Music Teaching Observation Form #1
MUED 211: Foundations of Music Education
Observer’s Name: Jacob Neville
Video 1: 6th Grade Band Rehearsal
Video 2: High School Concert Choir Rehearsal
Activities
List all the activities that you see the teacher and
students do in class.
Video 1:
• Splits bands between 6th grade and
7+8th grade bands.
• Reminds about playing positions and
proper playing before warmup.
• Incorporates dynamics and tempo
into scale playing.
• Some students were playing the
incorrect scale and did not realize it,
instructor did not address.
• Teacher has lesson times for students
during school if they instrument
groups can make it.
• Reminds students about playing
position before pieces.
• Tell students that they have good
dynamics and cutoff are very good,
and focuses on the great parts instead
of the wrong notes as much
• Best Posture Award.
Instruction
List possible reasons for each activity that you
observed. Why did the teacher or student do
this?
• This way the instructor can prepare
the 6th grade students for more
advanced music with easier music and
have a steppingstone.
• This way the proper position’s muscle
memory is remembered, and
students become better players.
• Students will be able to play different
tempos and dynamics into their piece
playing.
• Might be in a rush to start pieces for
the concert, but students will be
playing the wrong scales for some
time before they are corrected.
• Helps individual instruments learn
about how their embouchure is
formed and how to make a stronger
more professional sound.
• This way students remember proper
posture and become a better player.
• Focuses on the group musical
material instead of individual playing
to ensure everybody feels good as a
group playing.
• Incentive to have a better sound
while playing, students are motivated
to do their best and receive feedback.
 Music Teaching Observation Form #1
MUED 211: Foundations of Music Education
• Reminds about dynamics after each
rehearsal and asks why it is
important.
• Lets students critique themselves on
their playing on what was good and
could use more work.
• Asks students differences in similar
music
Video 2:
• Instructor speaks more quietly so the
students must listen more carefully
• Students massage each other/dance
during warmups if they are
comfortable
• Hissing exercises
• Scale exercises with solfedge, gives
physical gestures to ensure students
are using correct vowels
• Instructor gives examples of not what
to sound like, “not like a car”
• Practices coming in on time
• Mouths the words while students are
singing to give the vowels
• Demonstrates proper phrasing and
dynamics
• Reviews the words with the students
in rhythm without pitches
• Students will be better at playing
dynamics and will be able to
understand the reasoning behind it.
• Students use critical thinking skills for
music, and they are able to more
easily identify issues in music and
playing
• Students look at key signatures,
tempo, dynamics and notes to find
differences in music
• Students pay more attention to the
instruction and are more active, even
in listening
• Students feel good about coming to
class, and become more comfortable
in a group with each other personally
and musically
• Works on air pressure, which is very
important as a vocalist
• Students will fix their aperture after
seeing a model/example
• Students will have fun learning and
have a better idea of what they are
supposed to do.
• Students will more easily remember
the tones they hear and timing for
coming in
• Helps students sing in tune and have
similar vowels
• Helps students better understand the
music
 Music Teaching Observation Form #1
MUED 211: Foundations of Music Education
• This way the students do not have to
worry about pitches and can focus on
the words in different languages

• Other students critique them instead • Students will also be able to critically
of just the teacher think of their own singing

• Imitates students to let them know • Students get a laugh and have a good
how they sound time while they are being corrected

• Reminds students about posture • This way students can have the best
posture possible.

General Reflection Questions

What things did these teachers do that demonstrated their abilities as a professional music
educator? (See table 1.1 in your text)

Both teachers taught the content of the lesson well and focused on the objective of the class
period as opposed to getting side attracted towards smaller things that went on during the
rehearsal. They made sure to tell the students how to perform the music in a professional way
by trying to assist during the rehearsal instead of stopping the music to tell a single student
something they were doing wrong. They assessed the students by asking them questions about
what they learned during playing and how they could improve upon their own playing, along
with assisting them during the playing. In asking them these questions, they are making a social
impact by making students think about their playing during and after instead of not thinking
about it at all and just playing.
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MUED 211: Foundations of Music Education

What teacher qualities did these instructors exhibit?

Both teachers demonstrated the ability to accurately lead a group through a rehearsal while
completing all objectives, were able to help individual students without hinder the education of
others, help the groups play/sing together more accurately and sound better together,
answered questions thoroughly in a short amount of time, and help the students perform the
best they could within their time limit and objective.

Both teachers exhibited leadership, kindness, determination, and demonstrated knowledge of

the subject while sharing that knowledge with the class. Both teachers led their group through
the music while giving feedback about posture, tone, and dynamic accuracy and how it will help
the piece sound better as a whole instead of focusing on individuals and outing them for their
mistakes. While it is important to inform students of these mistakes, mid performance it not
always the best time to do so. While the class was sometimes excited to move on and talking
with their peers, the instructors did not lose their cool and calmly reminded students to stay
quiet, so everybody had an equal opportunity to learn.

How did these teachers make use of active learning in their classrooms?

In the 6th grade band, the teacher asks the students to critique their own work so that they can
hear what they did well and what can be worked on, and she also asks them how can this be
made more clear and better through dynamics and articulations so that the band can be the
best it can be, and the students learn the most about music they can in 6th grade band.

This also takes place in the high school choir, the instructor asking different voice groups to
critique each other so that they can learn more about music and singing through listening and
actively thinking about what could be improved through tone, dynamics and vowels. The
instructor also looked out for vowels and ensured that students were using proper vowel
shapes while singing, and if they needed help, he would model the words with open vowels so
the student could have a better tone while singing.

What metaphor would best describe these classrooms and why?

 Music Teaching Observation Form #1
MUED 211: Foundations of Music Education
The metaphor best used to describe these classrooms would be the dance instructor metaphor.
While the students were learning, the teacher was moving with them, demonstrating the
proper techniques while trying to ensure each student was receiving a quality education and
everybody was moving (or playing) together as a group as opposed to focusing on individual
students.

What was your general impression of each class? Why?

The 6th grade band was a bit of a rushed rehearsal because of how close they were to their
concert, and the instructor wanted everything to sound right with the pieces most of all. Some
students were playing wrong notes and the wrong scales during warmups, but the priority of
the class was to smooth out the pieces so that the students could showcase their work to their
parents and friends who would be at the concert. Besides that, the class was very well taught,
each student actively thinking about what they could do to improve posture, tone and
dynamics to make the band the best it could be.

The choir was even better and much more of a controlled setting, most likely because of the
age group and difference ion musical experience. The instructor also focused on active thinking
and tone generation during the class, ensuring that each student was singing with enough air
and proper open vowels to create a big sound in the choir. While not focusing on tone, he was
isolating different parts of the music like the lyrics and dynamics to ensure each student could
proper sing the words in rhythm and with proper phrasing.