Week 11: Timing

This week brought another challenge as I taught the high concert B-flat to the students in class.  It was a bit of a challenge, not because the students couldn't understand the concept or complete it successfully, but because it can be difficult to teach instrumentally-specific things when there are six different kinds of instruments in the room.  I was pleased that the brass students were able to understand the differences in partials and knew that they would have to buzz even faster than they originally thought, and did so.  I just think I might not have had enough time to make sure that students were grasping the concept and then teach them two new songs.  However, that is the nature of things in middle school band.  I also know now that it won't do me any good to try and talk over students when they're "noodling" on their instruments.  I think I was just afraid of losing time by waiting for them to stop playing, but I think it'll be beneficial in the long run if I quiet down and let them know, even non-verbally, that it's time to work.

My case study is continuing to progress very well on her instrument.  She's still struggling with playing between the upper and lower registers on the flute, especially within a piece.  Also, she might need a little bit of work with counting rhythms, especially with clapping.  I did some of that with her this week, and emphasized the importance of knowing how a song goes rhythmically, and not just what pitches are being played.  Fortunately, I think that she had prepared herself very well for her playing quiz this week, and I can't wait to find out how she did the next time that I see her!

Week 10: Off to the Races

This week, I had my most jam-packed lesson ever!  I taught three book exercises in less than 20 minutes, which was a challenge in itself.  However, I also taught concert A-flat in both the lower and higher octaves, which was a serious challenge for all of the different instruments that I have in the class.  It involved changing embouchures, using register and octave keys, and listening very carefully to each other.  Not only did we have to get through the songs, but we also had to cover the new notes, accidentals, and repeat signs as concepts. It was a serious lesson in pacing!  However, I think it was a great experience and that, relatively, it went pretty well.  It did feel somewhat like a Blitzkrieg style lesson, but the students remained focused for just about all of it and were very receptive to what I had to teach.  I feel so lucky to have such talented and respectful musicians in my class, and I feel much better about my ability to pace a lesson after having success with a day like this past week!

Week 9: Classroom Management

This week, I decided to try something really different with my students, and it really payed off.  Some of my students were learning how to play their lower Concert F, and while others were not, they were very patient and allowed me to work with the woodwinds and brass players that were learning the new note.  First, I had them get the note in their ear, so we all sang it together, which worked really well.  Then, I had the brass players buzz the note into their mouthpieces before playing so that they could have an idea of how much speed of air and pressure they should use.  It really worked, and the students were able to grasp the new note and work through the piece in a constructive way. I hadn't really thought about it before, but what I actually did was a means of classroom management.  I tried a different approach and had the students do something other than the norm, and it caused them to pay more attention and focus in on the activity.  I've seen Mr. Knasas do the same kind of thing in having the students do breathing exercises instead of just playing the entire time.  I think that there's a lot of value in switching up the usual procedure, both for the students' benefit and for the teacher to find new methods of instruction. I'm definitely going to try and keep this creativity constant in the rest of my lessons. 

Week 8: New Ideas

Every week that I teach in front of the NSMS band teaches me something new about my own method. I learn about my strengths, weaknesses, and new concepts that I hadn't even considered. There are so many ways to fix a particular problem that I know I can't ever not solve one. It's just a matter of thinking about these solutions.  For instance, to help the students internalize their music, I would have them sing the starting note before playing. I thought this might help the brass players who are playing the wrong partial. However, afterwards, Mr. Knasas gave me an even better idea: buzzing the right note into the mouthpiece. This not only helps from a musical standpoint, but from a brass standpoint as well.
Something else that I feel that I need to grasp is my means of pacing.  There are obviously some issues that each section of the band has to deal with. However, I have ten, fifteen minutes at the most to work with them. As much as I would like, I can't solve everyone's problems in that amount of time, especially while trying to keep the attention of the other sections. The best that I can do at this point is articulate an idea to the section and give them an idea of how to practice it.  I can also work on having the whole band participate and comprehend that section's music by bringing it up on Smart Music.  I have been using the program more in my lessons, but I know that there is even more that I can do with it.  My main challenge at this point is accepting that I can't fix every problem in ten minutes, and I should work on improving the band's sound as a whole with small pockets of time devoted to individual sections. 

Week 7: Breaking Things Down

This week, I thought that my lesson was much more successful than they have been in the past weeks. However, once I adapt to pacing, I also need to adapt to thinking on my feet. I spent a lot of time in my lesson focusing just on what I had chosen to look at in my lesson plan (i.e. tempo) and didn't really pay attention to what the class needed. I think I need to pay more attention to issues as they come up, instead of constantly focusing on my procedure. My lesson would probably have been more successful if I had noticed how the class was struggling with certain parts of the music. I could have even maybe used Smart Music more and looped trouble spots at a slower tempo. I feel like I'm somewhat stuck between having a successful lesson and completing my procedure, and slowing things down to the point where I might not get everything done, but the class will be better for it. Obviously, I know which way is the more beneficial one. I need to be willing to step outside the box in the limited time that I have and really pay attention to what the students need.

This week, my case study was able to stop swinging her eighth notes, which shows that she's really been paying attention in class and is practicing at home!  Now, we're moving back to breath support and not clipping notes off at the end of phrases. The music in the book is getting faster and the phrases are getting longer, which means that Julie needs to be more aware of how she's breathing and how she's using her air. We focused on this a lot in her "William Tell" test piece in the book, which all of the students will have to play for Mr. Knasas eventually. I was very impressed that, after playing, she was able to analyze her own performance and knew what needed work. I think the combination of her work ethic and critical ear will be very useful to her in the coming weeks as the music gradually becomes more challenging.

Week 6: Working on Pacing

One of the most difficult things for young teachers to master is the ability to properly pace a lesson and to not talk too much during time designated for activity. I knew that I could not possibly be immune to this, and it was a serious challenge for me this week. It was a serious struggle to try and cover both of my pieces within the ten-minute time period as well as address and practice relevant concepts with the students. Even though I set out specific times in my lesson plan, one problem was running into unexpected problems and knowing how to address them. As a teacher, one has to be able to discern which problems are worth fixing, and which are so minor that they do not need to be picked over. This practice is definitely something that I want to work on.  I want to make sure that the students are comfortable with the music before we leave it behind, but I know that I can't spend 8 minutes on one piece and two on another.

The theme of the week was eighth note practice, and this was relevant in my ensemble lesson as well as in my case study. My student, for some reason or another, was swinging her eighth notes, and even playing some as sixteenths on repeated rhythms. We broke down the rhythms, I did some modeling and she repeated after me, and we looked for patterns in the music to help her remember how it should sound when she works on it at home. I also advised that she practice with a CD at home and focus on internalizing the quarter note beat. One thing that she's really improved upon is her tone production. Whereas she was having serious trouble before playing high E-flats, F's, and G's consistently, now it's almost second nature! I'm sure she'll continue to improve as we focus on more complex rhythms in the coming weeks.

Week 5: Reflections on the Month

I have really enjoyed my first month teaching beginning band at North Smithfield Middle School. I feel that the experience, so far, has alleviated a lot of my fears about teaching band, and I have even discovered some of my own strengths in the band classroom. However, there are still aspects that I need to work on.

I think a sense of comfort and readiness will come with time as I continue to teach lessons. I think right now, my classmates and I are so focused on having our lesson so absolutely perfect because we only have one ten-minute lesson a week to teach. I think if I go outside the lines and break a few of the rules of my lesson plan when necessary, it could go a long way.  I have to remember that the students' needs come first. Even if it means not meeting my final objective, if I can have a lesson where the students feel comfortable with a new concept and are confident in their own playing, then I will have succeeded. I think that, related to the previous statement, it wouldn't hurt for me to slow down in my procedure and take a look at the big picture.  I know that it's important to keep a fast pace, but if I'm so focused on my own planned steps that I'm missing issues in the ensemble, then I'm not doing my job. I definitely want to become more skilled with finding problems as they happen, as well as moving around the room more to keep the students engaged and focused.

Overall, I'm having a great time each week with the students!  I really hope that, by the end of the semester, I will have improved my presence in the classroom and will be more aware of the "ins and outs" of rehearsing a band.