Category: RCS

What It Means To Be Me | Screening and Discussion Feedback

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 What It Means To Be Me 

Screening and Discussion

“So far this project has very much been an experience of discovery and inner expression. I have loved every second and I am excited to work on what’s next” – Estranged UG Student RCS 2022

‘It’s unbelievable to be in a room full of people who get it…I didn’t know I could be somebody that made a film or wrote something’ – RCS CE&E Collective Member 2022

55 people attended our recent screening and discussion event, working across government departments such as The Promise, several local authorities, colleges, Skills Development Scotland, third sector organisations and creative organisations such as Screen Education Scotland. 20 of the attendees have expressed an interest to join a steering group that seeks to develop best practice in supporting care experienced and estranged young people to access the arts through education and career pathways.  

One of our RCS students involved in our projects throughout stated 

“It was amazing different people’s experiences coming together and knowing that you don’t feel alone…how supportive people have become” – RCS Student 2021

One audience member and regular participant acknowledged the impact our projects had had: 

“I’ve been in kinship care since I was 10, and I wasn’t able to communicate who I was until I did projects like these” – Participant 2022

Another audience member spoke for the very first time about their own care experience: 

“I’ve never knowingly met anyone who has this shared experience – and what they were expressing through the film and after, the discussion, was so relatable and familiar” – Audience Member 2022

Being able to track change and improvements through our projects helps us to influence the shape of Widening Access and Widening Participation practice, particularly when it relates to the arts. Perhaps the most significant learning that has come from this year of activity is the necessity to work together to bring about powerful change. In the words of one of our student collaborators:

‘If you help me and I help you – then that is empowerment” – RCS CE&E Collective Member 2022

Find out more about our Fair Access programmes and GMAC Film by clicking the links.

Production Arts Training for Secondary Teachers

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 PRODUCTION ARTS TRAINING 

for Secondary School Teachers Throughout May

Our RCS Production Arts CLPD Sessions are well underway throughout the month of May in partnership with Glasgow City Council’s CREATE. These sessions are aimed at developing secondary teachers’ production art skills and will focus on four key areas of Lighting, Set Design, Costume and Make-up. 

So far, we have received fantastic feedback from our participants:

Lighting

“The entire session was so useful, as a probationer I do a lot of training, and this has been the most valuable one all year!”

“Seeing the resources used by professionals, being inspired to use the process in my learning and teaching. New ideas!!”

“Fantastic overview, and the time disappeared in an engaging session”

Set Design

“The whole session was excellent, fantastic staff, materials, and venue.  Everything was perfect and I can’t wait to build on this excellent training”

“It feels wonderful to have this connection with RCS and context between secondary and higher education and training”

“I’m doing this whole session at school tomorrow with my class – they’ll love it!”

We look forward to seeing the rest of you at our sessions in Costume and Makeup  and hope to be able to offer further sessions of a similar nature in the near future.

Bridging Programme: Scenic Art

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 BRIDGING PROGRAMME: SCENIC ART 

Start Date: September 2022

Two women working on a set design, painting what looks like huge grubby pipes

Do you enjoy art but think it’s not a proper job – think again! If you’re interested in art and in studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, join our Fair Access Bridging Programme in Scenic Art. 

For those with skills in art/design, either from school, or as a hobby or as part of a community project, this is a practical part-time course that will teach you all about scenic art. There will be a mixture of 1:1 sessions, group work and practical hands-on RCS Production workshops.

This course is aimed at those aged 16+, with a passion for art who are either living in an SIMD1 postcode area or are care experienced or estranged or black, indigenous or person of colour. 

Register your interest by clicking the button below:

* Applications now closed *

 Get In Touch 

If you require any further information or have any questions, email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

What It Means To Be Me | Screening and Discussion

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 WHAT IT MEANS TO BE ME 

Care Experienced and Estranged Screening & Discussion

Fair Access and GMAC warmly invite you to an entertaining and inspiring screening and discussion event for people with lived experience of the care system. We will screen a curated programme of short films made by and featuring care experienced and estranged young people.  The short film programme will be followed by a discussion that explores the opportunities for care experienced and estranged young people to engage with the arts.
Two young women looking into film camera
📸 Brian Hartley

When: Thursday 28 April 2022, 5pm – 7pm
Where: GMAC Film Theatre, Fifth Floor, Trongate 103 Glasgow G1 5HD
Cost: Free
For people: who are care experienced, estranged, people who work in care / corporate parenting sector and stakeholders.

* Applications now closed *

 Get In Touch 

If you require any further information or have any questions, get in touch with Fair Access at: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

On The Edge Castlemilk

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 On The Edge: Castlemilk 

Contemporary Performance Practice Workshops

Led by CPP artist Holly Worton and student assistant Margot Conde Arenas, we delivered five workshops exploring Contemporary Performance Practice, at Netherholm Community Hall, Castlemilk.  The young people threw themselves into a variety of theatre-making activities with great passion and commitment!

Group of people wearing face masks in theatre activity

At the end of the project, participants said:

‘I felt amazing at the end of the project, much more confident, but I will miss these people so much!’

‘I didn’t imagine the project would be like this…everyone was so welcoming, and I felt so accepted’

‘Everyone could express their own unique self and it was so interesting to see all the different personalities and people’s different perspectives’

Group of young people in theatre activity workshop

Lead Artist Holly said,

‘this group was very giving and always tried things out… Another highlight was watching these young people flourish and have a voice in the space. They felt safe enough to dictate what they needed.’  

We loved working at Netherholm Community Hall and hope our participants will continue to take part in our Fair Access offers. 

Pre-Juniors Movement Workshop at Blackfriars Primary School

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

RCS dance tutor Suzanne Shanks recently delivered taster workshops in creative movement to 150 young people at Blackfriars Primary School in the Gorbals.  

Group of young people sitting on an assembly floor stretching their toes.

Suzanne said: ‘Highlights of the day were being able to see so many boys doing well…there’s a little bit of a barrier in the West of Scotland – the attitude of ‘boys don’t dance’ still very much exists, so it was so lovely to see them relax and enjoy parts of the class. I had several boys put their hand up to demonstrate exercises like skipping and the musicality tasks.  It was so great to see.’   

One teacher commented, ‘The session was good for [pupils’] mindfulness, breathing, balance and core’ and one of the young people said, ‘We practised our hand co-ordination, and it was very hard, but I kept practising it at home actually, and now I can do it!’ and another pupil told us, ‘I like that we got to dance freestyle and do whatever we wanted to!’ 

We are now inviting a number of pupils and their family to further taster workshops at Wallace Studios and hopefully can offer Transitions places at Pre Juniors! Well done to everyone who got involved!

RCS Fair Access News | June 2021

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 June 2021 

Welcome to the June edition of Fair Access News.

This is where we will feature opportunities, news, offers, and information on upcoming events and activities across the Fair Access department here at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

 Opportunities 

▶️ Transitions are still recruiting
Transitions are still recruiting in Filmmaking, Theatre Production, Music Education (BEd) and Contemporary Performance Practice (CPP).  

▶️ What It Means to be Me
We are on the lookout for Care Experienced and Estranged young people aged 12 to 18 to take part in a series of creative workshops which will result in the making of a music video. 

▶️ WACI Online Summer School Scholarship
Now open for applications! – WACI are offering fully-funded places on Summer Schools taking place at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland throughout the summer school holidays.  

▶️ School of Music – Open Day
The RCS School of Music will be hosting an Open Day on 20 June 2021.  

 News 

▶️ Positive Stories for Negative Times
At Fair Access, we are delighted to be collaborating with BA Performance graduate Petre Dobre and Wonder Fools Theatre company to create a performance with d/Deaf students at St Roch’s Secondary school.  

▶️ Digital Resources and Summer School for Media Teachers
We are excited to announce that The Fair Access Department at the RCS is working in collaboration with Gmac Film to developing a series of digital resources on practical filmmaking skills with National 5 and Higher pupils.

 Gifts 

▶️ Stage Management Digital Resource
Our special gift to you in this newsletter is a fantastic Stage Management digital resource teaching pack.

▶️ Mental Health and Wellbeing tips
Top 3 tips from our student cohort on maintaining mental health and wellbeing.

 Coming soon 

▶️ Podcast Project
A project to get involved with over summer.

 Get our newsletter straight to your inbox! 

If you would like to be added to the Fair Access Newsletter to receive information straight to your inbox, click here to fill out our form.

The Fair Access department at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland includes both the Transitions and WACI programmes. For more information on Fair Access visit 🌐 rcs.ac.uk/fair-access-expo

 

RCS Open Day: School of Music

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

🎼 RCS Open Day: Music
🗓 Sun 20 Jun, 11am – 3pm
🌍 Online

Group of mixed skilled performance art students in highly stylised photo shoot on stage.

Booking is now open for the RCS Music Open Day. This online event will allow people from across the globe to join the Royal Conservatoire of Scotlands School of Music for a packed day of activity including:

  • live performances streamed to you from our campus
  • student and admissions Q and As
  • and the opportunity to get a feel for the School of Music at the RCS

If you have any questions in advance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch the Open Day team at 📧 hello@rcs.ac.uk 

🎟 Sign up for your place here

Taster Sessions for Contemporary Performance Practice

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

When: 13 & 27 May, 5pm 

Where: via Zoom

Two actors embracing on stage from afar.

If you are interested in finding out about how you can make your own work and develop as an artist, come along and hear from Interim Head of Contemporary Performance Practice Dr Laura Bissell and current CPP student Holly Worton who will introduce some of the practices on the programme.

They will also host a Q&A where you can ask questions about what it is like to study Contemporary Performance Practice.

The taster sessions are free and open to all, and will last for 40 minutes.

If you would like to attend a taster session please complete our registration form below:

Book Now by Clicking Here

To find out more about the CPP Programme, you can visit their website by clicking here.

Theatre Without Walls

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

Production Design Course

We recently completed an exciting 5 week-long bespoke theatre design initiative.  A small group of 8 students with an interest in theatre design and the production arts were given the opportunity to work with studio three sixty° an award-winning multi-disciplinary theatre design practice. 

Screenshot from online lecture of a diagram.

This was an exciting and stimulating educational project where our students were supported and encouraged to draw from their surroundings, history, and interests to design viable and exciting performance spaces that could be situated at their heart of their communities.

Our students were inspired by a design process that enabled them to develop individually, growing in confidence and understanding of their own potential.  By the end of the 5-week initiative, the students presented their very own, very beautiful pop-up theatre designs for a variety of locations across Scotland.

Sound like something you’d like to get involved with?

We hope to run this course again later in the year or early in 2022 – if you are aged over 16 and Transitions Eligible then please e-mail f.higson@RCS.ac.uk to request a registration form.

Transitions is for young people who have talent and potential in the performing arts and are living at postcodes that are identified as being within the top 20% on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) list as well as those who are care experienced or estranged. 

You can check whether you are in one of the eligible areas on the SIMD postcode checker here.