Alec Burke

Weekly Journal #13

November 22, 2015

On Tuesday I finished my last teaching for my video reflections with the 6th grade
strings. While I have improved my usage of multiple music mediums and strategies in the
classroom such as listening to recordings, modeling, discussing history, singing and
playing, etc. there are two areas that I still have much to improve upon. The first is
summarizing at the end of the rehearsal. A few weeks back, I made it a goal to summarize
the objectives for the lesson at the beginning of each class. This helps keep students on
task and focus on key information and buzz words throughout the lesson. While I
normally do a great job restating and demonstrating these concepts throughout a lesson, I
tend to forget to summarize at the end of my lessons. Summarizing helps students
understand the organizational structure of the lesson and helps reinforce the connections
made throughout the class period. While not detrimental, not summarizing at the end of a
lesson misses an opportunity for the teacher to help students retain, retrieve, and review
effectively. Summarizing doesnt necessarily have to be lecture or verbal questioning
though. In fact, Ive used exit slips at the end of my 7th and 8th grade band classes to help
students summarize and recall information, and it helps me assess what theyve learned
from the lesson.
The second area that I still need to improve upon is getting through my written
lesson plans. Although I can affectively deliver content and help students understand
material and promote intrinsic motivation for learning, I sometimes spend too much time
on one aspect of my lessons and miss out on an important activity. However, during the
6th grade strings class I had planned to discuss the history of Ode to Joy and
Beethovens Symphony no. 9, but I had spent so much time on the warm-up and rhythm
portion of the lesson that I didnt leave time for the history, despite having announced it

Alec Burke

Weekly Journal #13

November 22, 2015

in our objectives at the beginning of class. I also forgot to summarize the lesson as a
result, and tried to do so as the kids were packing up. This isnt the end of world, as I can
roll it over to my next lesson with them, but it was supposed to be one of the main
focuses of my lesson. I understand that I will not always be able to get through every
aspect of my lesson plans, and over planning can sometimes be helpful in the event that
students need more of a challenge, but it can be discouraging. I think with experience and
practice I can improve this aspect of my teaching, but I really need to devote my attention
to these two areas.
On Wednesday we brought in a spokesperson in for the annual fundraiser for the
music program. While I have not yet had the opportunity to organize a fundraiser, this
was a great learning opportunity for me to see how to get kids excited and invested in
raising money for the program. The spokesperson began his presentation with a magic
trick featuring one of the items in the catalogue, and then gave a short background about
himself and his family. He told the students what his expectations were for the
presentation, and that there would be sampling of items and prizes at the end. He also told
stories about other students, including a couple of his own children, and how much they
sold and how much fun they had doing it, as well as the prizes they won. The presenter
also had a great sense of humor, and tricked a couple of kids with gag items and food.
Something I appreciated was that he didnt just tell the kids to go out and sell as much as
they could, but instead he gave them specific benchmarks to try to meet. He also
explained that simply shoving the catalogue in a customers face wouldnt be effective,
and that the students need to ask politely and explain their cause in order to win over

Alec Burke

Weekly Journal #13

November 22, 2015

potential buyers. Not only does the fundraiser help the program, but it helps kids
understand how to interact with adults and gain skills for potential jobs in the future.
My C.T. and I have begun experimenting with different teaching strategies and
allowing students to take more responsibility over their learning. As we are approaching
our final concert for the semester, weve been recording run-throughs of the music for the
students to listen to, critique, and formulate strategies to improve. This not only helps
students reflect upon their own playing, but the performance of the ensemble and how
their part fits into the bigger picture. The orchestra hasnt had much improvement over
the past week or so, so we decided to have a pod rehearsal instead. We had each section
form a pod in different locations around the classroom. The students were given a list of
excerpts to work on as well as a goal for each excerpt. We gave the students five minutes
on each item, and while students were sort of unsure of how to begin there were several
leaders that took initiative. As students were working, my C.T. and I simply floated
around the classroom taking notes, answering questions, and guiding the students.
Ultimately, we wanted students to formulate their own strategies and come to their own
conclusions. I was proud to see how many of our rehearsal strategies were being used
(such as slowing things down, isolating pitches and rhythms, and singing or counting),
but I was even more impressed by the students who came up with their own ideas or
noticed something about the music that their peers hadnt noticed (such as a misprinted
articulation, practicing a doubled melody with another section, etc.). At the end of class
we asked the students about their thoughts on the pod rehearsal and decided that it was a
fun and effective change to the normal rehearsal routine. We had to cut rehearsal short
due to interim grades being handed out in students homeroom classes, but when we have

Alec Burke

Weekly Journal #13

November 22, 2015

these pod rehearsals on other pieces I think it would be beneficial to ask students what
some of their difficulties or discoveries were in this setting as opposed to the more
traditional setting.