Active Student Engagement

Student engagement is a key component of effective classroom management. As a

teacher, I want my students to take an active role in their own learning. They have set the
expectations and goals for the class, and the next step is staying committed to the class
and the content. In a middle school band class, student engagement can be difficult when
there are over fifty students in one class. During a rehearsal, it is easy for a band director
to neglect a certain section because of the current issues in the music. Percussionists, in
particular, can feel isolated in rehearsals because of their location in the back of the room
and the differences between wind and percussion instruments.
My goals are to personally address each instrumental section daily and to keep the
attention of the class while I am working with an individual section of music. Although
most middle school students are in Piaget’s concrete operational stage, I want to teach
and encourage transfer of knowledge in order to maintain engagement and reduce
repetitive corrections in the music. I want my students to continually be responding and
reflecting on the progress the class is making on the piece. By doing this, the students
will be improving their listening and critiquing skills. The entire ensemble will benefit
from continuous engagement because they will be learning the contributions each part
brings to the music and viewing the piece as a whole rather than their individual part.
 Ticket out/exit slips: Student reflection is an important factor in students
remembering what they have learned and improved on in class. Ideally, with the
use of reflection, the students will master concepts more quickly and will gain a
better understanding of the subject. I plan on using the ‘ticket out’ method in my
classroom as a daily reflection on the lesson. It may seem like a surprise at the
beginning of the school year, but the students will learn to expect to answer my
ticket out questions. The more attentive and engaged the students are in the class,
the easier and quicker the ticket out questions should be. If the teacher is not
careful, this method could be ineffective if only a handful of students answer the
questions. I will make sure I call on a variety of students or I could also use a
random calling approach like the names on Popsicle sticks.
 o Exit slips will be used on the final day of the school week. Exit slips will
be placed on the music stands, and I will give a few minutes at the end of
class for students to fill out their slips. The exit slips will allow the
students to reflect on their progress over a longer time span and will let me
know what the students need for future class periods. Examples of
prompts include: “Write two things you improved this week,” “Rate 1-10
the performance preparation of…” “My section can improve on
measures…” “The best part of class this week was…” “I can contribute to
the ensemble by…” I will modify the exit slips as needed to reflect the
goals and needs of the ensemble. Depending on the lesson, exit slips can
function as the ticket out or ticket out questions can still be applied.
 Error correction: Error correction is a frequent process in a music classroom. In
a middle school or high school ensemble, we teach and improve concepts through
performing pieces. Learning trials are continuous and are the main method that
carries a teacher and ensemble through a rehearsal. The learning trials consist of
a teacher prompt, a student response, and teacher feedback. Unlike many classes,
the student response in a music classroom can come from either a question or
from playing the designated piece measures. The teacher feedback will lead
naturally into a new prompt.
o Example: (1) Teacher prompt- please play the E flat major scale using the
quarter note and eighth note pattern. Focus on playing as a unit. (2)
Student response- the students play the scale as instructed. (3) Teacher
feedback- the notes and rhythms were correct. Think about unifying the
articulation between sections. The attacks can be more exact. Breathe
together and play the scale again.
o Modification: Use guided student feedback before the teacher feedback.
The students can take initiative to improve their playing. It is always
worth hearing a variety of viewpoints. This modification will set the
students up for success during their individual practice times because they
understand how to critically listen and what steps they need to take to
improve.
 Frequent opportunities to respond (OTRs): Research shows that high rates of
OTR will benefit the students’ learning and engagement and decrease behavioral
issues. I will set up my lesson plans so there are many and a variety of OTRs for
the students. In a band classroom, OTRs can include: playing a musical excerpt
as a full ensemble, answering music theory questions, playing in sections,
providing student feedback for what went well and what can be improved, etc.
When working with small groups or teaching individual lessons, the rate of OTRs
should be higher than with the full ensemble.
o Example of introducing a new piece with the full ensemble: Pick students
at random for questions. What key is this piece in? What is the time
signature? Are there any key changes or time signature changes? Do you
see any accidentals? If so, what measures? For percussion students, what
rudiments are used? Find a tricky looking rhythm. Write on the board
and clap with the class (2-3 examples). Sight-read the piece as a group.
o Example of reviewing a piece with the full ensemble: Map out the piece
one section at a time. Have the students physically touch the music by
putting their finger on the measures and following along. For each
section, focus on 1-3 musical concepts to discuss and play. Depending on
the piece, the process can start at the beginning and work to the end or
start at the end and work backwards.