Lesson Plans and Teaching Videos

Selected Teaching Video – Lesson Plan

Bill Reed Middle School, 7th Grade Band | 16:50 – 20:40

Strengths in this teaching episode:

I used a transposed melody sheet like a mini-lead sheet so all the students could learn the melody, before asking students to identify this in the music.
Students identified if they have the melody or not, and played the melody where they had it.
I taught from different parts of the room and used proximity to fix a behavior issue in the trumpets (out of frame)
I didn’t accept the first try of playing; not all the students were ready.
The students had to identify the musical difference between the part and the lead sheet, and students who weren’t playing judged the execution of the slurs.
I regularly had my eyes out of the score.
The concept I prepped earlier in the lesson (the dotted quarter note) was strongly demonstrated in practice.

Areas for improvement from this teaching episode:

Students who weren’t playing the melody were either disengaged or confused; the trombones are a great example. I could have found better ways to involve everyone in every part of rehearsal, and communicate more clearly about each student’s role.
I didn’t teach the expectation of readiness when the conductor’s hands are up – I should have had the students practice instruments up and down with the hands, and could have done it with a student conducting too!
I need to do better about finishing concepts. A good example is having the students play the melody anywhere they had it which was great, but this was also an opportunity to introduce the strophic form of the movement where the same melody happens twice, in different instruments.
When students were raising their hands, I tended to call on the first one with their hand up; I should wait longer, but I feel this wastes time so I need to perhaps find a better way for students to share their ideas. A think-pair-share could work really well in those situations.
The lesson in general was largely technical and not very musical; I wonder how I can find a balance between both, perhaps through centering my lessons around a balance of musical and technical concepts.
I need to minimize talking in between playing and make all teacher talk focused on preparing the next student activity, whether playing, think-pair-share, etc.
Giving feedback during reps is very important and beneficial, and I gave none, which was especially problematic because I failed to notice several wrong notes and students who were struggling.

Practicum Lesson Plan and Teaching Video

MU 286 Practicum Lesson Plan

Evaluation of this Lesson Plan:

Setting: Distinguished. 4 aspects of setting accurately described.

Rationale: Minimal. Describes the rationale for me being there, rather than the rationale for lesson concepts.

Standards: Adequate. Some CO and NAfME standards are provided, but the NAfME standard does not apply since students were not actively developing rehearsal strategies, and it was only one piece of music.

Objectives: Proficient. Objectives are described and at times are specific, but at other times address more than one underlying objective, meaning they could be more targeted.

Materials: Distinguished. Materials are accurately described.

Anticipatory Set: Distinguished. Students engaged with an applicable activity, objectives are framed, and students say the objectives back.

Activities and Procedures: Proficient. Focused on student actions, clear what both students and teachers are doing. At times lacks specificity (especially with the warm-up), and is not always explicitly tied to conceptual objectives.

Assessment: Proficient. Assessment types are linked to objectives, but not always under the correct category (i.e. the summative assessment is really just self assessment). They also lack some clarity about what is specifically observable in how students meet objectives.

MU 286 Practicum Teaching Video | 0:20 – 3:20

First MU 286 practicum lesson at Thompson Valley HS