MUED 376: Choral Music, Materials & Techniques (M2 & T) 

Developing Choral Excellence Through Teaching and 

Performance: 
TASK ANALYSIS – Non musical 
 
NAME_Douglas Ritcher_______________________________________ 
 
 
Write down the steps you took to teach your Martian to eat a 
bowl of hot, steamy oatmeal! 
 
1. I ate oatmeal first to give an idea of what the whole 
action would be. 
2. I had to confirm which tools were being used (mouth, 
teeth, throat, hands, bowl, spoon) 
3. Then I showed how to use them individually 
a. How to use arm with spoon 
b. How to chew 
c. How to swallow 
3. Then we mirrored the whole action. 
 
Explain in detail why you took this path and what your thinking 
process was in this activity. 
 
It would have been difficult to understand why anything 
was happening without my example of the finished product first. 
Then I thought it was important to make sure the martian was 
familiar with all the tools being used. I wanted to make sure his 
teeth, throat and mouth were all in the same place and had 
similar functions as mine so there would be no confusion. Even 
with my example the martian may have been confused by some 
of the more subtle steps like chewing and swallowing so I 
showed each step and had him repeat the individual steps so he 
would get caught halfway through the activity confused and 
frustrated with a mouth full of oatmeal.