that we demonstrate the fantastic work that Up For Arts has achieved during 2011 in order to try to secure funding for another year.
Laraine Winning who heads the project at Voluntary Arts England had requested that we begin to compile all of our achievements during 2011 in the form of an end of year report highlighting our successes.
Fortunately my organisation skills were up to scratch and we consequently we had full details of all monthly events held during 2011, including feedback forms, photographs and case study examples.
In order to ensure that the report was detailed but punchy, I sought to discuss the more successful of our events (where we had received excellent feedback and had photographic evidence of the success of the event). The compilation of the report was a particularly lengthy process and involved a lot of liaising with both Laraine and Helen.
Ensuring that you are organised is vital when compiling reports such as this. It was necessary to be able to access all information 'at the drop of a hat' and to have full knowledge of the dates, locations and type of events held. My time management skills were also put to the test as the report was required within a tight timescale (as is often the case for these things).
With collaboration from both Helen and Laraine, the report was duly finalised and forwarded to the relevant parties for their consideration. Watch this space for news regarding whether funding has been successful...
Alzheimer's Month
December 2011
December was 'Alzheimer's Month' for the Up For Arts Team. We had discussed the possibiltities of an event and initially we were unsure how to proceed with this. One of our contacts at St Helens Council told us of a weekly karaoke event which is held at a local care home in Newtown-le-Willows. Helen and I duly attended and met with the group and the carers. It was very interesting to see how they used music to assist with memory and the positive response this prompted in the patients. Consequently we took this as our theme and decided to host similar events ourselves as part of the themed month.
Helen and I were successful in securing 4 venues in Liverpool, St Helens, Southport and Birkenhead which we managed to negotiate for free. I contacted local care homes in the respective areas and invited people to attend - the response from people was fantastic!
I attended the event at The Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool as the Up For Arts representative. My dutes involved managing the event, setting up the room, meeting and greeting and taking photographs. It was also imperative that I was on hand to answer any queries.
This event definitely helped to develop my communication and presentation skills. I was tasked with introducing the event and thanking the relevant parties (Alzheimer's Society, CHATS, etc) for their input and attendence. One thing I had not accounted for was that the karaoke host had not been briefed on the format of the days event. I therefore had to get my 'creative head' on as I felt that the event would have been a bit daunting for the attendees if we had run it in the 'traditional' karaoke format.
I felt it would be prudent to have a 'sing-along' type event, rather than one person being responsible for singing the songs. I spoke with the host and advised him of this and I also compiled a list of songs by taking requests from different tables and asking the host to play these. People soon began to join in and before I knew it, everybody was singing along and there was a really fantastic atmosphere.
I made sure that I also spoke with many of the carers and attendees so that we could get feedback on what we had done well and what we could make better next time. The response was overwhelming - people said that they hadn't enjoyed themselves as much in years and all of the carers stated what a pleasurable day they had enjoyed. Indeed we received many requests for us to hold a similar event again in the future, which we hope to do.
I found that the skills gained from my duty management experience at The Citadel benefited me greatly during this event. In particular, I felt that I was able to identify potential problems and re-prioritise at short notice when required. There were many responsibilities that I had on this day and I feel that due to my organisational and event management skills in particular, the event was an success.
Photograph of the function room in The Adelphi Hotel during the set-up of the event:
December was 'Alzheimer's Month' for the Up For Arts Team. We had discussed the possibiltities of an event and initially we were unsure how to proceed with this. One of our contacts at St Helens Council told us of a weekly karaoke event which is held at a local care home in Newtown-le-Willows. Helen and I duly attended and met with the group and the carers. It was very interesting to see how they used music to assist with memory and the positive response this prompted in the patients. Consequently we took this as our theme and decided to host similar events ourselves as part of the themed month.
Helen and I were successful in securing 4 venues in Liverpool, St Helens, Southport and Birkenhead which we managed to negotiate for free. I contacted local care homes in the respective areas and invited people to attend - the response from people was fantastic!
I attended the event at The Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool as the Up For Arts representative. My dutes involved managing the event, setting up the room, meeting and greeting and taking photographs. It was also imperative that I was on hand to answer any queries.
This event definitely helped to develop my communication and presentation skills. I was tasked with introducing the event and thanking the relevant parties (Alzheimer's Society, CHATS, etc) for their input and attendence. One thing I had not accounted for was that the karaoke host had not been briefed on the format of the days event. I therefore had to get my 'creative head' on as I felt that the event would have been a bit daunting for the attendees if we had run it in the 'traditional' karaoke format.
I felt it would be prudent to have a 'sing-along' type event, rather than one person being responsible for singing the songs. I spoke with the host and advised him of this and I also compiled a list of songs by taking requests from different tables and asking the host to play these. People soon began to join in and before I knew it, everybody was singing along and there was a really fantastic atmosphere.
I made sure that I also spoke with many of the carers and attendees so that we could get feedback on what we had done well and what we could make better next time. The response was overwhelming - people said that they hadn't enjoyed themselves as much in years and all of the carers stated what a pleasurable day they had enjoyed. Indeed we received many requests for us to hold a similar event again in the future, which we hope to do.
I found that the skills gained from my duty management experience at The Citadel benefited me greatly during this event. In particular, I felt that I was able to identify potential problems and re-prioritise at short notice when required. There were many responsibilities that I had on this day and I feel that due to my organisational and event management skills in particular, the event was an success.
Photograph of the function room in The Adelphi Hotel during the set-up of the event:
Challenge Nickie - Children In Need
November 2011
In addition to my Up For Arts role, I am also keen to assist with other BBC Radio Merseyside events. I was asked by a colleague if I would be willing to join Nickie Mackay during 'Nickie's Challenge' - a Saturday Morning feature where Nickie visits three different locations after receiving clues from the listeners ringing in to the show. This challenge was slightly different than the usual format as it was a Children In Need special.
Basically between 11.00 - 19.00 we would visit a number of pre-determined locations all of which were hosting events to raise money for Children In Need. One of the events we attended during the day was a 'tattoo-athon' which took place at Sacred Fortune tattoo parlour in Mossley Hill where people were paying donations to have a permanent pudsey tattoo. Other events included children's badge making at a local school and a sponsored 12 hour 'Zumbathon' at a leisure centre. From all of the locations, we completed a live on air broadcast with the Saturday morning presenter Andy Ball.
The BBC Radio Car is utilised for this purpose as it allows for live broadcasts to be made. In the rear of the car all of the relevant broadcasting equipment is contained. The set up is quite straightforward with an initial call being made to the studio to ensure there was a connection, then once the connection had been established it was case of listening through headphones and communicating with the studio presenter via a microphone.
By assisting with this event I further developed my communication, time-management and technical skills It was necesary to adhere to strict timescales as we had to arrive at each location with sufficient time for the equipment to be set up. Also it was often necessary to liase with various people prior to and during the events.
A thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding day and a very interesting insight into 'taking the radio on the road.'
Pictured below, Nickie Mackay and the Radio Car:
In addition to my Up For Arts role, I am also keen to assist with other BBC Radio Merseyside events. I was asked by a colleague if I would be willing to join Nickie Mackay during 'Nickie's Challenge' - a Saturday Morning feature where Nickie visits three different locations after receiving clues from the listeners ringing in to the show. This challenge was slightly different than the usual format as it was a Children In Need special.
Basically between 11.00 - 19.00 we would visit a number of pre-determined locations all of which were hosting events to raise money for Children In Need. One of the events we attended during the day was a 'tattoo-athon' which took place at Sacred Fortune tattoo parlour in Mossley Hill where people were paying donations to have a permanent pudsey tattoo. Other events included children's badge making at a local school and a sponsored 12 hour 'Zumbathon' at a leisure centre. From all of the locations, we completed a live on air broadcast with the Saturday morning presenter Andy Ball.
The BBC Radio Car is utilised for this purpose as it allows for live broadcasts to be made. In the rear of the car all of the relevant broadcasting equipment is contained. The set up is quite straightforward with an initial call being made to the studio to ensure there was a connection, then once the connection had been established it was case of listening through headphones and communicating with the studio presenter via a microphone.
By assisting with this event I further developed my communication, time-management and technical skills It was necesary to adhere to strict timescales as we had to arrive at each location with sufficient time for the equipment to be set up. Also it was often necessary to liase with various people prior to and during the events.
A thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding day and a very interesting insight into 'taking the radio on the road.'
Pictured below, Nickie Mackay and the Radio Car:
Dodgy at The Citadel
November 2011
As discussed at the start of my blog, I also duty manage events held at The Citadel Arts Centre, St. Helens. This evening there was a performance by 90's Brit-pop band Dodgy.
The types of events that I duty manage can be varied, including poetry readings and psychic evenings, however they are predominantly music events. My responsibilities when duty managing include:
The Citadel has a strict curfew of 23.00 hours (much to a lot of artists disapproval!) If any event exceeds this curfew, the artist is liable to pay additional room hire and all associated staff and technical costs. I ensure that I make this clear to all artists in a polite way prior to the event to avoid any confusion.
Duty managing demands a high level of interpersonal skills as it is necessary to deal with staff, artists and audience members alike. It also important to have the ability to re-prioritise at short notice as unforeseen circumstances often occur and must be dealt with quickly and efficiently to ensure that there is no disruption to the event.
Fortunately tonight's event was a success and all advertised on-stage times were adhered to.
As discussed at the start of my blog, I also duty manage events held at The Citadel Arts Centre, St. Helens. This evening there was a performance by 90's Brit-pop band Dodgy.
The types of events that I duty manage can be varied, including poetry readings and psychic evenings, however they are predominantly music events. My responsibilities when duty managing include:
- Liasing with artist/performer and their management
- Ensuring door and onstage times are adhered to
- Allocation of roles and responsibilties to my colleagues
- Overseeing the preparation of venue, including soundcheck and lighting
The Citadel has a strict curfew of 23.00 hours (much to a lot of artists disapproval!) If any event exceeds this curfew, the artist is liable to pay additional room hire and all associated staff and technical costs. I ensure that I make this clear to all artists in a polite way prior to the event to avoid any confusion.
Duty managing demands a high level of interpersonal skills as it is necessary to deal with staff, artists and audience members alike. It also important to have the ability to re-prioritise at short notice as unforeseen circumstances often occur and must be dealt with quickly and efficiently to ensure that there is no disruption to the event.
Fortunately tonight's event was a success and all advertised on-stage times were adhered to.
My First Bulletin
November 2011
It was time to complete my first bulletin. I sourced a lady from a local choir that were seeking new members. Setting up the studio equipment ready for the interview was surprisingly unproblematic, however the difficulties came when completing the actual interview. All of this was new to me and whilst I knew what information I was seeking, it was difficult for me to obtain this first time round. In order to guide the inerviewee it was necessary at times to interject and ask the interviewee direct questions. In order for the bulletin to make sense it was vital that the interviewee responded to any questions by answering the question with the question. For example, When do you rehearse? We rehearse on a Tuesday evening. Otherwise the bulletin would not make flow or make sense. It took a few attempts before the inteerview started to go well and it was soon completed. It is important to very clear with interviewees about exactly what it is you require. Also you need to take control and guide the interview whilst making the interviewee feel at ease. (Easier said than done!)
Editing the audio also took some practice and in total my first bulletin took me over two hours to complete.
I encountered problems with ensuring that the music and the audio were at the correct levels. Although it sounds quite straightforward it is intially very difficult. Additionally, the process of editing the audio was time consuming, however I feel that this is mostly down to my own interviewing techniques.
I have learned a lot from my first attempt at interviewing/editing. It is imperative to be very clear and concise regarding the information that you require. If you allow the interview to go off on a tangent, this makes the editing very problematic and ultimately serves to make the whole process much more difficult. This is something that I must improve on in future interviews and I will now focus upon upon developing my communication skills.
I think that with more experience, I will begin to develop my own interviewing style that I am comfortable with and this will in turn assist me when editing as well.
I have been tasked with completing interviews on a weekly basis so there is sufficient opportunity for me to gain further experience and hopefully improve on my first outing. It is not within the scope of this blog to update you on my progress for each subsequent interview, however I will post any further details that are of particular note.
Please find below exterior and interior photographs of Studio 2 at BBC Radio Merseyside:
It was time to complete my first bulletin. I sourced a lady from a local choir that were seeking new members. Setting up the studio equipment ready for the interview was surprisingly unproblematic, however the difficulties came when completing the actual interview. All of this was new to me and whilst I knew what information I was seeking, it was difficult for me to obtain this first time round. In order to guide the inerviewee it was necessary at times to interject and ask the interviewee direct questions. In order for the bulletin to make sense it was vital that the interviewee responded to any questions by answering the question with the question. For example, When do you rehearse? We rehearse on a Tuesday evening. Otherwise the bulletin would not make flow or make sense. It took a few attempts before the inteerview started to go well and it was soon completed. It is important to very clear with interviewees about exactly what it is you require. Also you need to take control and guide the interview whilst making the interviewee feel at ease. (Easier said than done!)
Editing the audio also took some practice and in total my first bulletin took me over two hours to complete.
I encountered problems with ensuring that the music and the audio were at the correct levels. Although it sounds quite straightforward it is intially very difficult. Additionally, the process of editing the audio was time consuming, however I feel that this is mostly down to my own interviewing techniques.
I have learned a lot from my first attempt at interviewing/editing. It is imperative to be very clear and concise regarding the information that you require. If you allow the interview to go off on a tangent, this makes the editing very problematic and ultimately serves to make the whole process much more difficult. This is something that I must improve on in future interviews and I will now focus upon upon developing my communication skills.
I think that with more experience, I will begin to develop my own interviewing style that I am comfortable with and this will in turn assist me when editing as well.
I have been tasked with completing interviews on a weekly basis so there is sufficient opportunity for me to gain further experience and hopefully improve on my first outing. It is not within the scope of this blog to update you on my progress for each subsequent interview, however I will post any further details that are of particular note.
Please find below exterior and interior photographs of Studio 2 at BBC Radio Merseyside:
Editing
October 2011
As I have mentioned in a previous post, Helen had briefly discussed that she wanted me to assume responsibility for editing the Up For Arts audio on a weekly basis. She explained that every Sunday during Maureen Walsh's morning show, an Up For Arts bulletin is featured. The bulletin consists of a pre-recorded interview with a local arts and craft group who are usually promoting their group or seeking new members.
Helen explained that the bulletin shoud last no longer than two and a half minutes and should be be edited so that only the interviewee's voice can be heard and should sound as though it is one flowing dialogue. Also, there is Up For Arts music that is played alongside the dialogue and a set outro which advises listeners of the relevant contact details should they require further information. As well as editing the audio, it would also be my responsibility to source the proposed interviewees and complete the interview with them. Therefore it was necessary for me to have an understanding of how to use the studio equipment as well as the audio editing software.
Helen took me into one of the 3 studios and showed me how to set up the software and the systems so that they were ready for recording. She also explained important issues such as ensuring that the interviewee was the the correct distance from the microphone and to ensure that the correct recording levels were set. The process of setting up the studio for the interview was relatively straightforward, however I intitially found the process of editing the audio to be very challenging. I had never used the BBC's editing software and had only a basic understanding of other audio editing software. It was necessary for me to have few practices, and the whole process was a bit daunting at first. However as I became more familiar with the software I began to feel more at ease.
I understand that the process of creating a short bulletin such as this is not as straightforward as it may sound when hearing the completed bulletin on air. There are a lot of different elements that go into the finished bulletin.and also a variety of problems that can occur. I commence completing my own interviews next week and whilst I anticipate that I will encounter new problems, I am looking forward to the challenge of completing my first bulletin.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, Helen had briefly discussed that she wanted me to assume responsibility for editing the Up For Arts audio on a weekly basis. She explained that every Sunday during Maureen Walsh's morning show, an Up For Arts bulletin is featured. The bulletin consists of a pre-recorded interview with a local arts and craft group who are usually promoting their group or seeking new members.
Helen explained that the bulletin shoud last no longer than two and a half minutes and should be be edited so that only the interviewee's voice can be heard and should sound as though it is one flowing dialogue. Also, there is Up For Arts music that is played alongside the dialogue and a set outro which advises listeners of the relevant contact details should they require further information. As well as editing the audio, it would also be my responsibility to source the proposed interviewees and complete the interview with them. Therefore it was necessary for me to have an understanding of how to use the studio equipment as well as the audio editing software.
Helen took me into one of the 3 studios and showed me how to set up the software and the systems so that they were ready for recording. She also explained important issues such as ensuring that the interviewee was the the correct distance from the microphone and to ensure that the correct recording levels were set. The process of setting up the studio for the interview was relatively straightforward, however I intitially found the process of editing the audio to be very challenging. I had never used the BBC's editing software and had only a basic understanding of other audio editing software. It was necessary for me to have few practices, and the whole process was a bit daunting at first. However as I became more familiar with the software I began to feel more at ease.
I understand that the process of creating a short bulletin such as this is not as straightforward as it may sound when hearing the completed bulletin on air. There are a lot of different elements that go into the finished bulletin.and also a variety of problems that can occur. I commence completing my own interviews next week and whilst I anticipate that I will encounter new problems, I am looking forward to the challenge of completing my first bulletin.
Aintree Event
October 2011
So it's the day of our 'Getting Arty in Aintree event'. The event has been regularly advertised on BBC Radio Merseyside in the lead up to the event and Helen and we hope this will have generated some interest from listeners. We arrive at Aintree University Hospital with all the relevant broadcasting equipment and set up in our designated area in the hospital.
We arrive a few hours prior to the event starting which allows us time to set up the room, including craft tables, art materials and our pull up banners. For all 'Up For Arts' events, we display BBC Radio Merseyside and 'Up for Arts' banners to ensure that we are branding the event and that people are aware that they are attending a BBC Radio Merseyside event.
As the event begins, we initially gain a lot of interest from hospital staff who are keen to participate and contirbute to what will finally become a piece of artwork displayed within the hospital. PARTIA (Promoting Art in Aintree) have already commisioned many pieces of artwork throughout the hospital and this helps to create a warm and welcoming environment for patients, staff and visitors. As the day progresses, many patients and visitors also attend to create their 'leaf' and there is a friendly and welcoming atmosphere throughout the day.
My primary role at this event is to meet and greet people, take photographs and ensure that partcipants help us to improve future events by taking a few minutes to fill out a participation / feedback form.
There were also live broadcasts each hour to both the Roger Phillips and Billy Butler shows and it was my responsibility to ensure that the ambient noise in the room was suitable for a live broadcast to take place. Typically this involved informing participants already in the room that a live broadcast was about to take place and advising staff in adjoining areas. For most of the broadcasts, noise was not necessarilly an issue, however there were a few occasions when people, in particular staff were a little too noisy and it was necessary for me to quietly advise them that we were completing a live broadcast.
Overall, the day was a great success and we managed to encourage a few listeners to make the journey to Aintree University Hospital and take part. I understand that with events such as this, it is vital to promote the event to ensure people are aware and to raise the profile. The hospital had advertised the event internally but we needed to encourage BBC Radio Merseyside listeners to attend also. Albeit there were not huge numbers of attendees generated by our advertising of the event, we did succeed in getting a few listeners to attend. We received many positive comments from attendees and helped to raise awareness of PARTIA and the excellent work that they do.
I have attached a picture of the final piece of artwork created on the day. Pictured from right to left are Paula O'Malley (PARTIA), Jimmy McCracken (BBC Radio Merseyside), Chantelle Townley (Aintree University Hospital Events Coordinator) and Helen Jones (BBC Radio Merseyside).
So it's the day of our 'Getting Arty in Aintree event'. The event has been regularly advertised on BBC Radio Merseyside in the lead up to the event and Helen and we hope this will have generated some interest from listeners. We arrive at Aintree University Hospital with all the relevant broadcasting equipment and set up in our designated area in the hospital.
We arrive a few hours prior to the event starting which allows us time to set up the room, including craft tables, art materials and our pull up banners. For all 'Up For Arts' events, we display BBC Radio Merseyside and 'Up for Arts' banners to ensure that we are branding the event and that people are aware that they are attending a BBC Radio Merseyside event.
As the event begins, we initially gain a lot of interest from hospital staff who are keen to participate and contirbute to what will finally become a piece of artwork displayed within the hospital. PARTIA (Promoting Art in Aintree) have already commisioned many pieces of artwork throughout the hospital and this helps to create a warm and welcoming environment for patients, staff and visitors. As the day progresses, many patients and visitors also attend to create their 'leaf' and there is a friendly and welcoming atmosphere throughout the day.
My primary role at this event is to meet and greet people, take photographs and ensure that partcipants help us to improve future events by taking a few minutes to fill out a participation / feedback form.
There were also live broadcasts each hour to both the Roger Phillips and Billy Butler shows and it was my responsibility to ensure that the ambient noise in the room was suitable for a live broadcast to take place. Typically this involved informing participants already in the room that a live broadcast was about to take place and advising staff in adjoining areas. For most of the broadcasts, noise was not necessarilly an issue, however there were a few occasions when people, in particular staff were a little too noisy and it was necessary for me to quietly advise them that we were completing a live broadcast.
Overall, the day was a great success and we managed to encourage a few listeners to make the journey to Aintree University Hospital and take part. I understand that with events such as this, it is vital to promote the event to ensure people are aware and to raise the profile. The hospital had advertised the event internally but we needed to encourage BBC Radio Merseyside listeners to attend also. Albeit there were not huge numbers of attendees generated by our advertising of the event, we did succeed in getting a few listeners to attend. We received many positive comments from attendees and helped to raise awareness of PARTIA and the excellent work that they do.
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