John Donnell

Student Teaching Block 3

9 March 2023

Student Impact Project

Subject: 8th Grade Assessment March - March to Castle Rock, Steve Hodges

Rubric Used: 2023 VBODA State Assessment rubric, Concert Band

Total Scale: I = Superior, II = Excellent, III = Good, IV = Fair, V = Poor

Fundamentals: Letter grades (A, B, C, D, F) determine final rating.

January 30 Preassessment: March to Castle Rock

Rating: II

Tone Quality C+ Brass is very aggressive,

leading to an edgy tone.
Clarinets and saxes sound
decent, but flute trills are not
all correct.

Intonation C There is not yet a big

difference in the ensemble
between staccato (short) and
legato (long).

Technique B+ Technique is good, displaying

good understanding of basics
of their instruments. Need to
just apply that next level.

Rhythm B Rhythms are correct, but

some note lengths are not
held correctly. This is a very
marcato (spacey) march, and
some notes are being held out
for too long. Some legatos are
 the opposite, being cut off too
short.

Balance D Low brass and reeds are

buried underneath the sound,
percussion is too quiet, and
the high brass and woodwinds
play too loud to listen back.

Musicianship B+ Students understand the basic

fundamentals to apply to the
music, but are often affected
by the above factors.

General Factors C+ Average. Just needs some

cleanup work, as well as
application of more advanced
techniques and balance in
order for all parts to blend
together.

Reflection:

In one of our first full run throughs of our assessment march, the students had already

been made familiar with the main themes and ideas of the piece. We had spent the past two

weeks working on our theme sheet, which informed students which ideas to listen for when

playing. However, when all in context, students understandably sacrificed some listening and

balancing for the ability to finish the piece in one go. It was already a satisfactory run of the

piece in my opinion, but I knew these students can be held to a much higher standard (based on

observing other pieces). As they work to continue, I also work to improve my conducting and

cuing in order to build that confidence and communication between me and the ensemble, which

is imperative to a successful performance of this piece at the VBODA state assessment

performance.
March 9 Post assessment: March to Castle Rock

Rating: I (All judges)

Judge 1 Judge 2 Judge 3 Comments

Tone Quality A A A Great resonant

sound, careful to
not overbalance.

Keep the
contrast at loud
dynamics.

Great sound!

Intonation A- A A Great start, few

individual notes
stand out.

Clearly a
priority in
rehearsals!

Technique A- A A- Good
precision/attenti-
on to detail

Articulations
and entrances
are together and
stylistically
appropriate!

Rhythm A A A- Keep things

vertically
aligned!

Balance B+ A A- Nice balance!

Watch for
individual
players sticking
out!
 Very good, Low
brass is
occasionally lost
in the sound.

Make sure
accompaniment
does not
overpower
melody!

Musicianship A A A Good attention

to detail!

Excellent
phrasing,
dynamics, and
energy.

General A A A Great selection!

Factors

Reflection:

In six weeks, the students improved tenfold on March to Castle Rock. As stated in the

pre-assessment, the big focuses in rehearsals were intonation and articulation as well as

instrument tone and entrances. I had students work on the extremes of note lengths, such as

playing the notes as short as possible and then as long as possible. This allowed students to

explore their limits in intonation, and to see how much they could build the contrast between the

marcato and legato sections. Other lesson plans included working on breathing and starting the

piece, which trained ensemble breaths and conductor communication through watching. Finally,

we drilled balance between the instruments, which still ended up being our weakest graded

fundamental at assessment. This project was so rewarding to go through with the students, and I

learned just as much as they did about the piece and student growth. I will undoubtedly carry this

experience with me as I enter my next placement and eventually my first real position.