Student Teaching
I spent my student teaching experience in Hollidaysburg Area School District.
Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School with Kris Laird
7th Grade Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Accelerated 8th Grade Music, Jazz Band, After-School Jazz Band, Flute Choir, Group Instrumental Lessons
Foot of Ten Elementary School with Martha Miller
K-4th General Music, Saxophone and Trombone Lessons, 4th-6th Grade Choir, 5th Grade Songfest
3rd Grade Unit Plan
Classroom Management Plan
Case Study
Junior High Band
I was involved with many unique elements during my student teaching. Since my major instrument is flute, I began an after-school flute choir for any interested junior high students in order to develop their skills as well as to teach some advanced concepts. We performed as the prelude for the Balmages concert on May 1, 2012. This concert was part of the second unique experience at Hollidaysburg. During my student teaching, we saw the commission of a work by Brian Balmages come to fruition. The Junior High Symphonic Band received the parts for Balmages' new piece, Hypnotic Fireflies, in February so I have seen the rehearsal and premiere of this work. Hollidaysburg also received a grant to bring Balmages to the district at the end of April to work with the students and also to conduct six of his works with each of the bands in the district (6th grade, 7th grade, Jr. High Concert, Jr. High Symphonic, Sr. High Concert, and Sr. High Wind Ensemble).
Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School with Kris Laird
7th Grade Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Accelerated 8th Grade Music, Jazz Band, After-School Jazz Band, Flute Choir, Group Instrumental Lessons
Foot of Ten Elementary School with Martha Miller
K-4th General Music, Saxophone and Trombone Lessons, 4th-6th Grade Choir, 5th Grade Songfest
3rd Grade Unit Plan
Classroom Management Plan
Case Study
Junior High Band
I was involved with many unique elements during my student teaching. Since my major instrument is flute, I began an after-school flute choir for any interested junior high students in order to develop their skills as well as to teach some advanced concepts. We performed as the prelude for the Balmages concert on May 1, 2012. This concert was part of the second unique experience at Hollidaysburg. During my student teaching, we saw the commission of a work by Brian Balmages come to fruition. The Junior High Symphonic Band received the parts for Balmages' new piece, Hypnotic Fireflies, in February so I have seen the rehearsal and premiere of this work. Hollidaysburg also received a grant to bring Balmages to the district at the end of April to work with the students and also to conduct six of his works with each of the bands in the district (6th grade, 7th grade, Jr. High Concert, Jr. High Symphonic, Sr. High Concert, and Sr. High Wind Ensemble).
My Junior High students selected to play at the County Band Festival in February 2012
_Thoughts on Student Teaching:
_ What I Learned From Teaching Junior High Band and
Elementary General Music
1) If you are the teacher, be the teacher.
You are their role model. They will see everything you do. Even if they say your lunch smells weird, they still think you are cool. There was no magic spell you had to say for this to happen; this happens the moment you step into the classroom. On the other side of things, you ARE the teacher. Sometimes you will have to remind them of this. Do not second-guess yourself or your decisions. Of course, you should admit when you made a true mistake but when you choose to start at measure 40, do not be pressured into starting at measure 48. Eventually you need to let your true colors shine and say, “No, this is not a democracy. We’re doing it my way.”
2) Warm-ups are the most important part of the rehearsal.
No matter what periods of the day students enter the band room, they are very rarely in a state of mind that is prepared to make music. Often they are thinking about a math test or who is dating whom in the eighth grade. This is why warm-ups are so crucial—they provide that time when students can refocus to produce good sounds. Warm-ups also provide an out-of-context opportunity to work on skills that students need to be able to do in their repertoire. This way, when that piece is rehearsed, the warm-up can be referred when that skill is put into context.
3) Predetermine when the students will get out of control before it happens.
This often means that every given direction may have some extra statements involved such as “When you get your recorder, do not play. Instead practice the fingerings, but I should not hear any sounds yet. Okay third row, please get your recorders.” It is important that chatter does not escalate. Students may need to be reminded that they may not talk while the teacher is talking. This needs to happen earlier rather than later.
4) Do not rely on the piano.
Always be willing to move away from the piano. First, it is so much harder to make good eye contact when there is an upright in between teacher and student. Secondly, students do not always need to be accompanied. If they are familiar with the song being taught, they most likely do not need harmonic structure under them. If they do, it is worthwhile to invest in recorded accompaniments. This helps with assessment because then the teacher can move around the room to hear students singing.
5) Find out what grabs the students’ attention, and do that.
In the elementary level, students really cannot sit for very long. It is important to incorporate movement often even if it just means moving the students from one side of the room to the other when transitioning songs. At the Junior High, students are energized by analogies and metaphors. Not only does it help them play music better, it allows them to relate an experience with the music they are playing.
6) Music assessment is very different from a spelling test.
Not all A's are the same. Grades on playing tests should really be based on improvement rather than how students compare to each other. This is especially true at the Junior High level when students are at so many different levels with their instruments. The most important thing that music teachers should reward is hard work resulting in improvement. This type of assessment may seem subjective but as long as scores are recorded for different categories on a rubric, students, parents, and administrators will not be able to argue.
7) When you start, you know nothing about classroom management.
Classroom management is nearly impossible to teach at any time prior to students teaching. There are so many nuances involved with teaching a music lesson/rehearsal that cannot be learned save for experience. Since I have a quieter personality, I needed to come up with a way to grab students’ attention and quiet them down without going out of character. I choose to hold up one hand and count down with my fingers. By the time I count down, students are expected to be silent. This way I preserve my voice for longer and when the time calls for me to raise my voice, it leaves more impact because it does not happen very often. It is also important to enforce students raising their hands. This means that as a teacher, I cannot acknowledge those who call out.
8) Don’t become burnt out.
When you are sick, do not try to pretend that you are not. It is not worth trying to brave your way through a school day; you will just end up missing more days later on because your body never had time to heal properly.
9) Students are people too.
It is so important to learn names quickly and take an immediate interest in students. When the students know that their teacher cares about them, they are much more willing to do whatever you ask during class. Allow them to find out a little bit about you (professionally of course). Telling students your favorite color or about your siblings goes a long way in forming a trusting and respectful relationship. I will never forget one of my last days of school when I walked through the Kindergarten hallway as they were lining up at the end of the day. Almost every single student stopped to tell me a story or show me his or her art project. It took me almost five minutes to travel ten feet and I loved every moment of it.
10) The learning never ends.
Read everything you can get your hands on. This includes any good books that your co-ops may have on teaching. Trust me, their will have great recommendations if you ask. Continue keeping up with magazine subscriptions such as Teaching Music or the Music Educators’ Journal. In addition, now might be the time to pull out any of those articles from 340 and 341. They apply so much better your life now that you are in the world of music education.
1) If you are the teacher, be the teacher.
You are their role model. They will see everything you do. Even if they say your lunch smells weird, they still think you are cool. There was no magic spell you had to say for this to happen; this happens the moment you step into the classroom. On the other side of things, you ARE the teacher. Sometimes you will have to remind them of this. Do not second-guess yourself or your decisions. Of course, you should admit when you made a true mistake but when you choose to start at measure 40, do not be pressured into starting at measure 48. Eventually you need to let your true colors shine and say, “No, this is not a democracy. We’re doing it my way.”
2) Warm-ups are the most important part of the rehearsal.
No matter what periods of the day students enter the band room, they are very rarely in a state of mind that is prepared to make music. Often they are thinking about a math test or who is dating whom in the eighth grade. This is why warm-ups are so crucial—they provide that time when students can refocus to produce good sounds. Warm-ups also provide an out-of-context opportunity to work on skills that students need to be able to do in their repertoire. This way, when that piece is rehearsed, the warm-up can be referred when that skill is put into context.
3) Predetermine when the students will get out of control before it happens.
This often means that every given direction may have some extra statements involved such as “When you get your recorder, do not play. Instead practice the fingerings, but I should not hear any sounds yet. Okay third row, please get your recorders.” It is important that chatter does not escalate. Students may need to be reminded that they may not talk while the teacher is talking. This needs to happen earlier rather than later.
4) Do not rely on the piano.
Always be willing to move away from the piano. First, it is so much harder to make good eye contact when there is an upright in between teacher and student. Secondly, students do not always need to be accompanied. If they are familiar with the song being taught, they most likely do not need harmonic structure under them. If they do, it is worthwhile to invest in recorded accompaniments. This helps with assessment because then the teacher can move around the room to hear students singing.
5) Find out what grabs the students’ attention, and do that.
In the elementary level, students really cannot sit for very long. It is important to incorporate movement often even if it just means moving the students from one side of the room to the other when transitioning songs. At the Junior High, students are energized by analogies and metaphors. Not only does it help them play music better, it allows them to relate an experience with the music they are playing.
6) Music assessment is very different from a spelling test.
Not all A's are the same. Grades on playing tests should really be based on improvement rather than how students compare to each other. This is especially true at the Junior High level when students are at so many different levels with their instruments. The most important thing that music teachers should reward is hard work resulting in improvement. This type of assessment may seem subjective but as long as scores are recorded for different categories on a rubric, students, parents, and administrators will not be able to argue.
7) When you start, you know nothing about classroom management.
Classroom management is nearly impossible to teach at any time prior to students teaching. There are so many nuances involved with teaching a music lesson/rehearsal that cannot be learned save for experience. Since I have a quieter personality, I needed to come up with a way to grab students’ attention and quiet them down without going out of character. I choose to hold up one hand and count down with my fingers. By the time I count down, students are expected to be silent. This way I preserve my voice for longer and when the time calls for me to raise my voice, it leaves more impact because it does not happen very often. It is also important to enforce students raising their hands. This means that as a teacher, I cannot acknowledge those who call out.
8) Don’t become burnt out.
When you are sick, do not try to pretend that you are not. It is not worth trying to brave your way through a school day; you will just end up missing more days later on because your body never had time to heal properly.
9) Students are people too.
It is so important to learn names quickly and take an immediate interest in students. When the students know that their teacher cares about them, they are much more willing to do whatever you ask during class. Allow them to find out a little bit about you (professionally of course). Telling students your favorite color or about your siblings goes a long way in forming a trusting and respectful relationship. I will never forget one of my last days of school when I walked through the Kindergarten hallway as they were lining up at the end of the day. Almost every single student stopped to tell me a story or show me his or her art project. It took me almost five minutes to travel ten feet and I loved every moment of it.
10) The learning never ends.
Read everything you can get your hands on. This includes any good books that your co-ops may have on teaching. Trust me, their will have great recommendations if you ask. Continue keeping up with magazine subscriptions such as Teaching Music or the Music Educators’ Journal. In addition, now might be the time to pull out any of those articles from 340 and 341. They apply so much better your life now that you are in the world of music education.