Behind the scenes: Department for Learning

Part one

Pearl Chesterman is Director for Learning at Birmingham Royal Ballet, heading the team responsible for all of the Company's education and outreach work.

The department has seen some huge changes over the past few years, which Pearl is proud to have been part of. 'The general trend in arts organisations was to leave the title "education" behind and move towards "learning"', says Pearl. 'This was due to the increasing work with groups and communities outside the formal education sector; "education" felt restricted to schools' work only.

'After much discussion the department became the Department FOR learning, because we're here to facilitate other people's learning, whereas OF, implied we were imposing something on somebody else - "we're going to make you learn what we want you to learn!"'

This ethos of enabling access is integral to the department. As Pearl talks about the projects that they have run recently, it quickly becomes obvious that there is a strong sense of collaboration with the schools and groups with which they work, rather than simply being brought in to conduct ballet workshops.

'We can just teach ballet,' says Pearl, 'but often we don't go into schools and teach ballet because that can be a turn off for some children and young people right from the beginning, but we use the themes from a ballet to work on dance and movement and develop stories. So we're using what the Company does as a focus, but however the school or the group want to work, we can develop something around that.

'Although we have ideas of what we can do, many of the projects are bespoke because we work with the teachers or the group leaders to see what's best for them. Learning is very much a two-way process for us, because we learn from them as well as hopefully enabling them to learn too.

'We're increasing our work in communities, and through Birmingham City Council's Arts Champion scheme some of our work is particularly focussed on groups in Selly Oak. We work there with different age groups; a senior citizens' group recently had a talk with our wardrobe department and then went on to make the costumes for children from a play scheme who created their own production of Swan Lake. It brought two generations together and gave everybody an insight into more of the work of Birmingham Royal Ballet. That was really rewarding to work on.

'I don't know if everyone's focussing on what Learning is and what the word means, but when we were deciding on a new name for the department we thought a lot about the exact meaning of the word and how it informed the way we worked.

'There are two main definitions of Learning:
1. The art of gaining knowledge.
2. Any relatively permanent change in behaviour that occurs as a direct result of an experience.

'We liked both of those. We liked the change in attitude towards focussing on the direct experience of those who take part in our projects, which very much happened in the case of Ballet Hoo!'

Again, while it was obvious that Ballet Hoo! benefited the young participants immensely, the Company itself was able to learn from the experience.

'It not only changed the young people, it changed the thoughts and attitudes of many people in the Company,' says Pearl. 'I think it opened the eyes of many, many people to what the department can do, and the amount of work that goes on, and to the effect that it has on people.

'That's why I'm really keen that through the careers or Arts Awards work, and any future projects we do, that as many people in the Company are involved. It does give you a buzz and it does make you reassess what your job is, why you do it, and how, because you've got a new view of what you're doing. It's that two-way learning process!

'It's good when everyone has that buzz, rather than us just saying "yeah, we do all this important work" and looking a bit worthy over in the corner!'

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