Duration : 23/9/2023, Saturday

The Kalakriti is an Inter-School Art and Design competition. FS is a host to over 35 schools, with approximately 1000 students from across Surat, showcasing an astonishing display of creativity and talent in fields of singing, dance, rangoli design and many more. 

I was a volunteer for the segment of music vocals, my role was to assist the teacher incharge of the management of the venue, coordinating with the hosts, communicating with the judges in case of any changes, resolving queries of students at the venue and overall ensuring that the event runs smoothly. Based on the registrations a sheet was already prepared regarding which performance will fall after which however on the day of the event, some participants turned up late due to which we had to keep making changes in the performance sheet and update the judges and hosts about the same. I was also responsible for ensuring that all the participants are present and aware of when their performance is. We had to make a lot of on spot changes to the plan which did get me worried sometimes as we had to ensure that the event concluded on time. This event gave me an exposure in understanding how an art event is organized and what parameters are to be kept in mind. I had never realized that the fan could be a hindrance for the judges until I was told by the judges to turn off the fan as it causes disturbance when listening to a performance. I also got to witness how judgements are provided based creative expressions. During ongoing performances I observed the judges noting down the beats and could see a change in their facial expressions every time a participant missed a beat or performed excellently. 

LO1. Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.
I assisted the teacher in charge with managing the venue, which demonstrates my ability to stay organized and handle logistical tasks.I effectively dealt with last-minute changes to the performance schedule, showcasing my ability to adapt and find solutions under pressure.
LO 2 – Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.

Not having been a part of such art events before, this was a completely new experience for me. Volunteering at this event taught me how to deal with last minute changes and the pressure that is around me. It taught me that being calm is the key and trying my level best to get things done helps ensure that things run smoothly. I was able to witness many musical performances and coordinating with the judges helped me develop the skill of understanding how creative performances are evaluated and ranked, even though I haven’t aced this skill yet it is a stepping stone in the journey. 

LO 5 – Demonstrate that skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Working with others is generally a challenge for me however collaborating with the teacher incharge and support teachers was not difficult for me during this event. Coordination was extremely important in this event as individually we wouldn’t have been able to host the event, it was quite easy for me to coordinate with everyone during this event because I found the teachers very approachable and accepting of my suggestions. Music vocals teacher in-charge Palak Ma’am gave me the creative freedom to directly coordinate with the student hosts of the event and help them make developments in their scripts, because I was provided with this freedom it did not feel like a burden to me and I was able to get things done.