Will Hastreiter

Performance Teaching Practicum

Two Aspects focusing on how they’ve helped my grow as a teacher:

- Effectiveness – I feel that I have learned how to be more effective by observing my peers
and using similar tactics to them, both when teaching up front and in the trenches. I
have developed this into a strength as it goes hand in hand with spatial awareness. I can
see what works and what won’t work. I am able to move the kids and have them follow
my lead, although I want to make sure to always do this respectfully however. I have
learned a lot through watching David. He has a system that really works. The kids really
respect him and they will always listen to him. Some tactics I have applied from
watching him include telling the kids to move to the left (for example) and placing a
hand on their back and guiding them in the right direction. He is very good at making
eye contact and being straight forward about what needs to be done which is both
respectful and effective. I have been able to use this during workshop and last show I
was really able to make sure the kids were in places in which they could thrive and look
good in. I am really confident in this ability now.
- Communication – I feel that this is one of my strengths but at the same time can be a
weakness. I am able to get a lot of information to my students, but I usually go
overboard and sometimes overload them with information, an example being my Elvis
soloist. I am adopting the new tactic of teaching over lunch and then ironing out
everything during Jukebox teaching. I am really excited to see where that will take me. I
feel that since I over-communicate, the level of confusion is heightened. These kids are
already pretty confused about what they need to be doing so I have discovered that I
need to be crisp and clear through all of my actions and words. I think the less I have to
talk, will be the more that they will succeed… unless they need more explanation of
course.

Two Recent Teaching Adjustments:

- Elvis Solo - I had to adjust the way I taught Elvis because it wasn’t working well. There
was too much confusion, like previously stated and they weren’t performing it as
successfully as I knew they were capable of. Instead of overloading them with
information I tried to help them figure out how to improve it on their own, by teaching
it in a way that would make the soloist feel comfortable and at ease. This solo is all
about being suave and feeling the groove (so he can’t be hectic in the moment), and so I
decided to have us do some movements to loosen up the jam. By singing and just
moving about freely, he wasn’t too worried and what to do with his body, and a lot of
his movements came really naturally to him. He then wasn’t singing the melody that I
was teaching him, and he started singing his own melody. I started to guide him in the
direction that he wanted to go and found notes that would fit his range and the style he
was going for. Overall, he had his own flare and vibe to it, and he really did make the
solo his!
- Step in Time - I was given the opportunity to fill in for Austin when he was gone doing
‘Business Manager’ thing. I didn’t know until right before Disney review that I would be
 doing it and then I had to quickly find my soloist. I decided to be honest with him and
tell him that I don’t usually teach this solo, but that I teach the dance immediately after
it. It really wasn’t that big of a change but he was all for it! He thought that it was
exciting, as did I. I was a little confused on his entrance, so we tried one way, and then
that didn’t work, and then we tried a different way and that was the direction we
decided to go. I decided to teach him in a new way, and that was to lead with new
words. These words would go with the movements and then lead up to the next
movement. Things like “Deck the Halls…” for the first bit of the sticks and then into
“Row row row your boat” and that really helped him get the timing down of all the
movements that went with the dance. He ended up doing really well!

Summarize Your Teaching Philosophy:

Provide a fun and educational experience.
(I would make this a paragraph, you can borrow some stuff from your performance philosophy)

Three Reasons Music Education is Important:

- Creative Mindset – learning music at a young age can cause greater creativity in children
as they grow up. The creativity allows their minds to wander and go to different places,
like being able to see colors while they listen to it (synesthesia) or hearing the music and
finding a certain scene that will fit that music. (You could mention how creativity in
general helps with problem solving which is considered an important 21st century skill )
- Learning an Instrument – by learning an instrument at a young age, the mind will be
more likely to be able to handle harder tasks and more difficult work (such as homework
later on). It is shown that students who play a musical instrument have higher test
scores and grades than those of others than do not play any sort of instrument, largely
due to the discipline needed to master an instrument and the teamwork needed to play
in group settings. By learning the theory behind music, they can utilize what they know
and apply the concepts into real life.
- Self-Expression – Music is a perfect way to express how you feel. It is good to have
music because there is a song for any mood and emotion. Without musicians, how can
we tell a story? Yes, we can use poems and such, but the beauty of a song catches your
attention, draws you in, and hooks you. It is a perfect way to show emotion, and learn
how to be vulnerable. Many people have told me that the way they express how they
feel is through music, and I feel the exact same way.

Two ways I will use my teaching skills in the future:

- Being prepared for anything – I will always be ready at whatever occupation I have
because of what the Young Americans has taught me. I have learned that you must
always be ready for anything because the schedule can and will most likely always (yet
again!) change. That is what I live for, because thinking on your toes allows you to grow.
I will be able to work on the fly and have a solution for whatever my boss needs. I’ll be
good at finding that quick solution that will solve whatever needs to be done, quickly
and effectively. (you didn’t mention teaching specifically so maybe just tie it in with
‘teaching schedules change’ and ‘you have to be prepared to teach kids in different
 ways for however they best learn’ (the term for that is differentiation if you want to be
fancy) or ‘adapting for locations’)
- Acceptance – Due to the ‘yes and’ nature of YAs, I feel I will be able to accept anything
that a company will throw my way. I have had opportunities where people have been so
accepting of me which made me feel really great about myself. I want to make sure that
everyone has that opportunity at some point in their life. I want to show people that
their ideas matter and ensure that they feel validated. In the Young Americans, people
always have a way of making your idea seem like it was a good one and worth trying,
and I love optimism. That is something I will really try and encompass into my future
work.