Weekly Blog #1

It was interesting to observe the differences between elementary behavior and middle school behavior. Last quarter I was placed in an elementary classroom. In this earlier grades the boys and girls haven't begun to be self-conscious, and think nothing of sitting next to the opposite gender.

The first class that I observed in my middle school this quarter was a connections class. This group of students is a random one; there are music kids as will as non-music students. The first thing you notice as you walk into the room is that they have segregated themselves; all of the boys sit together in the back and the girls sit in the front. Keep in mind that there are no assigned seats in this class.

Another contrast is the self-management. During this first day of observation the students were playing a game and when they began to get too rowdy they would quiet their peers down. This might just be a rare class that is decent at managing themselves but, in an elementary classroom the students would have kept at the rowdy level unless there was teacher intervention.

I have observed many techniques from my cooperating teacher and received much inspiration for things to incorporate in my future classroom.  One thing that I really like about her teaching is how she uses creative ways to get an idea across. To relay just one example out of many, during Jazz band there have been some students not showing up. The teacher wanted to get across to them that coming to rehearsal is important, even if you, as an individual, have your part down and are good. After stating in plain terms this importance, she then used this analogy:

"I see Jazz band as a sport. You think you don't have to come to jazz band because you can already play well. Do you think that would be cool on a basketball team? If you didn't show up because you can make your own baskets."

After drawing this direct relationship between band and basketball, the kids seemed to have a deeper understanding of the importance of actually attending rehearsals.

As stated in a previous post, my cooperating teacher has what she calls a "word wall." When the students come across a word in their music that is unfamiliar to them it goes up on the wall. The teacher obviously tells them the meaning of the word. At the end of some classes the teacher will choose a word or two from the wall and ask the students what it's meaning is. This is a great idea for getting students to learn new terms.

The highlight of my week was at the end of the 7th grade band class One of the boys with special needs plays trombone. He did not know how to play an instrument before the year started. Just watching him from the front of the room, you can tell his technique could use some refining.

It was the band's third time reading "Smoke on the Water," a pretty famous rock tune. The beginning starts with solo bari sax and trombone. The young trombonist played very well and hit all of the right notes and rhythms.

At the end of class the struggling young man came up to the teacher and exclaimed, "I DID IT! *fist pump*" Just seeing his enthusiasm and how proud of he was of himself made me so happy for him.