Student Teaching Day 8

My Day

-Today was Orchestra, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Guitar Class.  There was also a jazz band rehearsal after school because the top Jazz Band is preparing to play at a state music convention.  Today was my first time conducting and teaching the Concert Band and I really had a lot of fun.  This group is mostly freshman and I really got into the nitty gritty of the piece.  I really like how my mentor teacher hops in while I'm teaching and demonstrates an extension to what I am doing; it really helps me learn and respond quickly!

Instrument techniques
-Pay attention to saxes jaws on tonguing, jaw shouldn’t move

General Instruction

-Orchestra

            -Have students write out scales, check, peer check, play, sync bowing

-Band

            -Triplets: feel in 4/4 Tri-pl-et, in 6/8 1-la-le

-Sound: think brick, not sneaking in or sneaking out, think group effort in keeping the “balloon of sound” a float, can’t all breath at the same time.

            -Breathing exercises:

                        -check posture, sit up, feet in floor

                        -“The Horror”

            -Counting/clapping with metronome

                        -students understand how parts fit in

            -Rehearsal of piece: work backwards

            -breath marks by the composer are not optional

            -talks to concert band about passion and commitment, sets 
             mentality early

-Scale for warm up, chromatic, slow quarter notes, triplets staccato and slurred, first in the low octave then in the middle octave

-Intonation tendencies, know individual pitch in general, during crescendos and decrescendos, and as the whole group sound

-Guitar

-teaching multiple notes together, teach and say notes, tab, read the page/music

-Conducting

            -Keep even beats

            -drop elbows

Quotes and Other Random Happenings

-High school students are perverted...don't even go there.