Latest / Gabi’s Speech and Drama Podcast / Episode 2: Combining Careers

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Episode 2: Combining Careers · Gabi’s Speech and Drama Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to episode two of Gabby's Speech and Drama podcast.
0:13
SPEAKER_00: This is brought to you as part of Gabby's Speech and Drama community,
0:17
SPEAKER_00: which is a brilliant online resource full of articles,
0:22
SPEAKER_00: worksheets,
0:23
SPEAKER_00: resources,
0:24
SPEAKER_00: meetups,
0:25
SPEAKER_00: and now podcasts.
0:27
SPEAKER_00: If you'd like to find out more about that, then go to Gabby Maddox, that's G-A-B-I-M-A-D-D-O-C-K-S,
0:37
SPEAKER_00: I'll put the link in the show notes so you can have a look at it there and you can
0:41
SPEAKER_00: find out more about the whole community and what we have to offer.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: But on to today's episode where I introduce our first guest, the wonderful actor Jenny Eggleton.
0:52
SPEAKER_00: who is also one of our brilliant Lambda teachers.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: She is a partner at The Playing Space.
0:57
SPEAKER_00: She has worked for me in various capacities for more than 10 years.
1:03
SPEAKER_00: And she is also an actor.
1:05
SPEAKER_00: And so I thought it would be a really interesting conversation about how those two
1:09
SPEAKER_00: careers feed into each other,
1:11
SPEAKER_00: the benefits and the challenges,
1:14
SPEAKER_00: and also a perspective,
1:16
SPEAKER_00: obviously,
1:16
SPEAKER_00: from me as someone who's running a company and wants to employ brilliant actors to
1:21
SPEAKER_00: but the challenges that we face as well when inevitably an acting opportunity
1:28
SPEAKER_00: arises and we have to organise cover teachers or something like that.
1:34
SPEAKER_00: So it's a really interesting conversation.
1:36
SPEAKER_00: Stay tuned to the end where we talk about our Lambda Horror Stories.
1:40
SPEAKER_00: This is going to be a new feature of the podcast.
1:42
SPEAKER_00: Every guest that I invite on will tell us something that either a mistake they've
1:48
SPEAKER_00: made as a teacher that we can all learn from,
1:50
SPEAKER_00: Or maybe an experience that they've had during an exam or something like that.
1:55
SPEAKER_00: So that's a bit of fun for you at the end of the show.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: Right.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: Well, without further ado, I will introduce Jenny.
2:08
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the podcast.
2:09
SPEAKER_00: Say hello to all of our listeners.
2:11
SPEAKER_00: Hello.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: Lovely to be here.
2:14
SPEAKER_00: You obviously have lots of friends who are actors.
2:17
SPEAKER_00: What are some of the jobs that...
2:20
SPEAKER_00: actors tend to do?
2:22
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there is a lot of bar work.
2:23
SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of front of house work in theatres.
2:28
SPEAKER_01: Other friends do sort of fitness or things like that that can work around,
2:36
SPEAKER_01: and when I say fitness,
2:36
SPEAKER_01: like personal training or classes like that.
2:39
SPEAKER_01: Yoga teachers.
2:40
SPEAKER_01: Lots of yoga teachers, Pilates teachers, things that can work around acting work should it come up.
2:49
SPEAKER_00: Yes,
2:49
SPEAKER_00: whenever I take on a Lambda teacher who is also an actor,
2:54
SPEAKER_00: I know when I do that,
2:57
SPEAKER_00: that their acting career is going to be their priority and that they will
3:01
SPEAKER_00: drop everything if they get a good casting that comes in or obviously an acting
3:07
SPEAKER_00: role the thing that i tend to ask of them is that they let their agents know what
3:15
SPEAKER_00: their teaching hours are and that their agents will do their utmost to organize
3:19
SPEAKER_00: castings and auditions outside of those times do you think that's reasonable do you
3:24
SPEAKER_00: think most actors are prepared to do that
3:26
SPEAKER_01: I think so.
3:27
SPEAKER_01: And I think especially nowadays where self-tapes are such a big part of the auditioning process.
3:34
SPEAKER_01: So that takes away a little bit of the pressure of those early auditions where they
3:39
SPEAKER_01: used to be in person and castings used to be in person.
3:42
SPEAKER_01: So I definitely think it's a fine thing to ask of your employees to
3:48
SPEAKER_01: And then you just do the best you can, right, to make sure that it can work out.
3:53
SPEAKER_00: It's true.
3:53
SPEAKER_00: I remember sort of before the pandemic, I would sometimes get calls from
4:00
SPEAKER_00: actors you know even just a few hours before they were due to start teaching with
4:04
SPEAKER_00: really last minute casting calls that doesn't seem to happen anymore and obviously
4:08
SPEAKER_00: if you do actually get a job you're going to get much more notice yeah for that um
4:13
SPEAKER_01: maybe a bit less for commercials yeah there have been a couple of times when i've
4:19
SPEAKER_01: taped for something and
4:20
SPEAKER_01: with knowing that I could have to call you in the next couple of days.
4:27
SPEAKER_01: And especially if I could imagine, I'd be like, I've got to fly to South Africa.
4:32
SPEAKER_00: I'm so glad you didn't get that call.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: But actually,
4:37
SPEAKER_00: that kind of brings me to another point,
4:38
SPEAKER_00: because I know that in the past I've had teachers come and interview for teaching jobs.
4:44
SPEAKER_00: They've let me know that they're an actor.
4:47
SPEAKER_00: But they've said things like,
4:49
SPEAKER_00: you know,
4:49
SPEAKER_00: I am a professional actor,
4:50
SPEAKER_00: but I'll be really honest with you,
4:52
SPEAKER_00: I've not had any acting work for a really long time.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: I'm on the point of giving up.
4:59
SPEAKER_00: And so you don't need to worry about that.
5:01
SPEAKER_00: And then within a month or two of working for the playing space,
5:04
SPEAKER_00: suddenly they're getting all these acting jobs.
5:06
SPEAKER_00: And I do think which brings us to the first thing about how these these two
5:11
SPEAKER_00: different careers can feed into each other.
5:14
SPEAKER_00: I do think that when you're doing something that's really that feels valuable and
5:20
SPEAKER_00: life enhancing as your second job,
5:25
SPEAKER_00: it it means that when you do go into castings you don't need it as much and so
5:30
SPEAKER_00: you're actually perversely more likely to get the job because you're not as
5:34
SPEAKER_00: desperate for it and so like you know you might go in thinking well obviously I
5:38
SPEAKER_00: really hope I get this job but if I don't at least I don't have to phone Gabby and
5:42
SPEAKER_00: tell her I'm going to South Africa or something like that and I do think casting
5:46
SPEAKER_00: directors can smell desperation 100% yeah definitely yeah
5:50
SPEAKER_00: and you know if you're doing a job like bar work where inevitably you are going to
5:55
SPEAKER_00: come up against you know people treating you badly and being rude to you that's not
6:01
SPEAKER_00: going to do your self-esteem any good um and so that again is not going to help you
6:08
SPEAKER_00: when you go into castings and auditions and things like that does that sound does
6:13
SPEAKER_00: that feel right to you I think so I think
6:17
SPEAKER_01: When I first started both acting and teaching for you,
6:20
SPEAKER_01: because it was kind of simultaneous,
6:23
SPEAKER_01: you know,
6:24
SPEAKER_01: I was juggling lots of different work as well.
6:26
SPEAKER_01: Because when I first started with you, I was only doing, you know, assisting and then it's built up.
6:31
SPEAKER_01: And so I was juggling, you know, three or four other jobs as well to try and pay the bills.
6:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
6:38
SPEAKER_01: your brain space isn't, isn't right for that.
6:41
SPEAKER_01: You're the desperation.
6:43
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
6:44
SPEAKER_01: Like you said that you need this next job.
6:47
SPEAKER_01: The disappointment you then feel is, is huge.
6:50
SPEAKER_01: And I do think that I'm really lucky now that teaching is kind of my only other
6:57
SPEAKER_01: main source of income apart from acting and my theatre company.
7:02
SPEAKER_01: So it,
7:04
SPEAKER_01: It's easier and also the skills that I have from teaching very much feed into the
7:12
SPEAKER_01: work that I do as an actor.
7:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah,
7:16
SPEAKER_00: let's talk a bit about that because I've heard that from other teachers as well,
7:21
SPEAKER_00: that they do feel that the teaching and the performing really...
7:27
SPEAKER_00: both benefit the other so if you're doing bar work or you're working in an office
7:31
SPEAKER_00: or doing something like that you don't really feel like you're using the training
7:36
SPEAKER_00: and the skills that you've developed as a performer but when you are teaching
7:40
SPEAKER_00: whether that's teaching very young children or maybe older ones as well where
7:45
SPEAKER_00: you're really you know passing on acting technique um and
7:51
SPEAKER_00: things like Stanislavski and subtext and objectives that you wouldn't necessarily
7:56
SPEAKER_00: know about unless you've done some sort of acting training.
8:01
SPEAKER_00: You're really, so it feels as though that training has paid off in another way.
8:07
SPEAKER_00: How does,
8:10
SPEAKER_00: and we've talked about,
8:11
SPEAKER_00: you know,
8:11
SPEAKER_00: if you're doing something worthwhile in your life and you've got good self-esteem
8:15
SPEAKER_00: and you feel that you're sort of passing on useful skills to other people,
8:20
SPEAKER_00: then that will,
8:22
SPEAKER_00: make you more attractive in a casting situation are there any other ways that
8:26
SPEAKER_00: teaching makes you a better actor um I think I mean you've touched on some of the
8:34
SPEAKER_01: things already and teaching lambda especially uh is useful for that of like keeping
8:40
SPEAKER_01: your skills sharp in terms of even with the the lower grades and the littler ones
8:46
SPEAKER_01: uh building character imagining worlds
8:51
SPEAKER_01: And then obviously once you get up into sort of medal levels,
8:54
SPEAKER_01: the work on objectives and reading new plays and all of that sort of stuff.
8:59
SPEAKER_01: So in terms of keeping your brain sharp and your skills sharp, that's really useful.
9:04
SPEAKER_01: I think in terms of just your communication skills, constantly put to the test as a teacher.
9:14
SPEAKER_01: thinking on your feet and just play.
9:17
SPEAKER_01: I think play and imagination are such key things,
9:22
SPEAKER_01: key parts of our industry,
9:24
SPEAKER_01: which I think we forget a lot of the time.
9:26
SPEAKER_01: And I'm, and I feel really lucky that I get to play a lot in my teaching.
9:33
SPEAKER_01: And then that comes into my acting work and kids are very humbling.
9:39
SPEAKER_01: Children are very humbling and,
9:42
SPEAKER_01: and also uh I think especially here at the playing space but we do lots of sort of
9:48
SPEAKER_01: improvisation and devising games a lot and a lot of work on that and that's
9:54
SPEAKER_01: definitely come into my acting work a lot both on devised pieces or whatever but
10:00
SPEAKER_01: also in how I approach a rehearsal room and the the joy that I take in a rehearsal
10:05
SPEAKER_01: room so or on set or wherever
10:08
SPEAKER_00: That's brilliant.
10:09
SPEAKER_00: I should start charging a little commission, I think, for every acting job.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: And obviously,
10:19
SPEAKER_00: as an actor,
10:19
SPEAKER_00: as a professional working actor,
10:21
SPEAKER_00: that's going to benefit your Lambda classes and your general speech and drama
10:25
SPEAKER_00: classes as well.
10:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm not a professional actor anymore, but I still like to
10:30
SPEAKER_00: do workshops and things like that.
10:32
SPEAKER_00: I've recently done a couple of Meissner workshops because I kept hearing about
10:35
SPEAKER_00: Meissner and was a little bit skeptical about it.
10:38
SPEAKER_00: And I thought I should give it a try.
10:40
SPEAKER_00: And almost immediately I was able to start using some of the games and exercises in
10:45
SPEAKER_00: those workshops in my classes as well.
10:47
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they were great.
10:48
SPEAKER_00: I love them.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: And so are there any other ways that sort of your acting feeds into your teaching, I suppose?
11:00
SPEAKER_01: I think, again, for older students, being able to provide a...
11:09
SPEAKER_01: for anyone who is interested in acting is obviously very useful if you know about
11:15
SPEAKER_01: the industry even a tiny bit.
11:18
SPEAKER_01: And like you say, bringing some games or exercises in is useful.
11:24
SPEAKER_01: I do think as well just things about how you use your voice and your body that if
11:31
SPEAKER_01: you aren't practicing or doing regularly,
11:36
SPEAKER_01: maybe you forget or...
11:38
SPEAKER_01: um they don't come as naturally and I think passing that on to uh you know even the
11:43
SPEAKER_01: even our younger students about you know um using your vocal energy through to the
11:50
SPEAKER_01: end of the line and things and diction and things like that which uh I guess I'm
11:56
SPEAKER_01: more tuned into because I practice them and I and I see them regularly so so maybe
12:03
SPEAKER_01: things things like that absolutely
12:05
SPEAKER_00: And I was just thinking,
12:06
SPEAKER_00: you know,
12:06
SPEAKER_00: for anyone who's listening who thinks,
12:08
SPEAKER_00: oh,
12:08
SPEAKER_00: my goodness,
12:08
SPEAKER_00: this sounds great,
12:09
SPEAKER_00: but I'm not a professional actor.
12:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm just a speech and drama teacher.
12:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm quite involved with the local amateur dramatic society.
12:15
SPEAKER_00: I direct for them.
12:16
SPEAKER_00: I act in some shows.
12:19
SPEAKER_00: I do backstage stuff for them as well.
12:21
SPEAKER_00: And that can be another way,
12:22
SPEAKER_00: you know,
12:23
SPEAKER_00: if there is a local group that you can get involved in,
12:26
SPEAKER_00: that's another way.
12:27
SPEAKER_00: And in fact, of course, that's how I met you.
12:29
SPEAKER_00: Because I met your mum and dad first through amateur dramatics.
12:33
SPEAKER_00: And they said, oh, we have a wonderful daughter who's a professional actor.
12:36
SPEAKER_01: I think also, you know, outside of this, I do a regular acting class myself.
12:40
SPEAKER_01: And I've learned lots of stuff through that, that I hadn't even learned at drama school or theatre.
12:46
SPEAKER_01: know different techniques for working and things like that so and there are people
12:50
SPEAKER_01: who are in that class that aren't regularly acting um who are doing it just for
12:56
SPEAKER_00: sort of their their own enjoyment and life skills that's a really good point even
13:01
SPEAKER_00: if you're not professional actor there is nothing to stop you taking an acting
13:04
SPEAKER_00: class and actually putting yourself in that position of feeling a bit vulnerable
13:08
SPEAKER_00: and having to get up and and
13:10
SPEAKER_00: do an improvisational performance scene in front of other people it gives you that
13:15
SPEAKER_00: feeling of what your students are experiencing in your classes I was amazed it was
13:20
SPEAKER_00: quite a long time ago now I went to a training a Lambda training course and there
13:25
SPEAKER_00: were lots of speech and drama teachers there and we were expected to sort of stand
13:29
SPEAKER_00: up and give things a go and there was a couple of people there who just absolutely
13:34
SPEAKER_00: you know said no I'm a teacher I don't need to do this but I think that
13:40
SPEAKER_00: going through it yourself gives you a much greater understanding of the experience
13:43
SPEAKER_00: of your own students as well.
13:45
SPEAKER_00: So I think that is a really good thing to try if you're not doing it already.
13:51
SPEAKER_00: What are the main challenges of...
13:55
SPEAKER_00: We've talked about all of the benefits of combining being an actor and being a
14:00
SPEAKER_00: speech and drama teacher.
14:02
SPEAKER_00: The main challenges?
14:03
SPEAKER_01: I think the main challenges are definitely how you balance...
14:07
SPEAKER_01: uh castings and then getting jobs if you're lucky enough to um which i know we have
14:17
SPEAKER_01: we've gone through we've gone through and we're still here we're still talking
14:21
SPEAKER_01: exactly and i think uh obviously the
14:26
SPEAKER_01: as,
14:27
SPEAKER_01: as,
14:27
SPEAKER_01: as me in this position,
14:29
SPEAKER_01: I've always,
14:30
SPEAKER_01: there's a sense of not wanting to let you down,
14:32
SPEAKER_00: um,
14:33
SPEAKER_01: and,
14:33
SPEAKER_01: you know,
14:34
SPEAKER_01: making life difficult for you,
14:35
SPEAKER_01: but also wanting to pursue something that is my career.
14:40
SPEAKER_01: Um,
14:41
SPEAKER_01: so yeah,
14:41
SPEAKER_01: the main challenges are definitely how do you strike that balance of being able to,
14:47
SPEAKER_01: uh,
14:47
SPEAKER_01: to,
14:50
SPEAKER_01: that both is beneficial.
14:52
SPEAKER_01: Um, I mean, it
14:54
SPEAKER_01: the lucky thing I guess for you is I don't work back to back.
14:59
SPEAKER_00: It's quite good.
14:59
SPEAKER_00: You tend to get jobs that last for quite a long time.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: Um,
15:04
SPEAKER_00: so you might be away for a whole term and it,
15:07
SPEAKER_00: in a way that makes it easier to get cover because you can then book in a teacher
15:11
SPEAKER_00: for a good long stint and they've got time to get to know the students.
15:16
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think that's because you do more theatre than TV.
15:21
SPEAKER_00: Um,
15:24
SPEAKER_00: So,
15:25
SPEAKER_00: yes,
15:25
SPEAKER_00: we've always managed it where,
15:27
SPEAKER_00: you know,
15:27
SPEAKER_00: you've been away for a block of time and then you've come,
15:30
SPEAKER_00: you know,
15:30
SPEAKER_00: I've held the job for you.
15:33
SPEAKER_00: Which, you know, I may not have done if it had been someone that hadn't worked for me for as long.
15:38
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
15:39
SPEAKER_00: And wasn't a partner in the business and all of that.
15:42
SPEAKER_00: I think from my point of view as someone who's running a company and wants to make
15:46
SPEAKER_00: sure that I've got a good product,
15:50
SPEAKER_00: is a making sure parents know that having professional working actors means that
15:56
SPEAKER_00: their children are getting very high quality tuition.
16:01
SPEAKER_00: And giving,
16:02
SPEAKER_00: you know,
16:02
SPEAKER_00: because when you did that children's show,
16:03
SPEAKER_00: it actually meant that your students could come and watch you performing,
16:07
SPEAKER_00: which is really fun for them.
16:08
SPEAKER_00: So there are lots of benefits to it.
16:11
SPEAKER_00: And then just making sure that I'm very organised and I've got a plan B in place.
16:17
SPEAKER_00: You've always been good at giving me as much notice as possible.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: There's always that sort of moment at the beginning.
16:23
SPEAKER_00: Hi, Gabby.
16:25
SPEAKER_00: So good news for me, I've got this job.
16:29
SPEAKER_00: Try and make it sound as positive as possible.
16:33
SPEAKER_00: But also,
16:35
SPEAKER_00: right from the beginning of our working relationship,
16:38
SPEAKER_00: which has been probably about 10 years now,
16:41
SPEAKER_00: You've never tried to hide the fact that acting is your priority.
16:48
SPEAKER_00: And so it's my choice, isn't it?
16:51
SPEAKER_00: To stick with you.
16:52
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for that.
16:55
SPEAKER_01: I was just thinking as well that sometimes being prepared that,
17:01
SPEAKER_01: like you said,
17:02
SPEAKER_01: giving up classes for longer periods.
17:06
SPEAKER_01: So sometimes I remember...
17:09
SPEAKER_01: uh when I did that Disney show that I wasn't filming that whole time but I was like
17:15
SPEAKER_01: well I'm not gonna say to Gabby oh I can do those three days but I can't do that a
17:21
SPEAKER_01: week or whatever and just you know you've got to make some sacrifices as well for
17:25
SPEAKER_01: the to keep
17:27
SPEAKER_01: you know you have been and for the good of like the students as well and I would
17:31
SPEAKER_00: say also just making sure that you know I think all of our teachers are really good
17:36
SPEAKER_00: at this when there is a cover teacher making sure that there's a smooth handover
17:41
SPEAKER_00: and that everyone um knows what's going on that the parents are kept informed the
17:46
SPEAKER_00: children are kept informed and
17:48
SPEAKER_00: I know when it's possible,
17:51
SPEAKER_00: especially if it's for a longer time,
17:52
SPEAKER_00: is we may get the cover teacher to come and work with you for a week or two so that
17:56
SPEAKER_00: there's a bit of an overlap as well.
17:59
SPEAKER_00: And so there are lots of ways of making it a positive thing rather than a challenge.
18:05
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
18:07
SPEAKER_00: Well, I think we've just about covered everything there.
18:12
SPEAKER_00: Just before we go, are there any...
18:18
SPEAKER_00: Lambda, I always... This is going to be a new regular feature of the podcast.
18:24
SPEAKER_00: Every time I get a guest, I'm going to ask you for your favourite Lambda horror story.
18:30
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever had an experience where you've screwed up as a teacher or whether a
18:39
SPEAKER_00: student has gone into an exam and had a bad experience with an examiner?
18:43
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we're not going to name any names, but...
18:45
SPEAKER_01: I'm sure there's something where I've screwed up,
18:48
SPEAKER_01: but I can't remember maybe about getting,
18:52
SPEAKER_01: um,
18:53
SPEAKER_01: dates wrong or pieces,
18:54
SPEAKER_01: but I do remember a student who,
18:58
SPEAKER_01: uh,
19:00
SPEAKER_01: uh,
19:00
SPEAKER_01: went in and she had been,
19:04
SPEAKER_01: um,
19:04
SPEAKER_01: very worried about the,
19:06
SPEAKER_01: the knowledge section and,
19:10
SPEAKER_01: uh,
19:10
SPEAKER_01: And this is the early time it's happened to me.
19:12
SPEAKER_01: Very, very worried about the knowledge section.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: Couldn't keep it all in her head.
19:17
SPEAKER_01: And then when she went into the exam, she literally just couldn't answer any questions.
19:22
SPEAKER_01: And obviously that's a fail.
19:24
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
19:24
SPEAKER_01: And that was like a horrible, horrible experience.
19:28
SPEAKER_01: Having a student who failed the exam.
19:30
SPEAKER_01: Having a student who failed the exam on such, you know, on such a...
19:34
SPEAKER_00: I think I know, I think I know.
19:36
SPEAKER_00: It was a playing space to you.
19:37
SPEAKER_00: It was a playing space.
19:38
SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't the whole,
19:39
SPEAKER_00: it was just one particular question where she literally could not give any answer
19:44
SPEAKER_00: at all.
19:44
SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
19:45
SPEAKER_00: And she'd had a blank during her mock exam, hadn't she?
19:50
SPEAKER_00: So it wasn't a case of you not preparing her well enough.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: No.
19:54
SPEAKER_00: It was just an anxiety thing.
19:56
SPEAKER_00: Yeah,
19:56
SPEAKER_01: and it kept coming up when we were doing,
19:58
SPEAKER_01: yeah,
19:59
SPEAKER_01: mocks or practising the knowledge and we kept trying to find answers.
20:02
SPEAKER_01: ways to work through it and then in the end it was just like it got too just too
20:08
SPEAKER_01: much and that was yeah that's probably my worst slander experience well it's
20:14
SPEAKER_00: interesting that one because because we were running a private center we kind of
20:19
SPEAKER_00: knew it didn't it wasn't a surprise when the results came out she came out of the
20:23
SPEAKER_00: exam and said
20:24
SPEAKER_00: I think I failed.
20:26
SPEAKER_00: We asked her what had happened.
20:27
SPEAKER_00: She said, the examiner asked her a question and she just couldn't give an answer.
20:30
SPEAKER_00: I said, it probably does mean then that you won't have got through it, but don't worry about it.
20:36
SPEAKER_00: It's just one part of the exam.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: It will still be really helpful to see what the rest of your results are like on your pieces.
20:44
SPEAKER_00: I did mention it to the examiner and she obviously couldn't tell me
20:50
SPEAKER_00: um any detail but she she did sort of say to me that I really did try and coax an
20:55
SPEAKER_00: answer out of her but she just couldn't say anything yeah um so then when the
21:00
SPEAKER_00: results came and it it was um a fail for that one particular question I think it
21:06
SPEAKER_00: was grade five verse and prose yeah so it was probably pauses and phrases or
21:10
SPEAKER_00: something like that was one of those um
21:13
SPEAKER_00: And what was interesting is she'd actually, I think she got a merit on her pieces.
21:19
SPEAKER_00: And so we just focused on that when we went through the results.
21:24
SPEAKER_00: We said,
21:24
SPEAKER_00: look,
21:25
SPEAKER_00: if in a different type of an exam,
21:27
SPEAKER_00: you would have popped because she did get over 50 overall.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: But it was just those rules.
21:32
SPEAKER_00: And it was obviously the time where they if you didn't give.
21:38
SPEAKER_00: an answer for every pause in every phrase that was a fail whereas they have now
21:43
SPEAKER_00: changed it in the most recent syllabus it's now up to two is it up to three pauses
21:51
SPEAKER_00: and up to three phrases so even if they get two out of the three yeah they will
21:56
SPEAKER_00: still pass which is a big improvement because you know i i know um i've had
22:03
SPEAKER_00: grade four verse and prose kids and they you know got simile and metaphor mixed up
22:08
SPEAKER_00: in the mock exam or something like that and i've really had to explain to them that
22:12
SPEAKER_00: if you do this in the real thing you will fail the whole exam and fortunately they
22:16
SPEAKER_00: have now changed it to up to four words or phrases
22:22
SPEAKER_01: There was also with my most recent student who was going in for her grade seven.
22:25
SPEAKER_01: And then you called me and you were like, so she's going in for her grade eight, isn't she?
22:30
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, no, I've been preparing her for months for her grade seven.
22:34
SPEAKER_01: And luckily you were wrong.
22:35
SPEAKER_00: I was wrong.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: We had prepared and entered her for the correct exam.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: But actually, I know this was a student you inherited from another teacher.
22:45
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
22:46
SPEAKER_00: who was doing a scene from Peggy For You, her modern piece.
22:52
SPEAKER_00: And this was, you know, the syllabus that is ending at the end of July 2024.
22:59
SPEAKER_00: So the modern piece had to be post-2000, which starts 1st of January 2001.
23:01
SPEAKER_00: And...
23:10
SPEAKER_00: I double-checked, and Peggy, for you, was published in 2000.
23:13
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I remember that.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: So that shouldn't have been used as her modern piece.
23:18
SPEAKER_00: But we just... It was such a confusing date.
23:25
SPEAKER_00: So anyway, we managed to rectify that, and the student did well in their exam.
23:31
SPEAKER_00: But I think now, even though some people don't like the fact that modern is now 1980 plus, at least...
23:38
SPEAKER_00: it makes more sense with the dates.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: It's sort of from the 1st of January,
23:41
SPEAKER_00: 1980 is modern and up to the 31st of December,
23:46
SPEAKER_00: 1979 is the middle period.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: But I think that the fact that the date change started in 2001,
23:55
SPEAKER_00: but it was called post 2000,
23:57
SPEAKER_00: it was,
23:58
SPEAKER_00: yeah,
23:59
SPEAKER_00: there was a potential pitfall there that I'm very glad we didn't fall into.
24:04
SPEAKER_00: All right.
24:05
SPEAKER_00: Well, I think that's enough for today.
24:07
SPEAKER_00: Great.
24:09
SPEAKER_00: Your classes start in 10 minutes.
24:10
SPEAKER_00: They do.
24:11
SPEAKER_00: So we'll say goodbye.
24:14
SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much, Jenny.
24:16
SPEAKER_00: And good luck with everything that your future holds.
24:19
SPEAKER_00: Thank you very much, Gary.