Student A 

Student A is currently in 9th grade, and a trumpet player in the Symphonic Brass 
class. Student A has been in this particular public school system for their entire 
education. They have been in band since 7th grade, but are known for having trouble 
finding an elective they enjoy.  
This student has trouble passing their SOLs, they have not passed one since the 
4th grade, but have received scores close to passing. They are currently failing 2 core 
classes, and have close to a C in three others. This student has been referred to CTS, 
child intervention, but does not currently receive any outside school support. The 
student has been reported by other teachers for having behavioral challenges. They have 
a habit of absence and tardiness in their classes. They have 48 absences total, 9 in band. 
This student lives in an apartment, so it’s safe to assume the student may not have 
comfortable opportunities to practice at home.  
In band class, there is some participation during the warm ups, but once the 
warm ups involve going over major scales the student puts their head down for the 
remainder of the class. They will occasionally ask neighboring students for the 
fingerings, but will eventually give up and put their head down. 
I worked with this student 1 on 1, and during that time they were willing to do 
what I asked of them, but there was a lot of foundation missing. I asked them why they 
chose to do band and they said “To have something to do.” To me, there is a possibility 
an adult may have pushed or encouraged them to do band so that they can be active, but 
it also makes me question why not be involved in sports when the one class they’re 
doing well in is P.E? They once told me that they did not want to play but would if I 
asked them to, when I asked them why they said “Because it’s too early.” The Brass 
Class is the first class of the day for these students, and the class as a whole seems to be 
distant and resistant to what is being done in class. On the surface, it seems that the 
students in the class are either tired or not as invested. There are a select few of 
students who are engaged, and I’ve seen them involved in other music groups at the 
high school. 
 I would modify my teaching where I can create small accomplishments for this 
particular student. If this were my program, I would not take this group to Assessment, 
just because this group does not have the passion for Assessment as the other music 
classes do. I would transform this class into a Chamber Winds class so that their 
learning can be more specialized to what they can do, and as a teacher, I can better 
monitor their progress. In a large ensemble, it is easy for students to hide behind strong 
players. From observing this class, I can tell that the students are not comfortable being 
exposed. However if this was a chamber class, they could be playing music perfect for 
their level, and rely on instruments other than their own. I believe every student has the 
ability to succeed, but they progress at different rates. In a chamber class, when the 
students are more exposed, collaborating at a closer level with other students, playing 
music that best suits them for their skill and improvement, there might be more 
success. I cannot promise this would solve everything with Student A, but if Student A 
could play music they enjoy and at a level they can succeed at, with peers relying on 
them and setting an example for them, and where there is opportunity for individualized 
instruction, there might be slightly more motivation to what is being done in class.  
As for now, I can arrange simplified parts for this student so they can play along 
with the group, or easily scratch out notes they can’t play. I can create engaging 
activities that are possible for anyone at any skill level. A few examples; I wrote a 
rhythm on the board and asked the students to modify the rhythm for us to play on a 
concert pitch, I asked students to draw on the board and buzz what they drew, practice 
rhythms by tapping the beat with their foot, subdivide with their hand, and vocalise 
applied rhythms. I can create a specialised finger and note chart for him to look at 
during warm ups.  
Student B 
Student B is a trombone player at the high school Jazz Band and Symphonic 
Band. They have an IEP and are reported to struggle in showing engagement and 
improvement in other classes. According to the cooperating teacher, this student has 
shown significant improvement since arriving, and other teachers have inquired what 
they can do to have the same effect in this student’s other classes. This student’s mom is 
on the school staff and is an active member in the band program.  
The student’s demeanor in class can vary depending on the day. Sometimes they 
are actively engaged, brave enough to solo over a 12 bar blues, volunteer to write 
something on the board, and answer questions the teacher may be posing for the class. 
But on other days, it is the complete opposite. The student will seem visibly stressed 
and frustrated, which is not as common to what I have observed, or will shut down and 
not participate at all in class, which is a behavior more common for this student.  
When he does participate in class, I find that I have to be careful as to how I 
address him, because he will not always heed my instruction. If I tell him he needs to 
pull out because he’s sharp, he will give me a long explanation as to why he doesn’t have 
to. Sometimes it’s hard for me to tell whether he provides a solid argument, or if he is 
uncomfortable with me critiquing him. Even when he improvises, I cannot always 
gather a clear assessment of how he’s grasping concepts. I’ll ask him to try certain 
things, I won’t hear it in his playing, but then he feels positive about the experience. 
When asked to critique the group it is not a problem for him to identify where the group 
needs improvement, but from my assessment, he does not apply those concepts to 
himself. I am not sure if this is because of a restriction of skills, or if he feels the 
instruction does not apply to him, or if he is not comfortable with me as a teacher 
because I am not familiar enough to him. When I simply say hello to the student or ask 
how he’s doing, I do not receive any acknowledgement.  
When it comes to students with IEPs, I am not an expert. From the little I know, 
I know that every student is different and that trust is crucial. From what I’ve observed, 
this student is very high functioning, and that they genuinely enjoy this class. I can tell 
this student has established trust for the main teacher, which is especially important. 
What I can do is encourage them when I can, and if I were to critique them, I cannot 
single them out.  
I asked them if I could look at their music and asked if they could play a measure 
for me, they did it without any objections or questions. I asked another student to join 
in so that I may help them both improve on this measure. My instructions were clear 
and concise, and there was no difficulty in shedding that measure and improving it. The 
best thing I can do for Student B is treat them as any other student, and if they need 
time to recharge, to respect that. If I can create learning activities that sets up a clear 
path towards success for students to navigate on their own, that would give this student 
a great sense of accomplishment and where it doesn’t single him out either. The student 
wants to be engaged, wants to demonstrate his knowledge and skill, as a teacher it’s my 
job to perfectly set up that foundation for them so they can thrive.  
One exercise I used that worked well for this student was I asked students to 
come to the board and draw a crazy line for all of us to buzz. After Student B watched 
others draw a few squiggly lines, Student B was eager to come to the board and provide 
the craziest squiggle of all for us to buzz. This exercise was full-proof where Student B 
could thrive, even excel, by channeling their own creative energy that could in no way be 
wrong, and where they could participate as well. My next step would be to create more 
activities like this where it can be engaging, full-proof, and still improving our technical 
skills.   
My teaching style is mixed with not providing immediate answers, but by asking 
questions and having students discover solutions on their own so they can develop 
problem solving skills. However, with this entire class, this method of teaching does not 
resonate with them. Instead, I find that the approach most helpful with the Brass Class 
is simply to scaffold, where I do give them small answers but they piece the answers 
together. They have a higher success rate with this method and a greater sense of 
accomplishment.