Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FieldTeachingReflection
Name
MattShea
Typeyourevaluationofeachoftheareasaddressedbelow.(eachboxwillexpandasyoutypeinit.)Please,typeyourresponseinthe
spacesprovidedonthisformandsubmititinDigitalDropBoxpriortothenextclasssessionafteryoutaught.
PriorToTeaching
Whatwereyourgreatestconcernsasyoupreparedtopresentyourlesson?
Ithinkmylackofexperienceplayingswungeighthnoteswasintimidatingtome.Iknowthatittakestime
andIperhapsdonthavetherightequipment(mouthpiece)togetthejazzsoundthatIwanted.
Howdidyouattempttoaddresstheseconcerns?
AsbestasIcould,ItriedtoplaytheeighthnoteswhenpresentingswingeighthnoteslikeDr.Paynetaught
us.Sometimestheyweresuccessful,sometimestheyrevertedtosoundingmorearticulatedthan
emphasized.
Asyouwroteyouplan,howdidyoumakeuseofwhatyouknowaboutsequentialinstruction,activelearning,andteaching
creatively?
AsIwrotemyplan,Itriedtoincorporateandpreparetheearforthenextelementthatwouldhappenduring
thelesson.Warminguponwholenotesfirstandthentransitioningtothesamescalebutaddingaswinging
eighthnotepatternthatthestudentswouldechoafterhearingitmodeled.Then,sequentiallyIaddedthat
eighthnoteswingpatternintothebasslinethatweplayed.Thebasslinewassimpleenoughthatstudents
pickuponitrightawayandiftheycouldntgetthemelody,theycouldhavesomethingeasytofeel
successfulatplaying.Afterthebasslineandmelodywerebothlearned,Igavetimeforthemtoexplorethe
songandhowtheywantedtoimprovisegiventhemelodyandcertainparameters(8bars)tocompletetheir
composition.
TeachingDelivery
Whatwereyouthinkingaboutthemostwhenyouwereteaching?
Iwasconcernedaboutthesequencingandwhatsortsofchallengesthestudentsmightencounter.Idont
havealotofjazzexperiencebuttriedtothinkofspecificelementsthatIcouldpraisethemforadding
creativityto.
Howdidyoueffectivelyuseyourdeliveryskills(voice,body,eyecontact,useofspace)?
AlotofthelessonwasechoingTplayingandthentheSsplaying.Ilookedthemintheeyesnonverbally
gesturedforthemtostartplayingwhenitwasappropriate.Ialsoaudiblybreathedwiththemwhenthey
werestartingtoplay.TheroomandteachingareawasratherintimatesoIremainedinoneplaceinfrontof
them.
Whatwouldyouwanttochangeinyourdeliveryskillsfornexttimeyouteach?
Ithoughtteachingthemelodywentokay.ButifIreallywantedtobesurethattheyknewhowtoplayit,I
couldhavethemfillintheblankwiththecorrectnoteattheendofeachphrase.Also,Iwouldmaybegive
anotherparameterthattheycouldonlyusefivenotes(BbF)toplaythesong,thatwaytheycouldthink
moreaboutchangingthemelodyrhythmically.
Didyouordidyounotappearconfidentasyoutaughtyourlesson?Whatleadyoutothatimpression?
Iwasprettyconfidentteaching.Althoughmyvoicewasntloudinthevideo,Ithinktheendproduct
mirroredtheconfidenceIhadinteachingmylesson.IwasntthefirstonetoteachalsowhichIthinkgave
memoreconfidenceinhowIwantedtodelivermymaterial.
TeachingContent
Whatwasmosteffectiveaboutthesequenceinwhichyoutaughtyourlesson?
Ithoughtthepacingreallyfittheensembleandthelesson.Wedidntspendaninordinateamountoftime
onanyonesectionandIwasabletodoinallwithinthe10minutemark.Iusedasongthatwasfamiliarto
thestudentsandgavethemcreativefreedomtochangethesongandIbelievethatautonomyisimportant
forthestudents(scaffoldingfromwhattheyknowtoaddingmoretoit).
Howwouldyouchangethissequencethenexttimeyouteach?
IthinkIwouldstructuretheendingassessmentintomoreofacompositionstylewhereitwouldbe
everyoneplayingsoloeveryonesoloeveryonesotheycanhavemoreopportunitytoimprovethe
techniqueofswungeightnotesandhaveapieceofsubstancetobeproudof.Astheteacher,Iwouldalso
modelanimprovisationexampleforthestudentsiftheydontknowhowtobeginchangingasimplesong.
Wereyourmodels,bothvocallyandinstrumentally,accurate?Whatcouldyoudotomakethesemoreeffective?
Practiceswingeighthnotesandrelaxwiththetempo.Idonthavemuchexperienceworkingwiththeback
endsofthebeat.Icouldspeakupmorewhendeliveringinstruction(tolargerensembles)andthinkIcan
usemoresoundthanwordtodescribewhatIwanttohear.
Reflections
IthinkIunderstandhow,butneedtopracticemoreon
IthinkIunderstandhowtobreakelementsdownforyoungstudentstounderstand.IthinkIneedto
practicedifferentwaysofsequencingsothatIdontgetstuckinthemindsetofthereisonlyonewayto
deliverthisinformation.
Ijustdontunderstand
ThefollowingismyplantoworkontheareasIhavenotedabove
Gettinginfrontofpeoplemoreandlisteningtomorejazzmusic!