Module 2 'Professional Practitioner Inquiry' has
been a difficult task for me but really insightful at the same time. I
struggled with starting this module as I was finding it troublesome to
determine my inquiry question(s).
When I came to a brain-dead status over my inquiry
question(s) I decided to use my SIG as a method of brainstorming and bouncing
ideas back and forth. I had a few main themes that I wanted to throw out into
the world and see what came back. These were
• Vocal
Coaching vs. Singing Teaching
• Do
you need to have qualifications to be a successful vocal coach?
• Can
you develop your business as a trusted service without qualifications to back
it up?
It was only when I started to bounce these ideas to
and fro that somebody pointed out to me that I was almost looking for a yes or
no answer to these questions. Almost as though I was trying to prove
something. It was then that I realised that I was setting myself up for
disaster as there was no discovery to be had and the answers were going to be
hard to find. During one discussion with a successful business owner and close
friend of mine he suggested that instead of asking if one particular aspect was
going to help me successfully develop my business, I should broaden the
spectrum and ask 'What action can I take to help me successfully develop my
business?'. This then opened my questions up to a multitude of options to
explore and pathways to discover. I was able to also bring the subject of
qualifications under this umbrella topic.
After deciding that this new question was going to
be more accessible to research I was still toying with the 'Vocal Coach vs.
Singing Teacher' aspect of my proposed inquiry. I wanted to ask questions
focussed on my professional practice but didn't quite know how to go about it.
After one campus session I was speaking with another student from the course
who kindly suggested that the statement 'Vocal Coach vs. Singing Teacher' was
like asking for one or the other. As an inquiry question, was this going to be
too difficult to answer?
I sat with a pen and paper and jotted down that one
statement. I was stuck. How was I possibly going to even BEGIN with that one?
So I got into contact with one of my old friends from college who is now a singing
teacher. After an hour phone conversation she asked me if I had considered
finding out what prospective clients look for in a teacher/coach. This question
almost ran parallel to my questions about business development and it was then
that I decided on my Inquiry Question:
What
action can I take to ensure successful business growth and guarantee my service
is first choice for clients seeking a Vocal Coach/Singing Teacher?
Once I had decided on this Inquiry Question I was
able to start looking at the ethical considerations surrounding this topic.
To help me with this I looked at the ‘BERA Ethical Guidelines for
Educational Research 2011’ which was really useful in terms of finding out
about minors and vulnerable adults and informed consent for different
categories. These frameworks were great for providing me with guidance for carrying out my research focussing on confidentiality, integrity, safe practice, permission and professional code of conduct. All of these established guidelines have played a huge part in helping me to effectively plan my research.
I was also able to look into vocational business development
and regulations for new small businesses including tax codes etc. There is a lot of useful information surrounding this topic online as a
lot of what I need to find out for these sections has already been explored by
others and therefore the information is readily available for me to use. There is plenty of literature
available on successful freelance business development. One favourite of mine is a book – ‘Successful
Freelancing: The Complete Guide to Establishing and Running Any Kind of
Freelance Business’, Marian Faux, (15 Mar 1997). Topics include
establishing a business plan; setting up an office; negotiating fees; handling
contracts and agreement letters; tax, insurance, and benefits planning; expanding
your business; advertising, publicity, and marketing; and measuring your
success.
When deciding on research tools I established that participant observation, questionnaires and reviewing documents/literature were going to be most effective for me. This is because I have a limited amount of clients/students and a limited SIG. Most of my research will be qualitative for these reasons.
In conclusion I believe that the tasks and readers in Module 2 have encouraged me to develop my knowledge and research skills and fully take into account all ethical considerations when dealing with human/sentient beings. I feel ready to launch my inquiry and am excited about what I will discover and the opportunities that my knew knowledge will enable me to relish.
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