1. I observed one of Kelly Berhdal's concert bands in rehearsal during 1st period at BHS.
2. There were definitely some problems with students being unprepared and unfocused . Like Mr. Berhdal said, sometimes you just have a bad rehearsal day. I was so impressed at how quiet they got when he raised his voice. I'm sure that this style of management probably only works for some people and it probably also only works now that he knows the student body pretty well. I don't think it would be such a great option for me.
3. This ensemble was kind of in a middle stage of repertoire learning--there are definitely some notes that still need to be learned, but they were able to work on some issues of balance and blend.
4. The two main pieces that we heard them work on seemed to be on opposite ends of the spectrum. the In This Quiet Place seemed much too easy and they were definitely bored with it, however the Cowboy piece seemed to be really challenging them.
5. I think this observation definitely made me realize that kids are sometimes just difficult and things don't go very well and you just have to shrug it off and make your next rehearsal better.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
3-22-12 BHS Jazz band observation
1. I observed Kelly Berhdal's 7:30 jazz band in rehearsal at BHS.
2. It kind of bothered me that they didn't really start on time and it seemed to take a while to get everyone settled in and into work mode. Once they got there though I thought that they got a lot done in a small amount of time.
3. I thought that the warm-up they did was great! I was really impressed at how well all the kids did with their improvised solo and I thought it was great that they also did a call and response type of exercise to focus on ear training. The band was working on some charts for an upcoming show so they were into a polishing up stage at this point and really working on uniformity of sound, attacks, releases, and dynamics.
4. I'm not very well versed in jazz band literature. I thought they sounded good and it didn't seem too hard for them. There definitely were a few rhythmic things that had challenged them, but none of it seemed beyond them. Can we maybe discuss how to evaluate literature for a jazz band, or an ensemble that isn't our forte???
5. I thought that it really seemed like the kids were enjoying themselves and working hard at the same time. I think its really important to develop strong courses like this outside of your main concert group because it develops musical skills in a different way and also is an extra engagement for the students.
2. It kind of bothered me that they didn't really start on time and it seemed to take a while to get everyone settled in and into work mode. Once they got there though I thought that they got a lot done in a small amount of time.
3. I thought that the warm-up they did was great! I was really impressed at how well all the kids did with their improvised solo and I thought it was great that they also did a call and response type of exercise to focus on ear training. The band was working on some charts for an upcoming show so they were into a polishing up stage at this point and really working on uniformity of sound, attacks, releases, and dynamics.
4. I'm not very well versed in jazz band literature. I thought they sounded good and it didn't seem too hard for them. There definitely were a few rhythmic things that had challenged them, but none of it seemed beyond them. Can we maybe discuss how to evaluate literature for a jazz band, or an ensemble that isn't our forte???
5. I thought that it really seemed like the kids were enjoying themselves and working hard at the same time. I think its really important to develop strong courses like this outside of your main concert group because it develops musical skills in a different way and also is an extra engagement for the students.
3-20-12 BHS observation/practicum
1. I observed and lead a warm-up for Mr. Certalic's Camerata orchestra (a group of high schools, the majority of whom are juniors and seniors) at BHS during one of their rehearsals.
2. I think the biggest management issue I notices was when the students needed their etude and fiddle tune books and it probably took at least 5 to 7 minutes for everyone to get a book and get re-settled. This could probably be remedied by having more than one storage area for the books (for example keep violins, violas, and celli books in different areas so there is a little less of a stack-up.) Also, I will definitely want to plan ahead so they have those books at the beginning of class and avoid the disruption.
3. The learning goals of Mr. Certalic's warm-ups are the foundations of everything that he does in orchestra. They are all founded on improving the basic tenants of string playing (intonation, tone, and technique) The call and response exercise that I led was meant to work on ear training development.
4. The variety of warm-ups that Mr. Certalic has is incredible. The etude book is a collection of many of the best traditional etudes for different stringed instruments arranged for an orchestral group. The collection of fiddle tunes is a great way to bring in some American culture/a style outside of western art music and to also work on improvisation which is often a skill that is neglected in the education of orchestra students.
5. I think it is really wonderful that these students are learning the importance of different warm-ups to develop their technique. I think one of the main things that I would add is that time on scales needs to be divided between working very slowly and carefully for accurate intonation as well as developing speed and agility.
2. I think the biggest management issue I notices was when the students needed their etude and fiddle tune books and it probably took at least 5 to 7 minutes for everyone to get a book and get re-settled. This could probably be remedied by having more than one storage area for the books (for example keep violins, violas, and celli books in different areas so there is a little less of a stack-up.) Also, I will definitely want to plan ahead so they have those books at the beginning of class and avoid the disruption.
3. The learning goals of Mr. Certalic's warm-ups are the foundations of everything that he does in orchestra. They are all founded on improving the basic tenants of string playing (intonation, tone, and technique) The call and response exercise that I led was meant to work on ear training development.
4. The variety of warm-ups that Mr. Certalic has is incredible. The etude book is a collection of many of the best traditional etudes for different stringed instruments arranged for an orchestral group. The collection of fiddle tunes is a great way to bring in some American culture/a style outside of western art music and to also work on improvisation which is often a skill that is neglected in the education of orchestra students.
5. I think it is really wonderful that these students are learning the importance of different warm-ups to develop their technique. I think one of the main things that I would add is that time on scales needs to be divided between working very slowly and carefully for accurate intonation as well as developing speed and agility.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
3-6-12 BHS Observation
1. I observed Mr. Certalic's Camerata Orchestra at BHS at 7:30 AM
2. I thought that the students did a great job of following instructions quickly and accurately. Also, Mr. Certalic had a wide variety of activities and the students were constantly engaged.
3. The students did a wide variety of warm-ups as a demonstration for us. The four main categories were a call and response echo exercise, scales, etude work, and fiddle tunes
4. The learning objectives here a continued refining of the basic techniques that musicians work on their entire careers: tone, intonation, use of bow, articulation, dynamics, ect
5. Mr. Certalic's class seemed pretty focuses and well behaved. The few times that they did get a little chatty they were quick to quiet down when Mr. Certalic just said "quiet down" or "be quiet"
2. I thought that the students did a great job of following instructions quickly and accurately. Also, Mr. Certalic had a wide variety of activities and the students were constantly engaged.
3. The students did a wide variety of warm-ups as a demonstration for us. The four main categories were a call and response echo exercise, scales, etude work, and fiddle tunes
4. The learning objectives here a continued refining of the basic techniques that musicians work on their entire careers: tone, intonation, use of bow, articulation, dynamics, ect
5. Mr. Certalic's class seemed pretty focuses and well behaved. The few times that they did get a little chatty they were quick to quiet down when Mr. Certalic just said "quiet down" or "be quiet"
Saturday, February 25, 2012
2-23-12 CJMS observation
1. I observed Sallie Nelson's 8th Grade band at CJMS in a rehearsal at 8:15 am
2. I think the Mrs. Nelson is a really great balance of keeping things upbeat and fun, but constantly giving feedback and correcting small misbehaviors and never missed a beat.
3. The students were working on their music for the upcoming concert. They all know the notes and rhythms so they were really working on dynamics, articulations, and playing as an ensemble.
4. The most challenging piece for the band is Go West because of the key signatures. The group is playing a great variety of pieces that challenge them in different ways.
5. I really liked the way that Mrs. Nelson managed her class. She manages in a very straightforward way, but does it in such an upbeat way that it doesn't create any sort of dissension.
2. I think the Mrs. Nelson is a really great balance of keeping things upbeat and fun, but constantly giving feedback and correcting small misbehaviors and never missed a beat.
3. The students were working on their music for the upcoming concert. They all know the notes and rhythms so they were really working on dynamics, articulations, and playing as an ensemble.
4. The most challenging piece for the band is Go West because of the key signatures. The group is playing a great variety of pieces that challenge them in different ways.
5. I really liked the way that Mrs. Nelson managed her class. She manages in a very straightforward way, but does it in such an upbeat way that it doesn't create any sort of dissension.
2-11-12 Pep Band Observation
1. BHS, Saturday afternoon, Kelly Berhdahl, high school pep band performing at a game
2. I thought that the students were very well behaved. I think that this is because they all know the procedure and expectations. I think that its much easier to enforce es and regulations when they are clearly explained.
3. I think that the learning goals of pep band are basically similar to that of other ensembles, they might just be a little less obvious since they are playing mostly pop and rock pieces
4. The repertoire here is obviously significantly easier than in concert band, yet there are still lots of things for the students to work on.
5. This experience is obviously relevant to my future as a music educator because it is very likely that I will have a job at some point that will involve pep band.
2. I thought that the students were very well behaved. I think that this is because they all know the procedure and expectations. I think that its much easier to enforce es and regulations when they are clearly explained.
3. I think that the learning goals of pep band are basically similar to that of other ensembles, they might just be a little less obvious since they are playing mostly pop and rock pieces
4. The repertoire here is obviously significantly easier than in concert band, yet there are still lots of things for the students to work on.
5. This experience is obviously relevant to my future as a music educator because it is very likely that I will have a job at some point that will involve pep band.
Monday, February 20, 2012
2-16-2012 CJ TE Day 2 Blog
For this TE I was with the 8th grade orchestra (2nd violin section) at CJMS during their first period. We were working on fine tuning some of the details of their music for the upcoming concert.
I was hoping to get the students to blend more as a section and play a little more precisely in terms of rhythm, dynamics, and articulation. Also, especially since 2nd violins often have an inside voice or a countermelody, it was very helpful for them to work on their part apart from the whole group.
I didn't have a partner for this activity, so she didn't teach the rhythm assignment. I worked with the second violins in the hallway. I had them all introduce themselves and tell me their favorite color. We only worked on one piece, but it had lots of complicated issues and I was pretty nit-picky. A lot of the problems that the students were having were rhythmic accuracy problems, so I had them clap and count several passages. Besides some rhythmic problems, I spent a lot of time working on dynamic contrast, and having matching articulations. One technical issue that I did address was having them anchor their thumbs while pizzicato-ing.
I was not assessing the rhythm using the created this TE, since that is what I did last time. I felt in general that the objectives for the sectional were met. I think that the most effective thing I did was to try to mix it up a lot, and not just continuously dwell on one thing, but by changing what we were working on I think I was more effective at getting them to think about blend, rhythm, articulation, and dynamics all at the same time.
I felt quite good about the lesson overall. I wasn't nervous, and just had a good time working with the students. I think that I had lots of good ideas for them, but I'm not sure if they all applied them... I think this experience relates to the future challenge as a music educator to combine musicality, technique, and motivating the students all into one small session.
I was hoping to get the students to blend more as a section and play a little more precisely in terms of rhythm, dynamics, and articulation. Also, especially since 2nd violins often have an inside voice or a countermelody, it was very helpful for them to work on their part apart from the whole group.
I didn't have a partner for this activity, so she didn't teach the rhythm assignment. I worked with the second violins in the hallway. I had them all introduce themselves and tell me their favorite color. We only worked on one piece, but it had lots of complicated issues and I was pretty nit-picky. A lot of the problems that the students were having were rhythmic accuracy problems, so I had them clap and count several passages. Besides some rhythmic problems, I spent a lot of time working on dynamic contrast, and having matching articulations. One technical issue that I did address was having them anchor their thumbs while pizzicato-ing.
I was not assessing the rhythm using the created this TE, since that is what I did last time. I felt in general that the objectives for the sectional were met. I think that the most effective thing I did was to try to mix it up a lot, and not just continuously dwell on one thing, but by changing what we were working on I think I was more effective at getting them to think about blend, rhythm, articulation, and dynamics all at the same time.
I felt quite good about the lesson overall. I wasn't nervous, and just had a good time working with the students. I think that I had lots of good ideas for them, but I'm not sure if they all applied them... I think this experience relates to the future challenge as a music educator to combine musicality, technique, and motivating the students all into one small session.
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