SECO Survey Feedback Festival

Seco Survey Feedback Festival

A ripple becomes a wave…

In early January 2023, Michelle and I began discussing what a feedback festival might look like for The SpeakEasy Cooperative®. (You might have heard her hint about this during the State of the SECO Address). We knew a couple of things going into this discussion.  

  1. We aren’t interested in winners and losers
  2. We aren’t interested in how singers compared to each other
  3. We aren’t interested in making a large impact in the world of festivals and competitions
  4. We are interested in inspiring singers to continue in their love of singing.  
  5. We are interested in the pedagogy, science and craft of feedback/festivals/competitions.  

With these tenets in mind, we set out to reimagine the world of evaluation.

The SpeakEasy Cooperative would like to put on a “Feedback Inception” type festival for teachers to grow in their feedback and adjudication skills while giving singers and other performers the opportunity to get feedback from this incredibly skilled group of teachers. 

We want to hold an event of some sort where singers get feedback on their singing from folks who want to learn how to give even better feedback than they already do. The “judges” would then get feedback on their feedback. 

In other words:

  • Singers get feedback from those who desire to hone their feedback skills.
  • Those who desire to hone their feedback skills will get feedback on how they gave feedback from some of our most experienced-in-feedback-giving members. 
  • We all learn how to give more effective and empowering feedback without holding back important information that can allow for growth opportunities.

See why it’s called “Feedback Inception”?  

Over the past year, we have made some great progress on our journey.  

  1. We know that SECO is about teachers, primarily and to its core.  
  2. We know that the most impact we can have is through equipping and inspiring teachers to go out and be the change we want to see, across all forms of festivals.  
  3. We know that SECO is full of skillful and enthusiastic adjudicators who can share their know-how with all of us.  We believe all teachers have something to share.  
  4. While we learn how to expand our skill sets, singers will get to sing and receive feedback from some phenomenal teachers.  
  5. We know that SECO is a brave space, and turning in to look at ourselves is one of the most vulnerable and impactful acts we can do.   

Here is where you come in!

We need to move outside of our own filter bubble and hear from you. We want to know your thoughts, what modalities speak to you, and  We want to know your thoughts, we want to know what modalities speak to you, we want to know what worries you and your students about this proposition.

We have compiled a short survey (5-8 minutes) to help move us into the next phase of planning.  I am a thoughtful turtle when it comes to taking surveys, so I understand the desire to take your time and make it “right”. However, I encourage you to process externally and messyly, so that we hear from more than just the quick thinkers.  

Once we have a robust number of surveys submitted, we will make a decision on whether this is a good idea to begin with, and if so, where we can move to make it happen, and what it will take to make it happen. 

Michelle often talks about how our impact goes far beyond ourselves and our studios.  That we can see little ripples changing our field and ultimately our world.  Let’s make some ripples in the festival setting, and see where the waves take us.  

Leischen Moore and Michelle Markwart Deveaux

Seco Survey Feedback Festival 

At The SpeakEasy Cooperative®, we invest in growing each other. The purpose of a SECO-sponsored feedback festival would be for teachers to develop positive, effective, healing, and nurturing methods for giving feedback to singers. A happy byproduct of this event is that our singers can have positive, effective, and nurturing experiences in receiving feedback. We believe our furthest reach is by first growing our skills as clinicians.

Singers who sign up for these events will have a fluid experience with feedback from two different clinicians, as well as a supportive performance opportunity.

As you complete this survey, please give us your gut reaction: don’t overthink. This survey should take no more than 5-8 minutes to complete.