VIDEO ANALYSIS

Peter Muhlenberg Middle School -- 8th Grade Band

Student Progress
This class is the first class of the day for all of these students, and they are always groggy and
lethargic. My job is to wake them up and get their brains firing on all cylinders, and by the end
of the class, they were more awake than when they came in. I heard improvement throughout
the lesson including the warm up. During the breathing exercise, the students were taking in and
pushing more air by the end which carried through into the long tones. Their tone at the
beginning of the lesson was weak and uncentered, but after the breathing exercise and long
tones, they had more center to the tone, the intonation improved, and they had a more supported
sound overall. The rhythm lesson focused on teaching the rhythm “Ta-ka-mi” or sixteenth,
eighth, sixteenth. At first, it was as if they were reading a foreign language, but by the end of the
lesson they were able to say it and play it accurately 75% of the time.

Modifications to the Lesson

There were a few minor modifications I would make to the warm up such as addressing posture,
rhythmic issues in the percussion section, and cutting down on the overall dead time between
exercises. I would also just pay more attention to the percussion section in general such as
keeping a steady tempo and clarifying any rhythmic issues. After watching the video, I can see
that my energy was very low, and in order to wake the students up, I need to teach with more
energy in both my voice, face, and body. The most important modification I would make was
how I introduce the new rhythm. I should always start with call and response before I add the
visual element because they seem to learn it faster that way. It also helps translate the rhythm to
the instrument better. I should have also introduced that rhythm during the warm up and then
refined it during the actual lesson. I could’ve included it during the scales, and I also could have
modeled it on my own instrument.

Strengths and Weaknesses

My biggest weaknesses include not being consistent with behavior or participation expectations
such as keeping their hands on their diaphragms through the whole breathing exercise, knowing
what I am going to say before I say it with clear enunciation, and repeating myself multiple
times. I was not aware of these weaknesses before seeing the video, so now I have a better
perspective of what my students are hearing and seeing from me. My biggest strength in this
classroom is feeling comfortable walking around instead of being glued on the podium. This
helps me hear exactly what every individual is playing and it also prevents behavioral issues. It
even builds stronger musicianship among these young students because they are listening to each
other instead of relying on me for tempo.
 VIDEO ANALYSIS

Peter Muhlenberg Middle School -- 7th Grade Band

Student Progress
At first, it was hard to monitor progress with this lesson because it was lecture based. Based on
the individuals that gave feedback, they were getting a better handle on it, but that does not
necessarily mean that the whole class is. The students were growing restless which can either
translate to they have an understanding of the concept or they are bored. During the lesson, I
interpreted that antsiness as understanding, but after watching the video, I can see that they are
bored. However, after playing the inharmonic exercises in the book and hearing the note
accuracy, I do think the concept clicked. It took them applying the concept for them to really
understand what inharmonics really mean.

Modifications to the Lesson

After seeing the video, I would essentially modify this lesson completely. I should not have
introduced the lesson with a piano because it creates such a barrier with knowing how a piano is
laid out. I should have just modeled it using their own instruments that way they had a better
understanding of how the instrument works. There also were not a lot of students engaged at one
time because I chose to teach it through a lecture. Later in the lesson, I asked them to show me
the answer by raising their left or right arm based on what they thought the answer was, and I
should have used that throughout the entire lesson. All students would be able to show their
knowledge and practice at one time. I also needed to engage the percussion from the beginning
because when I finally called on a percussionist, she was not paying attention because she did
not think the information pertained to her.

Strengths and Weaknesses

One weakness that I noticed specifically was that I talked a lot more than I needed to which
made students antsy and actually caused more confusion. The strengths that I did notice included
walking around the classroom often, however, I do think I could have walked through different
parts of the classroom. I tended to stick to the front and the second row. I could have wandered
back to the percussion section to engage them more and make them a bigger part of the
conversation. I also engaged in friendly classroom banter with the students which contributed
both positively and negatively to my classroom management. By opening up the classroom
conversation with students, I was able to nip some behavior issues in the bud. However, some of
them also found it as an opportunity to engage in more disruptive behavior. Overall, that class is
a very tough class, and I thought I did a relative good job of managing the classroom.
 VIDEO ANALYSIS

Western Albemarle High School -- Symphonic Band

Student Progress
Every time I isolated a part of anything, it always improved the second time they played it. This
means that often times, they just need clarification or practice on whatever passage or activity we
are doing. This was first evident in the Brain Game. After we did it once, they had a better
understanding of how it was supposed to sound. When we started into the actual piece, the parts
that we isolated immediately improved. At the beginning, the flutes and trumpets were
struggling to place their entrance on the “and” of beat four, but after we looped just that beat,
they were nailing it. The same theme carried over to the saxophones after isolating their
entrance on the “and” of beat 3. This class was also the first time I was able to work with both
euphonium soloists, so after we were able to isolate just the solos and their entrances, they
played with more confidence. Another example of progress led by clarification is when I worked
with the tiered woodwind entrances, I just had to explain to them how they were supposed to
work, and they took that information and ran with it. It has been so much more solid since I just
took the time to explain to them how the tiers happened.

Modifications to the Lesson

I should take more time in the warm up to address tone and posture because that is something
that seems to go out the window especially in the trumpet section. Another change I would make
is not taking so much time to explain Brain Game. I think if we had just jumped into it, they
would have figured it out, and then we could do it again to play it cleaner. Singing through that
exercise also would have helped with clarity. During the rehearsal of the piece, I need to find a
better way to engage the whole ensemble more often. I struggle with this because this piece is
such a soloistic piece, and we need to work on those solo parts. However, with seventy students
sitting in chairs doing nothing, the behavior can get a little out of hand. Therefore, I need to
figure out a better way to work on those solo parts while also engaging the whole ensemble.

Strengths and Weaknesses

My biggest weakness with this class is definitely classroom management. It is very difficult for
me to manage seventy students when working on a piece like ​Riften Wed, b​ ut it is getting better.
My strength, however, is my pacing, at the moment. I am pacing quicker to accommodate the
classroom management issues. I am trying to cut down on the time the students sit their doing
nothing which has helped, but it has not completely solved the issue. Another strength of mine is
admitting when I mess up which has really helped me build rapport with the students which also,
in turn, helps with classroom management.
 VIDEO ANALYSIS

Western Albemarle High School -- Guitar

Student Progress
In this particular lesson, I really just had individual conversations with the students. We were
able to have a conversation about an example which allowed them to ask their questions and feel
comfortable learning and reviewing the material. I could monitor their progress by observing
how much time it took them to give answers. I was also able to see when they were guessing
and when they actually knew the answer. This was especially apparent when we were discussing
what the dots following notes meant. I was able to break down the lesson, and they all had a
major “ah-ha” moment which was exciting for myself as well as all of them.

Modifications to the Lesson

I knew this lesson was going to be informal, so I had approached it with a mellow attitude. In
hindsight, though, I should have approached it with more energy. It would have made them
more excited to learn and engage with the material. I also wish I could have figured out a way to
keep other students from giving the struggling students answers. Another modification I should
make is ensuring that all the material I taught in the lesson was present in the musictheory.net
exercises. The exercises left out the eighth rest information as well as the information they just
learned about dotted noted, and it would have been beneficial to lock in that information so they
can solidify that understanding. Following this lesson, I used Kahoot! to quiz them on the
information we went over that day, and this proved to be effective. The students were engaged
in the informal assessment via their own personal device, and I was able to see the results to this
informal assessment. With this being said, that is another modification I would make. I would
introduce Kahoot in this first lesson. It would allow me to engage every student with the
material while also collecting data on their understanding.

Strengths and Weaknesses

My biggest weakness and embarrassment with this class is that I do not know all of their names.
This is due to the way the class is structured. It really is just an independent study class for
students to learn guitar, so when I do engage in conversations with them, I do not necessarily
learn their names. I should, though, because it was a big turn-off to them when I would call on
them and not know their name. That does not help build rapport or a supportive and positive
learning environment. Despite that weakness, though, I was still able to engage in a friendly
banter with them which made learning the material more fun for them. The more we bantered
back and forth, the more energy they had towards the lesson which in turn made it more fun for
them to learn. This, of course, helped with retention.