Abigail Carter

MUED 480 - Block 4

Mid-Point Self Reflection
April 13, 2022

For this reflection, I chose to record sections of my first ever time being the primary

teacher for the full block duration. I initially felt nervous to jump into teaching a full class block,

but the students were a wonderful example of respect and showed their strong work-ethic. Their

support helped me to feel more confident and I watched myself relax into the class more as the

block progressed. I saw a noticeable difference in confidence from my mid-point self-evaluation

from my last placement block; it is clear that the skills I gleaned during my middle school block

are proving very helpful now.

A major area of strength for me was minimizing unnecessary instructions/comments on

my end. In my earlier teaching and practicum experiences, I had a tendency to over-explain

rather than allow students to physically engage in singing more. I am observing that at this level

especially, allowing students another attempt at a passage of music can prove more beneficial

than over-explaining to correct after the first attempt. I also am very pleased with my specificity

in instruction and how I explained when I did speak to them. I feel that I’ve built good rapport

with the students, and that it shows in their responsiveness to my teaching. I also feel that I am

continuing to improve in terms of listening across an ensemble to check understanding,

although I am still hoping to improve further in this area. The other major area of strength for me

is use of technology in the classroom and adapting it into lessons– I have learned how to

successfully integrate Noteflight into our learning platform and it proves very beneficial in

sectional and group rehearsals (as it mitigates many of the potential mistakes I could make on

the piano).

In terms of further areas of improvement, I would like to improve my use of piano when

teaching, move away from the piano and be in front of students more frequently and begin to
limit my use of piano to promote students’ audiation skills. I also want to improve my transitions

and maintain student engagement with less off-task moments/behaviors.