STUDENT TEACHING

OBSERVATION FORM
Music Education Department
Westminster Choir College of Rider University

SUBJECT AREA: Primary General
Student Teacher: Ashante Taylorcox
University Supervisor: Sharon Morrow
Cooperating Teacher: Laura Hall-Carney
School/Site: Parkway Elementary School
Classes Observed: General Music Grade 3

Summary and Recommendations:

This was my second observation of Ashante at her student teaching placement at
the elementary general music level. Today I observed a third grade general
music class. Again, Ashante was well prepared with a detailed lesson plan for
this class. This was the first time that Ashante had been working with this
particular group due to excessive disruption of the schedule by weather this
winter.

This particular lesson was designed to coincide with the Read Across America
activity that was happening across the school. Ashante had developed a lesson
plan that utilized the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad
Day. She had all the instruments nicely prepared before class. Whenever this is
possible, it is an outstanding way to begin the class!

Ashante conducted a Question & Answer game when the students first came into
the class, one at a time, after which the students were able to seat themselves at
the instruments. Again, this was an outstanding strategy to allow the students to
come in one at a time and find an instrument.

After all the students were seated, Ashante walked close to one student who was
playing with his mallets on the instruments (the instructions were to leave the
mallets on the carpet), and quietly said to him, Mallets should be on the floor. This
was a great way to remind the student gently (he was not being intentionally
bad, just found the mallets a bit irresistible) and also to remind those that were
seated close of the instructions. Nicely done. Proximity to students can be an
effective means of classroom management without needing to call attention to a
particular student.

Ashante also was able to reinforce good behavior by mentioning, Kyle is doing a
perfect job being quiet. He is (and then describing his behavior). This is also a
great way to prompt the other students for what you are looking for, and what
the expectation is that is being met. Again, nice job.

When first working with the students, they played some examples of using the
mallets together. My suggestion is to have your verbal instructions be really
clear. For example, instead of asking them to play with their mallets together,
specify how many times you want them to play. Then you can up the challenge
by saying, This time, can you play four times with your mallets together playing high?
Then you might try, Can you try it again playing your mallets together, but having
them close, then apart?

Ashante then asked, Who can demonstrate alternating hands? This was a nice way
to move to a different mallet technique. It is sometimes helpful to use words to
describe what the student just showed (e.g. Your hands walk back and forth). This
sometimes will give some of your students another handle upon which to hold in
translating what they have heard into what they can do with their own hands.

The next part of the lesson was dealing with crescendo and decrescendo (listed
on the lesson plan as one of the main musical objectives). Ashante did a great
example using mouths closed to open to closed. However, the students really
grasped this concept quickly. This is one of the real tricky things for new
teachersreading the room for how the students are doing. We sometimes work
out a section for a lesson plan, and find that it takes 1 minute rather than 5
minutes. This was one of those moments. They clearly had the concept of this
using their mouth like a crocodileat that point, move right on to having them
show you the crescendo and decrescendo on their instrument while you point to
the whiteboard with the cresc and decresc. This would have saved you about 5
minutes for the end of the lesson.

When asked for them to crescendo and decrescendo while going up and down
on their instruments, try having them start softer. Theyll get excited and will
start at a medium loudness, then they do not have much room to go. Great
technique to have them say Crescendo and Decrescendo as they played.
Good technique!

Ashante had students look at rhythms that she had on the board. She asked the
great questions, Look at these rhythms what do you see that is the same? Nice job.
Having students find patters is important for music, for literacy, for problem
solving. When you echo clap the rhythms for this part of the lesson, I suggest
that you point to the rhythm. This helps the students track from left to right, and
you can also help keep them all together a little better.

I loved that you mirrored the direction of the crescendo and decrescendo for the
students. Nice job. One little suggestion: lengthen the middle vowel of
Austraaaaalia as you say it. It will allow more time for students to do the
crescendo/decresc pattern.

The sequencing for the instrument parts needed a bit of work. My suggestion for
this might be:
Glocks alone on their part
Xylophones alone on their part
Glocks and Xylophones together doing their part as written (glocks
followed by Xylophones)
Metallophones alone on their part
Drums alone on their part
Then put all of those parts in order together as written
Then introduce the cresc/decresc for all parts
Review the order of the sequence of the parts and how that fits with the
text of the book

Working with instruments is a separate teaching skill, and adds a layer of
difficulty to the lesson. I am in full support of using instruments, and advocate
to use them often. Some of the challenges for this lesson were with how to work
with students using instruments, and not with Ashantes teaching in general.
Working with instruments just gets better with practice. My comments for this
observation are intended for suggestions and for support, not designed to be
critical. My hope is that she will do a lot more work with the Orff instruments.
These add a wonderful, musical element to lessons.

One final note, make sure that you are aware of your timing. This lesson got
down to the last two minutes and we still had not put anything together. This is
frustrating for the students because there is no closure on their musical activity.
When you see that you have 5 minutes left of class, figure out how you can
simplify the rest of the lesson to include some final musical product. Then you
can some back to it at a later date and make the more complete version.

Beginning/Ending time of visit: February 24, 2014 at 10:35-11:20 am.


___February 24, 2014 ____________ ____________________________________
Date Signature University Supervisor

I have read the summary statement above.

_______________________________
Signature Student