Reflections 1/26 - 2/13

LMS Solo & Ensemble Festival 1/26

It was a very good experience learning about how these festivals are organized and done. Every student in band, grades 6-8 were required to participate (about 275 students), though many of them did not wish to and some did not show up. In general, I was impressed with how well it was organized and with the level of preparation that some students exhibited. There was an extremely high level of director control over the festival which caused a lot of stress on our part. It was decided that each student pay $7 to participate, that we know which solo each person is playing, if they have conflicts that day, that we provide their copies and accompaniment parts, as well as organize accompaniment rehearsals (for those who didn't play with a CD), and payment. We also catered in the food for the high school volunteers and judges and set everything up. This was no easy task and there was constant difficulty trying to get students to cooperate - especially the ones who didn't want to play in the first place. In general, I thought there was too much director responsibility and not enough student ownership.

LHS Symphonic Band

This class is going better. I gave them a scale test two weeks ago on a Wednesday and Friday. I did this because I wanted to hear them play individually, assign parts and chairs, and to know their scales because that is a normal part of our daily routine. They were to prepare six major scales (Bb Eb Ab F C G) in all-region audition format and I picked two for them to play individually in front of Mr. H, the head high school director, and I. They were to pick a comfortable tempo that promoted accuracy. It went badly. These were scales that they apparently should have known since 8th grade, but many of them didn't. A couple of students cried during their test and it made both of us feel uneasy. We didn't grade too low, and only a couple of students received Cs. The following Monday, I led a discussion about the importance of performing solo, learning how to deal with performance anxiety, practice techniques, and the importance of scales. This discussion lasted 25 minutes and I think it made a difference. Students argued that they should never have to perform alone and that is why they signed up for band. I did my best to give them real life examples of why they would need these skills but some weren't convinced.

I think the biggest thing that I am learning from this class is that students will always take the path of least resistance. My job as a teacher is to be the resistance. I'm finding that difficult when I am alone in a room full of people who don't believe as I do, and I realize that it takes a great deal of confidence in what I believe is right to convince them to see it my way. After all, they do not know what I know and have little ground on which to argue with me. It feels different and slightly uncomfortable to insist on what I think is right without anyone telling me to do it. I must grow up and consistently be the adult in the room.

Otherwise, I feel good about the daily routine that I have in place: Breathing (in 4 out 4, in 2 out 6, in 1 out 8); Foundations for Band (Williams & King), F long tone #1a & 1b, warm-up set 1 (options 3, 4, 5); Bb major chord articulation exercise (H); major scales (Bb Eb Ab F C G) with different rhythms; and tuning - concert A and Bb. We then have announcements in the middle of rehearsal so they are paying attention and ready to listen. There is usually 25 minutes left over for repertoire after the daily routine. I am working on getting them a march to play and will introduce two other pieces in the next couple of weeks for teaching purposes.

My rehearsal technique is generally going in the right direction. I am learning how to isolate textures and make changes, but I don't isolate things enough to understand exactly what is going wrong. Sometimes, I forget to put the isolated part back in the context of the music so that I can clearly hear the change or improvement made. I am reluctant to go back when the band does not play consistently because I do not enjoy going back for people who make mental errors because their focus is bad. This is something that I absolutely need to do, though, because otherwise I am communicating that it is ok to make mental errors and not pay attention. It is not ok. If I don't insist on this, no one will.

Lastly, I could improve the way I speak to the ensemble. I too often give directions in the form of a question: "Trumpets, could you start at 8?" instead of "Trumpets, start at 8" or "Are you playing F#?" instead of "You played F-natural. It should be F#." I also need to work on questioning them more instead of telling them. This will help them to think critically about their playing instead of relying on me to fix their errors.

Beginning Trumpet Class

This is my best-behaved, most focused class. I gave them their first test two Thursdays ago on their C and Bb scales from page 40 & 41 of Essential Elements. I am not confident that some of them understand how to practice these, though I went over it many times during class. We started pass-offs which involve each student playing through 20 different tunes from Essential Elements that they must play nearly perfectly to get credit. If they pass all 20 by the end of the semester, they get to go to Sandy Lake to perform and play in the park on May 6th. We will spend most Fridays taking time to do this, since F.M. is doing that with her beginning classes.

My issues here are three-fold: (1) I do not isolate groups or individuals enough to tell if they are understanding and playing correctly, (2) I struggle to insist that they both focus and do it right the first time, and (3) I am not patient enough to go at a slow enough tempo where everyone can play it without error.

Beginning Clarinet Class

I have the same issues teaching this class as with the trumpet class. There are a couple of special cases which I am not sure how to deal with. One student in the class has some kind of spur or wrist problem and can not hold the clarinet. Another person has no working reeds and insists that her mother does not have money to buy one. She has a major attitude problem and is probably failing many of her classes. The school has provided her with at least four reeds and she has not paid for them, but F.M. will not give her any more. These two students are friends and become very disruptive. I am struggling to give them enough to do and they often become bored and disruptive. It seems that the other teachers don't know what to do with them either. They have a deal with the directors that if they mind their own business and be quiet, they don't get in trouble. They will get by with Cs.

Anyway, I am never sure what to do with students who do not bring their instruments or books to class. I usually instruct them to follow along, fingering and singing, and let them know that their participation grade is lower as a result.

Miscellaneous

I am starting to get over the culture shock of being a teacher and being in this environment. It is tempting to get settled into a routine and stop striving to learn and try new things. I need to get more in the habit of asking for feedback from my cooperating teachers, because they almost never offer it. They tend to be very busy and overwhelmed with their jobs and I let that get in the way of getting feedback. Most of the time, I can not tell if I am doing well or badly. I tend to record the audio of many of my teaching sessions and that has been one of the only ways knowing how to improve. This is the most frustrating part about student teaching at the moment. Thanks for reading.