Doctor Z goes to school
It started as an interesting challenge - and turned into
an extended learning project over four weeks and more than 30 hours of airtime
Lyon FM places an emphasis on the local community - which is
where Marriotts came in.
Marriotts students spent their Easter break broadcasting to
the community, mixing music and chat with interviews. The students, principally
from the sixth form, relished the challenge of learning how to run a radio show,
giving up most of their mornings over the two-week Easter break to develop their
skills.
One of the returning shows was the cult hit "Doctor Z and
the Family Z". Much interest in appearing on the show was shown by members
of the A-level Drama group: Sam and Natalie were backed up by Kirsty and Michelle.
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Michelle and Natalie
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With so many female co-presenters, it was essential for
them to develop different radio characters, so as to allow the listener
to distinguish between the voices. Sam, for example, was the straightforward
no-nonsense practical voice, contrasting with Natalie's dizzier and more
scatty manner which gave her a song of her own, played as a signature
tune ("Cause I'm a blonde" - all meant very lovingly and without
any offence intended to any blondes, who are of course highly intelligent).
The show itself had the aim of sounding different, so
over the four weeks, listeners heard such items as archive recordings
of Lyon FM's first broadcasts (featuring announcer Boston Harptree visiting
his high-class friend Lady Anthea to join her on the hunt, and talking
over Duke Ellington and his orchestra in the Gordon Craig theatre).
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A strange voice described how an alien kidnapping had taken
place - or was it just the effect of staring into the photocopier? Satires on
the health service and the troubles surrounding the image change at the Post
Office were broadcast. And on the 1st April, Doctor Z apparently walked out
of the studio to go to lunch early, leaving a group of five- and six-year-olds
in charge - "the little family Z" - in reality the irrepressible sixth
form with their voices electronically raised. Those of you old enough to remember
David Seville and the Chipmunks will know the kind of sound - but it fooled
at least one listener.
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Tracy
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Marriotts was also well served
by two one-hour specials, "Doctor Z Goes To School". Interviews,
dedications and 'shoutouts' from students in different year groups were
pre-recorded and played in, as was a conversation among members of the year
11 Drama class. There was also a live "posse" for both shows,
including members of staff and representatives of years 7, 8, 11, 12 and
13. They discussed aspects of school life, in live chats led by Natalie
and also by Tracy, also of the A-level Drama group. Viewpoints ranged from
year 7's first impressions of their new school, to comparative veterans
from year 11 talking about how they had coped with various problems and
how the school had helped. |
The school specials were further augmented by interviews with
Ms S and Ms P of the Learning Support faculty, broadcast in a counselling special.
They talked about work done by staff and students to counter bullying and to
offer younger students in particular a chance to befriend sixth form 'buddies',
and explained the way that counselling sessions work and how students are encouraged
to look for answers, without being forced to accept advice from other people.
In another show, Mr F (head of PE) explained in some depth what the school's
new status as a sports college meant for the community; and made it clear that
this status benefits everyone at school, not just those who are naturally 'sporty'.
Several of these interviews were repeated over Easter, giving staff a chance
to hear themselves - as of course, they were busy working when the programmes
first went out.
| Leading from the front, the headteacher
Mr M took time out from his schedule to join in one of the shows over the
holiday, and showed himself to be a fine communicator (or "good talker"!)
whether the subject was Marriotts in particular, education in general, or
the world of music. It turns out that he has a wide-ranging taste in music,
from the popular to the decidedly obscure! He spoke eloquently about the
challenges and rewards of being a headteacher and was clearly pleased to
be at Marriotts at a time of change and opportunity. (Although he showed
a natural aptitude for the live microphone, the sixth form decided against
letting him learn how to run things; they thought he already had enough
to do.) |
Kirsty
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There simply was not enough time to cover every part of school
life, but both the recorded interviews and the live chat showed that staff are
dedicated, know their subject and are determined to give students every opportunity
to achieve, succeed and enjoy their time. The students showed themselves to
be articulate, confident and ready for anything.
'Get involved - make it happen' is a philosophy that underpinned
the whole running of Lyon FM. At Marriotts the team found they shared this viewpoint,
and so our morning show presenters went out and made things happen. One morning
the guest was local musician Margaux, discovered via her internet website (www.margaux2000.com)
- she joined the Family for nearly an hour or conversation and music. She talked
about how you have to be totally committed to something to make it happen, and
she had good advice for aspiring singers in the community. She also played selections
from her forthcoming album, including 'Spooky' ("the ultimate Halloween
song") and 'Love Deep Flows' (a much more relaxed and mellow song!).
And then over the Easter weekend the featured interview was
with musician Pete Atkin and his songwriting partner, Clive James - yes, that
one. In the middle of a nationwide tour of songs and anecdotes, the two took
time out to talk to Doctor Z, who had never met them before but sent an email
off in hope. The message here is - if you don't try, you can't win - so try!
The interview ran to well over an hour. You can hear it in the Features
section of this website, and a copy is available on Pete Atkin's website (www.peteatkin.com).
Not to be outdone, the sixth formers showed that they could
seize the moment and get involved too. On several days they helped to run the
show when it overran, regularly improvising an extra hour or more. On Easter
Monday they joined in a live discussion on the issue of drug use; and they were
also part of the group talking with Barbara Follett MP and the Mayor of Stevenage,
Coun Hugh Tessier, which was reported in the local press.
So what was the point of it all? The fun is self-evident. The
experience was hands-on and means that the students can walk into a studio with
confidence in future. Even more than both of these, what the students did in
this extended learning project was to show that if you are prepared to put in
time and energy, you can achieve great things. So either sit back and be negative
- and miss out - or get involved and get the benefits. Holiday? What holiday?
When Lyon FM finally went off the air there was only a day of the Easter break
left. But if a change is as good as a rest then Doctor Z and the Family Z have
had a good rest - and a posse of students have shown that Marriotts people are
ready to invest a lot of themselves into a community project, with the skill
of making it fun along the way.
Some of the items mentioned above are covered elsewhere on this
site:
Margaux
Pete Atkin
And here is a test to see what the s.e. makes of not
quite hidden tex
t: wombles