Joe here! A.K.A average Joe or sometimes even referred to as “down in front.” I’ve just experienced my 1st week of practicum and I’d like to share how it all went down!

Naturally I should give some context on how it is I got the practicum in the first place and you can’t spell nature without Joe! Actually, you kind of can but then it would just be “natur” which sounds more European! ANYWAY, as a radio student I found my strong suit in production and writing so I decided to head on towards that route. After telling one of my instructors this, I was paired with this great guy that could show me all the production ropes! Now that we have some backstory, here are 2 things that I learned on my 1st week of practicum!

1. Don’t put yourself in a box

Personally, I’d consider myself a sort of shy character which is why I think I chose to go the direction of writing and producing! Since my practicum was in that field I naively thought that was all I would be doing! To my surprise on my second day I was asked to voice for a commercial which doesn’t seem that bad but I have this lisp that got me teetering on the edge of what is known as “insecurity.” Understanding how I sound like, I was already prepared for the impending criticism or as I would say “critississm.” What happened next, I did not expect (solid rhyme) after I sent my practicum instructor the voicing, I got an email back saying he liked my read! He actually liked it so much that he wanted to play it ON AIR at an actual radio station in B.C. Where I thought I lacked skill turned out to be what led to a radio related victory. So, don’t shy away from what you’re not the best at or you’ll end up missing on something great or in my case a farmer’s market commercial playing in a town of 5,000 people (score).

2. Adapt, Adapt, Adapt

Let’s face it the world is always changing! Right when you think you got the hang of something SIKE a worldwide pandemic hits and similar to going to the mall as a child you got to keep up or you get left behind! Exact same goes into radio and on my first day I found out quick! There were production tools I’ve never heard of with newer and faster methods of using them! At first it can seem overwhelming but if you take time to understand, open up to new methods and trust in your abilities, you’ll adapt in no time!

Thanks for taking part on this journey with me! One week down, Life to go.