Journal #6

This week was set aside for our lesson plan presentations. I was very nervous about this lesson plan because there were so many aspects to look at. I didn't really know if I was going to be able to incorporate music into teaching a concept the correct way but all I could really do was give it a shot and just try because thats all anyone can really ask for. It is always difficult to evaluate yourself but I think because I was able to talk to Linda and have her point out my strengths and something I could have worked on makes this a lot easier to do.
Now I am going to look at the yellow sheet and do a self evaluation:
The song that I used was "Going on a Picnic." When looking at musicianship I do believe that I got 5/5. Musicianship looks at being in tune, having correct pitch, accurate rythem, appropriate tempo, correct enunciation, and good facial expression. I think that I was able to use my head voice so that the students were better able to match my voice, and I also think that it was appropriate of me to admit when I made a mistake on the piano and instead of ignoring it go back and redo it so that the students are learning the correct way.
For leadership I would have given myself either an 8/10 or 9/10. This looks at body language, facial expression, voice tone and volume, eye contact, and intensity (energy). I feel that I was able to really get the students excited about this lesson. I really loved when the students were participating and really congratulated each on the feed back that they gave me. I would however take a point or two off for standing to much behind the piano. I didn't really pay attention to this until Linda pointed it out and I am thankful that she did. When teaching the students the dance and having them do it piece by piece I was standing out with them and doing it yet when it was time for them to do the whole thing, I stayed behind the piano to keep them on tune versus standing in the circle and performing with them.
For preparation which looks at knowledge of music and plan, having a written plan, and recordings ready I think that I deserve a 15/15. Although I didn't have instruments for the students to play or chart for them to look at I think that was for the better because I gave them a lot of movement to keep them from getting bored but also the balance of not having them distracted. I had my lesson plan and music ready to go and I think that I was able to adapt the lesson plan as well if the students needed a little extra work on something or if they were really excelling at a certain point.
Last but not least when looking at the delivery of instruction which really encompasses the essence of the lesson plan I would have given myself probably an 18/20 or 19/20. I feel like I said before that I was truly able to capture the students attention and keep them interested through out. I was able to get them involved both by asking them questions and looking for their feedback of words that we could incorporate into the song. I feel that the lesson plan had a great flow to it in terms of being able to teach the students the music concepts, to the question answer, to the movements that were incorporated. I think that the closure was also really beneficial because it helped bring everything back together for the students. I feel that overall my final grade that I deserved was an A because I really was able to keep everyone interested and help get all the concepts across.
When looking at the things that I found most difficult as well as things that I think I did not do very well for me go together hand in hand. I think that standing behind the piano or in my case staying behind it for to long was very hard. I have been a piano player since I was 5 years old so its only natural for me to feel most comfortable with in that area. I am really glad however, that that was pointed out to me because I believe that I would have overlooked that otherwise.
For me, the things that I thought went really well were really making this language arts concept work. It was a little abstract but I really felt that it was necessary for students to understand the 5W's because they will need that for the rest of their lives. I also feel that I was really able to grab hold of the student's attention right away and keep them focussed through out the lesson because of the different ideas that were incorporated, especially the movement because it just helped them getting moving around.
If I was given a second chance which I semi was at the end of my lesson, I believe that I would change how often I stood behind the piano to make sure that the students could really match my voice and energy as well as making the environment more comfortable with me standing out there with the students. As hard as it is to say this because no matter what we always be nervous performing something in front of a group of people especially if those people are our students because more than anything we want to make sure to both grab their attention and keep it through out.