Unit 1 Part C - Research Into Arts Practitioners
Ally Guppy
I did an interview with Ally Guppy over Facebook messenger:
Ally first studied poetry in English GCSE and at first she hated it. She found the writing poetry she studied at school was really boring. She was unaware that spoken word existed at that time. A few years later she discovered Kate Tempest from YouTube.
What I learned about her career path was that she wrote her first spoken word poem when she was attending Young Women’s Music Project. The director of the group gave her more opportunities to perform it. From there she kept on writing and performing her pieces.
www.instagram.com/allyguppy-uk
I learned that me and Ally have different writing styles but are inspired by the same thing. Anger and a need to have our voices heard in today’s society.
I have taken in the way she performs her spoken word and how the audience reacts to her. The reaction that she receives is really amazing and people are able to relate to it. Doing a spoken word poem about eating disorders seem to really connect with people. I would like to incorporate that in my work. To do a spoken word that everyone can relate to but I still wish to be diverse with it.
Ally is part of Pitcher Management as part of her degree at Guilford University:
Pitcher Management; the innovative collective.
http://www.wearepitcher.com
Established in 2016, Pitcher is a collaboration of music managers, artists and producers from the Guildford/ London area focused on providing management, promotion and a variety of recording/production assets to emerging progressive artists in the UK. They host a regular night called The Lunar sessions to highlight new talent, this is one way that Ally uses to sustain her arts practice.
In conclusion, overall I enjoyed learning about Ally’s career path, the lessons she learned along the way. How she at first hated poetry because of the education system in the UK portrayed it badly. Then she made a self discovery that poetry and spoken word can be a lot more interesting than learning Shakespeare’s Rome and Juliet.
Ally’s spoken word is relatable and it really captures the struggles of young women and it’s so clear and passionate.
Zahra Haji Fath Ali Tehrani
zhfatehrani.com
Zahra is the director of the Young Women’s Music Project, an educational charity that offers free workshops for women aged 14-21, which provide an inclusive and supportive space for young women to make music together, learn new skills, express themselves, and grow in confidence.
Her relationship with the project has evolved over more than a decade; she entered as a participant first, before beginning training on the project at just 16 under the guidance of her mentor Kate Garett and, eventually, coming to run it herself.
Coming from a multicultural, working-class background in Cowley, Oxford, Zahra saw from an early age how inaccessible music was to many young and/or vulnerable people. Not only more formal kinds of music education but also spaces to experiment and play. She sees music as a potential access point, or a stepping stone into a place where young, marginalised or at risk people can express themselves, as part of a recovery process or a discovery process. Music is undeniably therapeutic, but it also helps to build confidence, trust and agency.
‘It is crucial for women in general to have a safe space to explore music and creative avenues. Oxford doesn't provide much of that and without a free and liberating project like YWMP I’m unsure there would be as many questions asked about the inequality in music in Oxford.’ Says Zahra
Through fundraising and local grants YWMP sustains their work, Zahra is the only member of stuff at the moment but once they are settled with a space and some money for salaries they will be able to take on new trainees to develop them through the project.
I have been attending this project for six years and it has helped me with confidence and learning to be more patient in relationships with people. It has helped me be more open minded to other peoples situations and lives. I have had the opportunity to make music with others, perform my poetry live, contribute to printed work and be paired with a mentor.
https://youtu.be/Pv7RCP5Zn4E
Reflecting back over the interviews that I held with Ally and Zahra I understand the music element and poetry element of performance, skill and practice. These artists have had a struggle at the start of their field and have come out the other side with good experience and knowledge about the industry. This has improved my view on how it will be like to kick starter my own career.
