3rd Block 1st Half Recording and Response

I am reflecting on my teaching from late January with the sixth grade low brass class (all

online at this point). This was my first time teaching the whole class period because my

cooperating teacher was out that morning for an appointment. I was very nervous, but watching

the recording, I didn’t seem nervous!

There are a handful of things I need to work to improve based on this video. When

giving instructions, I need to be more concise. These are sixth graders, and they don’t need so

much detail. They can’t handle a ton of information being thrown at them at once before they

zone out. Overexplaining can also confuse them. Additionally, if it doesn’t pertain to them, they

probably don’t care and will tune out. Along the lines of attention, I get distracted easily, and

that will really distract the young students. I also need to remember to turn off the metronome

when giving instructions. It makes it hard to hear! I really need to work on my abilities with

brass instruments. There’s only so much I can help them with if I’m not playing the instruments

with them. I need to commit the time to practice other instruments. When I give feedback, I

should give more specific feedback than just “good job.” Finally, I want to smile more!

Despite all these things, there were many things I think I’m doing well! I like my

enthusiasm, I think it was good for the age level. I think it was helpful that I kept track of the

beat on my fingers during our breathing exercises, keeping the students with me. Additionally, I

sang instructions on the pitch they were about to buzz - it keeps the pitch in their ears. I like

that I gave them a moment to practice something new before we did it as a group. They got to

try it on their own first, and I did it too, so they saw that I was working through it and making

mistakes, too. I also want to continue to incorporate the echo exercise I did. Finally, I’m glad I

thanked those who had their cameras on. I want my students to feel appreciated!