Derek Valenciano

Professional Growth Reflection Paper 2

            In this paper, I am going to focus on student centered learning and why I believe it is an important teaching style to adopt. Student-centered learning contrasts the more traditional teacher centered learning teaching style which lacks important aspects of teaching. These important aspects are developing relationships, consideration of the students interests and decision making (Jacobs & Renandya, 2019).

Developing relationships is a key component to student-centered learning. This contrasts teacher centered learning in where the teacher teaches in front of the class while students follow the instructions of the teacher. There is minimal interaction between students, instead, the primary interactions are between teacher and student. In a music setting, this can be seen in a traditional concert band class where the teacher directs and conducts the students. Usually in concert band, students do not have opportunities to talk to each other because it will disturb the teacher. In contrast, student-centered learning often incorporates a cooperative learning style in where students work in groups and discuss (Jacobs & Renandya, 2019). Students will share ideas, learn from and with each other. In a music setting, this can effectively be done in a rock band class by structuring the class similarly to a garage band setting.

Another important aspect of student-centered learning is considering the unique needs of a student (Jacobs & Renandya, 2019). I find this is a big problem in music education and is the reason why school music classes often struggle to get participants enrolled. Music classes are typically classical based. This turns students away from enrolling into the program because students often listen to genres other then classical. By incorporating a student-centered teaching approach, a teacher would have to get to know the interests of students and base the class around those interests. This would probably involve learning music other than classical.

Decision making is another component of student-centered learning (Jacobs & Renandya, 2019). Students are faced with a lot more decision making in comparison to teacher centered learning. Students have a greater say in what they want to learn and often discover their own process of achieving their goals. The teacher is more of a guide to the student, while the student makes big decisions. In a music teaching example would be having students choose what musical style they would want to play and make decisions on how they would want to manipulate the music, while the teacher guides them on side. This contrasts a traditional concert band setting where the director usually makes all of the decisions.

In conclusion, the traditional teacher entered approach should be compared with the students centered approach. By emphasizing relationships, the interests of students, and decision making, the student-centered learning approach proves to be a teaching style worth considering.

Bibliography

Jacobs, G. M., & Renandya, W. A. (2019). Student centered cooperative learning: Linking

concepts in education to promote student learning. Springer.

Reflection #6

• Today I lead the warm-up again. I felt confident going in, but I did not perform any better than I did last week. As mentioned before, I realized that conducting is similar to playing an instrument. The gestures I make, impact the sound that comes out of the ensemble. Practice is another component that is similar with conducting and playing an instrument. I did not conduct well because I did not practice my conducting. I also did not plan what I was going to do. I simply went with the flow. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side.

Reflection #7

• Today, the band teacher allowed me to work with the guitar player. She was playing the tuba part. The tuba part is written in bass clef which was problematic because guitar players read with treble clef. I looked through her folder and all her concert band music were in bass clef. She also had other music from outside of class which was in treble clef. I observed her play the tuba part, and she was not able to play a couple notes. She spent trying to decipher bass clef instead of actually playing. I gave her a treble the sheet, but I completely forgot it was in a transposed key. I felt really bad about that, then I looked at the flute part but it was played too high that it would be too confusing for her to play. I then had her go back to the tuba part. At the end of this class, I felt like I had failed miserably. This was a huge learning experience for me.

Reflection #8

Today there is not observations because it is Remembrance Day. In a couple weeks I will be presenting my free inquiry project for my field experience course. I have decided that I will do it on student centered learning in music education. The reason why I am doing this is because I realize that the majority music classes are centered around creating an end product. I believe music classes should tailor around students more which will allow students to be more motivated and it is better for the learning experience of the students.

Reflection #9

• In preparation for my showcase next week, I had conversations with students regarding’s their view and experience with music classes.

Questions:

• What music do you enjoy?
• Are you in a music class? If so, are you motivated to work on music class work outside of school?
• How does the ideal music class look like for you?
• Would you then be motivated to engaged in music class work outside of class-time?

Female grade 10 student

• Most genres
• Yes she is (plays baritone). Not motivated to play because doesn’t like instrument
• More focus to her in the class
• Yes motivated

Male grade 10 student

• Enjoys no particular genre
• Not in a music class
• Small Orchestra
• Yes motivated

Male Grade 11 student

• Likes a broad array of music mainly experimental hip-hop and metal and rock
• In music class (concert band and pit band) plays the electric bass
• Not motivated to play music class material but motivated to play instrument outside of class
• Rock Band > yes motivated

Reflection #10

• Today I presented my free inquiry project to the band teacher. I did my project on student centered learning in music education. I showed him my pop unit plan which incorporates a lot of student-centered learning elements. I was happy to hear that he believes this unit plan is overall a really good thing. His biggest critiques are, how will I deal with spacing issues. Also, when will I give instruction to students especially when they do not know anything about music.

Professional Growth Plan Paper

       This is a summary paper of the information I have gathered through observations of instrumental music classes in high school, experience leading a high school concert band, speaking with professionals in the field, and from reading chapters 9 and 10 of “Teachings Instrumental Music in Canadian Schools” (Wasiak, 2013). My intent for gathering this information was to build a stronger foundation in the field of teaching high school concert bands. 

       Observing a school instrumental ensemble proved to be one of the most insightful experiences for me. The most important strategy I observed was the way information was delivered to students. The band teacher didn’t spend a lot of time talking, instead, he prioritized students’ time with playing their instrument. As a result, he would give verbalized tips as he conducted. For example, for the warm up, he would instruct the students to play an ascending Bb flat scale mf and strong. While conducting, he would tell students to keep their feet firm on the ground and have their lips firm. Another way he delivered information was through instruction in rhythm. Doing this creates fluidity in instruction and reinforces rhythmic thinking to students. An example of this is when you are counting a group of students into a piece of music of 4/4 and with verbalizing ‘one-two abs-engaged’.

       I was given opportunities to lead the school concert band warm-up. During these opportunities I attempted to deliver information to students the way their band teacher did. I’ve come to realize that it is not intuitive. Being able to meaningfully conduct while assessing the students then vocalizing information to students while conducting takes practice and experience. 

       My biggest take away from talking to the professionals in the field is that everyone has their own strategies for teaching music ensembles. Strategies are developed over time. Strategies that work for some music teachers may not work for others. It is a matter of finding out what works best for you and your students. Also, the same strategies that worked for some students may not work for all students.

       The most significant concept in chapters 9 and 10 of “Teaching Instrumental Music in Canadian Schools” (Wasiak, 2013), was the music teacher as a teacher, not only a conductor. This involves an emphasis on teaching musical concepts to students. This means “instead of making a statement, as a question” (Wasiak, 2013). By consistently giving students statements in a music class instead of questions, causes them to not think about musical concepts and not gain an understanding for music. Students need to be engaged in problem solving and need to develop their musical understanding.

       In conclusion, seeking knowledge in school instrumental ensemble strategies has highlighted the importance of delivery of information to students and the emphasis for teaching students musical concepts. These aspects of teaching music are important for the success of both the teacher and student. Techniques to develop these aspects will progress through time alongside various strategies adopted into the classroom.

References

Wasiak, E. B. (2013). Teaching instrumental music in Canadian schools. Oxford University Press.

Reflection #1

Chat with the choir teacher

• Use of sectionals are very beneficial in a choir setting. When students are in a sectional, they are to place themselves in a circle facing each other. This allows them to hear each other better. Assign a student to be the leader of each sectional. Assigning someone who can pluck out the notes on a piano is ideal. Sectionals place responsibilities on the students which leads to students taking the material more seriously which lead to a better result. After sectionals practice, all students meet together and sing.

Chat with Band Teacher

• Students have 15 minutes to set up and prepare themselves to play. Once the 15 minutes are up, the band teacher conducts everyone to start. A strategy used is having the students listen to the piece of work they are going to perform through a sound system so that they know what they are striving for. This is the concept of having the ‘end goal in mind’. A strategy used for having students sight read is giving them tips before the sight reading process (ei. What took look for – tricky passages with a lot of notes, time signature etc).
• The Concert Band is during lunch time which is only 45 minutes long. If the concert band wasn’t during lunch, then there would be no concert band at all until November 16th which is when the timetable switches. The band teacher’s goal is simply to ‘capture’ the students or else they may consider other electives and concert band would not exist

Afternoon 780 Seminar

• Project Based Learning

• • • Teacher rubric
    • Teacher creates a number of choices and the student chooses one option

• Inquiry

• • Students choice
  • Varied product
  • Student accountability
  • Teacher + student rubric

Reflection #2

• As I observed the band teacher for a second time, I noted a few strategic moves when teaching. 
• As soon as he gets up to the podium, he gets the students to play a concert Bb note. If students are busy setting themselves up, they miss out on playing. This forces the students to set up quickly and go according to his pace. 
• Throughout the rehearsal the band teacher will frequently ask questions relating to musical literacy ex. “Does lengthening or shortening your instrument create a higher pitch?”. Opening up the question to the entire class and receiving called out answers is effective and saves time.
• Another things to note is how long he spends with each activity
  • Warm up (10 mins)
  • Chorale piece of music (5 mins)
  • Larger piece of music while incorporating sight reading and listening to a recording. (24 minutes)
• Some common teaching cues are
  • “1, 2, breathe together” said when conducting the intro of the piece
  • “Keep your feet flat on the floor”
  • “Don’t breathe” said while conducting rests
  • “Measure _____” checking in with measure numbers as ensemble sight reads a large piece of music
  • “Bb, best sounds, hold it!”
  • “What did you hear?”
• Having student listening to a piece of music through and audio device (ei:speakers) allows them to follow along in the score while practicing fingerings
• Tuning: “wa, wa, wa, wa” means we are out of tune
• Chat with Band teacher
  • If you were to describe how your teaching style has changed or morphed over the duration of your career, what are three things that have contributed or have been the driving force behind these changes?
    • Answer key Points: 
      • Flexibility. Plan to fail and have a toolbox of strategies
      • Had to teach a variety of different subjects
      • Gained experience reading students and understanding that some students need to be pushed while others don’t
  • Have the pedagogies you prescribed to be important in your early career stayed important? If so, which ones are front and centre?
    • Answer key points:
      • Teaching for 30 years
      • More of a holistic approach
      • More about the process than the product

Reflection #3

On October 14th, the band teacher allowed me to lead the instrumental ensemble warm up. Reflecting on my experience, there were a lot of negative things that happened. 

Negatives:

• I felt sluggish conducted
  • While conducted, the ensemble felt very slow and didn’t feel comfortable speeding up my conducting pattern
• Unsure of what to do
  • This is because I didn’t prepare enough. I mentally went over what I was going to do with the students in my head but, creating a visual lesson plan and rehearsing the warm up would have helped a lot
• My conducting ‘cutoffs’ were sometimes at the wrong time.
  • I need to simply practice my cutoffs more

Positives:

• I did not talk a lot during the warm up which allowed for more student engagement. This is something I have struggled with before so it is nice to see that I am improving in this aspect 

Other observations:

• Half way through the warm up, I realized the electric bass player was not playing. I addressed her about this in front of the class. I am worried that I may have embarrassed her. 
  • The solution is to make sure students are ready before the warm up starts. This can be done simply by asking the students before starting to conduct.
• Not all students were playing when I would start conducting. Something I realized is that students need time to get their instruments ready. I would put my arms out and start conducting while some students were still putting their instrument to their face. 
  • I realized that I need to put my arms out, then wait, and then conduct. This gives students time to form their embouchures and prepare themselves to play the first note.

Feedback from the band teacher

• Be clear on what is expected. There were times where I wanted students to perform something but the students didn’t know what I was expecting.
  • I need to have detailed instructions. (Ex.“play and ascending Bb scale, one note per triplet.” then vocally demonstrate it.
• I can change the exercise when descending or ascending which allows for fluidity in the warm up > more time playing.
• Don’t be nervous, conducting is not rocket science
• When using warm ups, try to do something that is incorporating in the repertoire you are playing.
• Be confident.

Reflection #4

On October 23, I conducted the concert band warm-up once again. This time, I incorporated the feedback that I received last time from the band teacher. I was able to apply all feedback and I felt a lot more successful than last time. My conducting still needs a lot of work, and I realized that conducting is very similar to playing an instrument. 

What sparked this realization was when I tried getting students to play an eighth – two sixteenth rhythm pattern for their scale exercise and I ended up conducting too fast. This leads them to play messy. I was not connecting my internal ear with what my arms were doing. This is similar to an instrument in that, when you don’t line up your inner ear with what you are physically doing, then you would be successful at playing your instrument.

Reflection #5 

In chapters 9 and 10 of the Wasiak, one of the main points that was brought up in these chapters is how students are not getting taught enough musical concepts in school instrumental ensembles. This is because school band classes are modelled after professional performance ensembles. To combat this, music teachers need to understand their roles as teachers and not just as conductors. The chapter mentions strategies to combat this such as asking students questions instead of immediately giving them answers.

After reading this, I realized that many teachers that I have observed are not incorporating these strategies. This also sparked the idea that I am observing a lot of ineffective teaching. This is really important to me because I have been trying to soak up alot of the strategies and habits of the teachers that I have been observing, this includes their ineffective habits. I am glad that I made this realization which has made me more cautious about what I observe and adopt from my observations.