VTPT Reflection

My first VTPT lesson was a crucial step in becoming a fully aware and successful choral

educator. Planning an effective lesson that completely covers all areas of choral and vocal

techniques is important in giving a full range of exercises to the ensemble at every rehearsal.

When planning this teaching, I used my knowledge of various choral warm-ups from my

years in choir. Finding warm-ups that fit the various skills needed was somewhat challenging as

it required substantial thought on how certain exercises would fit certain skills. Being able to

create flexibility in all the different vocal styles through warm-ups is a task that is approachable

in different ways. There are a variety of exercises that could be used to hone each area of vocal

technique, each providing a different variation of how the finished product is supposed to sound.

Preparing for this teaching lesson was composed of daily practice of both the rhythmic

and tonal echoing as well as warm-ups. Ensuring proper execution of the exercises was a large

part of the preparation process, knowing the warm-ups inside and out so that they could be

taught and developed at the proper pace, creating accurate responses from the students in each

repetition. As an educator, keeping in practice with the base level skills is important in the

everyday schedule of an educator, as it will ensure that we stay in practice with the necessary

skills to effectively teach our students.

During my teaching, my biggest strength was my pacing and delivery of the material. I

believe that I was very effective in communicating what I wanted to the class through very clear

and well worded instructions (InTASC 8). I was also very active in walking around to listen to

the entire class throughout the exercises. It gave me the ability to provide constant feedback as it

was being given. However, I did not give as much feedback as I should have during the
exercises. I need work on providing more constant feedback to the class as they go through the

warm-up process. I also have a habit of moving my hands around a lot when I speak. This can

create issues with my message to the class as they can think that I am cuing them to sing or speak

when, I am just moving my hands in a nonsense way. Working on keeping my hands in a neutral

position would greatly help to improve my clarity in teaching.