Jenny Jordan

MUS149

Observation Reflection #19

November 29, 2020

The students were set up in the typical band formation, with the teacher on a podium at

the front of the class. The walls had a whiteboard, trophies, a US flag, and a small number of

posters. The class felt very task-oriented. The teacher did a good job of keeping students on

track, even if there were few interruptions. Students would usually only talk during the brief

transitions. Even then, the teacher at one point says “without talking, let’s grab our instruments

and sit down,” and the students move efficiently and quietly.

The rehearsal started with announcements and then went right into stretches. After this,

the class did a series of breathing exercises before sitting down to do a couple of scale warmups.

The class then spent some time tuning to a B-flat. The teacher gave out a worksheet and then the

class sat down to rehearse two pieces. Overall, I liked the way the rehearsal was paced and how

structured and organized it was. It was apparent that the students were well warmed up by the

time they got to their scales. The tuning section felt a little long for me, but I can also understand

that the teacher emphasized intonation frequently throughout the lesson, so it may have been

necessary.

Throughout the entire lesson, the teacher constantly and gently reminded the students to

think about their posture and their breathing. Posture is an important part of playing an

instrument, so making sure students develop healthy habits is essential. During the breathing

exercises, the teacher made sure to tell the students to sit down and rest if they were feeling

lightheaded. It’s easy for students to push themselves too hard when it comes to music-- or
anything in general-- so I appreciated the teacher mentioning this. The teacher, at one point, gave

the students a suggestion for practicing and a goal to obtain when it comes to chromatic scales.

This gives students more of an incentive to practice on their own and clear instruction on what

exactly to practice. The teacher always made sure to let the students know when they were doing

well and improving, giving positive reinforcement to the students. The teacher would also admit

when she wasn’t being clear enough in her conducting, showing that she could make mistakes

too. The teacher asked students to self-reflect quite often. For example, after playing a passage

twice, the teacher asked the students which one they thought went better. The teacher would also

ask guiding questions when going through the worksheet to help students come to conclusions on

their own. Along with all of this, the teacher’s conducting was very clear and always matched the

expressional intent of the piece. The teacher was always great at communicating what she

wanted from the students.

I liked how well-organized this rehearsal was. Every part scaffolded to the next in a

satisfying and interesting way. The teacher’s concern for students’ health was also refreshing to

see, from the stretches at the start to allowing students to rest if their body needed it. The teacher

was always very clear with what she wanted from the class and gave clear goals to the students.

Link: https://youtu.be/M61vwgxPxEU

Honor Code:

I affirm that I will uphold the highest principles of honesty and integrity in all my endeavors at

Gettysburg College and foster an atmosphere of mutual respect within and beyond the classroom.

-Jenny Jordan