Week 3: Big Improvements

I was really happy with my lesson this week! What I've found is that the important thing with these students is to keep up one's energy, and to not talk too much. The students are so eager to play that they will quickly lose attention if a teacher talks for too long. That is why I did my best, despite being tired, to stay peppy and informative without going off on any tangents.

The students did fairy well with the idea of phrasing. Every now and then students would play when they were supposed to be "fingering and sizzling", but that's bound to happen with sixth graders. One can't expect absolute perfection when teaching beginner instrumentalists. I also found that it's important to ask the students questions often enough throughout the lesson so that they remain engaged. I want to work on moving around the room more, as well as observing the classroom as a whole to find problems as soon as possible. Right now, the key things for me are to keep up energy and a positive attitude, while allowing the students a little bit more independence in their practice.  I know that I can't control every aspect of the lesson all of the time, and I have to learn to embrace that. Improvisation is always an important teaching skill.

As for my case study, she has made huge improvements in the last week, now that she's gotten a new flute that isn't ancient! Her tone production is 100% better, and she looks (and I think feels) more confident holding the instrument.  Some things that we still need to work on are her breath support (she's cutting half notes a little bit short) and dexterity in fingering. However, her improvement in the past week has been monumental, and I can't wait to see how she's doing next Wednesday!

Week 2: First Lesson!

I was very happy with how things went with practicum this week. I was able to teach my first lesson to the Period 2 class, which is mostly brass and percussion, with a few woodwinds. I taught exercises 15 and 16 in the Essential Elements Book, both of which focused on the introduction of half notes and half rests.  Exercise 15 was a clapping exercise, and I asked the students questions about their general knowledge of half notes, before having them repeat after me in the clapping. Exercise 16 had the same exact rhythm, but included the first five notes that the students had learned. They all caught on very quickly to the similarity and were eager to play, volunteer, and "finger and sizzle" when one section played alone.

I was nervous that my lesson did not go very well, and I was surprised to find out that it went better than expected. Although I did have a set lesson plan and a basic outline, a lot of what I did in front of the class kind of felt like improvisation.  I would play my flute with/for the students, not play, ask for individual and sectional volunteers, and then sometimes just have everyone play together. I basically just wanted to reinforce the exercise and make sure the students were sure of notes and rhythms.

For next week, I want to work on observing the whole group at once while conducting, and not playing my flute as much with the students. I also want to see if I can move around the room more, just to survey everything and to see the students as individuals and not just instrument sections. Something else to go along with this: I have to study my seating chart and start learning names!

Week One

This Wednesday, I and three of my classmates went to North Smithfield Middle School for our first observation of Mr. John Knasas' band classes.  We observed two sixth grade beginning band classes; the first was flutes and clarinets, and the second was brass, percussion, two more clarinets, and a saxophone.  All of these students are sixth graders who are beginners. I think all of them received their instruments last week, and some students who decided late are still waiting for theirs!

The exercises come from the Essential Elements 2000 band book, and the backing tracks for each assignment are played in class along with the Smart Music program, which Mr. Knasas uses on a large smart board at the front of the room.  Right now, the students have only gone through ten of the exercises, but in a week, they have already learned the first five notes!

Some classroom techniques that I observed and that I really thought were admirable were, for instance, Mr. Knasas' sense of humor with the students, and the way that he kept the pace moving throughout the lesson. He made sure that everybody in the room got some kind of individual attention at some point, and was always willing to offer advice. With this age group, especially when they have just gotten their instruments, it's important to keep them occupied the entire time. Another great technique was, when Mr. Knasas would work with one instrument group on an exercise, he would have the students that weren't playing, "finger and sizzle" (they would play the fingerings and hiss the rhythms).

Overall, I am very excited to start teaching and work my way into the classroom routine. One aspect about which I am a little nervous is to be teaching the second period, which is mostly brass and percussion.  I really enjoyed playing brass last year in my methods class, but it's been a while since I have had experience with either type of instrument. I'm hoping to be able to help the students adequately on an instrument with which I am not as familiar, and refresh my own knowledge of brass and percussion technique.   

Brand New Year!

I've officially made it through the first week of my senior year at Providence College, and it's finally starting to set in that I'm kind of on the home stretch. I always remember hearing about the senior music education majors, many of them my friends, heading out to their middle school band practicum each week. I never thought that it would ever really be my turn, but here I am!

This year, I hope to really figure out how an entire band works as a unit and how I, as a director, can observe that. I've played in band through elementary school, middle school, high school, and some of college, but I've always been very focused on my own music (in the flute section). Now, I'm a little nervous about being able to stand in front of the band and listen to every individual part while surveying the group as a whole. It seems a little daunting!

Also, one potential concern I have is working with instruments with which I am not as familiar. I am a flute player, but there is no other instrument in the band that is quite like the flute. I'll really have to draw upon my studies in my methods classes to be able to help the other woodwind players, brass players, and percussionists. I hope that I can still help a student with a problem, even if I'm not an expert in their instrument.

One aspect about which I am very excited is seeing how I teach in a middle school setting. As of right now, I am seriously considering teaching middle school as a career option, and I'm hoping that this experience will give me a clear answer about what I want to do. I'm eagerly anticipating either outcome, be it negative or positive.

Lastly, I am very excited to be back in a band room again! My college musical experience has really steered me along the choral route, and I miss participating in band. I'm really looking forward to teaching new students and falling in love with band music all over again.