Drew Brennan Suburban Elementary School Observation

7/28/2019 Drew Brennan Suburban Elementary School Observation

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Westminster Choir College of Rider University Music Education DepartmentME 171: Critical Pedagogy I Off-Campus Observation Map

Your Name Drew Michael Brennan SBN 41 E-Mail [email protected]

Name of School Riverside Elementary School Town Princeton State New Jersey

Name of Teacher Observed Paul Chipmen Class Choir Grade(s) 5th

Observation Date October 25, 2011 Time 10:30am- 11:00am Date Submitted October 28, 2011

Describe the teachingenvironment. Who are thechildren? Who is the

teacher? How might theschool environment impactwhat happens in theclassroom?

When I entered the classroom I immediately took note of the energy in the room. Almost every student inthis 5th choir class seemed to be engaged, and alert. It was almost unbelievable how interested and excited the

students were to learn and participate. The environment was a very relaxed and open environment. What I mean

by this is the teacher allowed the students to actively participate in the conversation, but did not force studentcooperation. The classroom was very diverse. The students were composed of many different races, and lookedlike they were around ten to eleven years old. The teacher looked like he was in his early or mid-forties. He was

a Caucasian male who seemed to have been teaching for a while. When walking around the school and sitting

in the class I noticed that the school encouraged community, diversity, and openness. The school striving tocreate this environment helped the students concentrate, relax, and enjoy the company of their peers, and

teachers.

What were the teachersgoals for theclass/ensemble? How did

she/he act on those?

The teachers goals for this class were to recap the previous lesson, practice sight-singing whileincorporating the concept of canons, and rehearse concert repertoire. This, for me, was the most impressive part

of the class. The teacher worked with such focus, excitement, and leadership that the students willingly

followed directions. I found it most impressive that Mr. Chipmen lead the 5th grade choir class througheverything on the agenda. Through very little interruption Mr. Chipmen kept the momentum rolling and the

interest of the students. He continually kept the class engaged by having them be a part of the learning process.He did not merely teach music, but also taught about the composers, and how the composer would have wanted

their music to have been performed.

What teaching/rehearsalstrategies did you see?What was the learningsequence?

Throughout the class I began to take note of certain techniques this teacher implicated in his teaching. Hetended to use a lot of repetition, echo, and involvement with students. For example, when he began working on

the sight-singing piece he used echo to teach them the Latin. Following this, he played the melody while they

sang. Then as he began to incorporate the concept of canon in his lesson, he sang with them. At one point he

sang the first part, and the class sang the second, and visa versa. Afterwards, Mr. Chipmen discussed the


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historical facts about the composer, the time in which the piece was written, and where the piece may have been

performed.

What would you dodifferently? What wasmissing from the lesson?

I found this lesson to be quite competent, successful, and inspiring. However, I would have done some

things differently, such as having the choir listen to a recording of the piece in order to get the whole idea of it.I believe that such a form of preparation for the singers is important. It introduces more direction in the

phrasing and brings more life musically. In addition, it would allow the students to hear the potential for thepiece and motivate them to strive to make it better. One last thing I would have done was warm them up.

Although this is a practical idea, it helps the ensemble tune and be together. I believe that active warm ups are

crucial to a choir. Other than these things I found the lesson to be quite successful.


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What evidence did youobserve that wouldindicate that the learninggoals were met?

The first major goal of the class was to learn Jubilate Deo. The class not only learned the piece, butbegan to perform it in canon with the teacher. The class had minimal interruptions during the lesson. Each

student listened and followed the directions of the teacher intently. When the teacher would stop to make a

correction the student would take note of the correction and perform the piece as directed by the teacher. At onepoint the teacher had the choir get on the risers and the class did so in an orderly fashion without needing the

teacher to correct them. Another goal was to run the concert repertoire piece. This was very successful. Mr.Chipmen ran the piece only a few times, with one correction. I believe that these results are evidence that he

met the learning goals that he set up for this lesson.

What evidence of criticalthinking, critical feelingand/or critical action didyou see?

I saw critical thinking happening with both the teacher and the students. What impressed me is the teacher

set up the lesson to bait the students to think. At the very beginning of the class Mr. Chipmen was having a

discussion about the previous lesson. I found it rather interesting because he did not simply stand up and recitethe last lesson to refresh the students memory. He had an open conversation with them about what they had

learned. He allowed them to share what they remembered. The second time I witnessed critical action on the

teachers part, and critical thinking in the students, was when the teacher wanted to run a piece. The piece wasset up as a canon. Mr. Chipmen told the class to pick part one, or part two but dont tell anyone. He allowed the

students to make a choice in the class. It gave them a feeling of importance because they were allowed to makea choice. He then ran the piece, and at the ending asked them to express what they thought about their

performance of the piece. Many students were displeased simply because too many students were on one part.The point is he allowed them to make a choice, and then asked them to share their opinion of the result of their

choice. This gave them an opportunity to explore, and be independent in a safe environment. This is crucial todeveloping both affective musicians, and great human beings.

What National Standards

did you see?

Understanding music in relation to history and culture, evaluating music and music performances, singing

with an ensemble, reading rhythms and sight-singing, and listening to and analyzing music.

How did students engagein the classroom? Whatwas happening at the timewhen students were reallyfocused?

The students appeared to be relaxed and joyous in the classroom. You could easily tell the students

enjoyed this class. It was very interesting, for me, to see all the students paying close attention. It certainlydismissed many assumptions I had about the behavior of a 5th grade chorus class. There was no opposition

when the teacher asked the students to do something. There was one student whose zeal for music stuck out

immediately. He was very outspoken, and expressed the love he had for music through his participation. Hewould be the first to raise his hand, and spoke with excitement. The time in which the students were most

engaged was when the teacher ran through the repertoire piece. The class stood up, began singing, and started


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to move with the music. There was one moment when the students were corrected by the teacher about a

rhythm. Mr. Chipmen simply said, That rhythm is wrong. Fix it. Then they ran it again, and without any othercorrections ran perfectly. I found that to be remarkable. I learned that when the class enjoyed what they were

doing they were focused.

Describe a "teachablemoment" that you mighthave witnessed.

If I must be honest I witnessed several teachable moments. The moment that I gleaned from the most was

when Mr. Chipmen educated the students on the piece. He introduced the composer, the time in which the piece

was written, where it was written, where it would have been performed, how it would have been performed.Never before did it cross my mind that teachers teaching anything lower than 8th grade chorus would be

educating their students on the history of music. It was a fantastic revelation! Another moment that truly movedme was when the students attempted to sight-sing and he allowed them to crash and burn. This for me was an

example of critical pedagogy in real life. The first Music Education Lab was centered on the idea that youshould not assume your students can not do something. To see an actual teacher applying this concept to his

classroom was inspiring. He allowed them to crash and burn, and when they did he helped them get right back

up. In less than ten minutes they could sing the piece in canon with the teacher. That for me was anextraordinary moment in this observation.

What positive comments might you make about this lesson/rehearsal?As I have previously stated I was very impressed with this lesson. I found it to be competent, effective, and inspiring. There were some

specific things that I really appreciated. The lesson was delivered with great focus and direction. The teacher truly knew how to lead the class,

and accomplish what he had originally planned on accomplishing. Although he operated with such focus, he did not allow the lesson becomedeprived of enjoyment. There was a fantastic balance between focus and fun. I truly appreciated the teacher allowing for the students to operate

apart from him. He did not assume they could not sight-read or speak Latin. He allowed them to test the waters, and aided them whenappropriate. There was one point where a student was going to ask a question during the rehearsal. Mr. Chipmen asked, Is it an emergency?

After the student said no, he quickly got back on task. This tells me that the teacher knows his students well, and avoids certain things he

knows will distract them from learning. I appreciated the way he rewarded and corrected the students. When the students did somethingcorrectly, he would congratulate them. When something was done incorrectly, he would quickly correct them, and move on. This class proved

to be a fantastic one.


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What constructive comments might you make about this lesson/rehearsal?There are not many things I disagreed with in terms of the teachers lesson. One thing that I would do is have the students warm up in the

beginning. I do not suggest warm-ups that are part of routine, but active warm-ups. This begins by identifying issues with the choir, anddeveloping exercises that will help resolve these issues. Starting a class with a warm-up session also helps the students concentrate. Many times

the students come from another class or situation and are not ready to make the transition mentally to the next class. This gives them time toadjust to the environment, and to focus on the task at hand. Another comment I would make is to allow the students to make a deeper

connection to the text. There was a piece that the choir was reading called, Jubilate Deo. He did not give the translation of the piece to the

students. I believe that is a great error when it comes to dealing with other languages. Although we are dealing with 5 th graders, we need tobegin to help them think creatively. Presenting the text and allowing them time to make a connection with it will help the students grow as

musicians and artists. It will also make the performance of the piece much more meaningful.

What is your overall assessment of this teacher, the students and the lesson/rehearsal?This educator possessed many great qualities that make a great teacher. He knew how to lead a class

without abusing his authority. He had a great amount of energy and personality and used a great amount of

humor during his lesson. He did not doubt his students, but held them to a high standard of proficiency. It waseasy to tell that he enjoyed educating the students. He did his job, and made it enjoyable for the students. Hetruly knew how to engage his classroom. I believe that an understanding of your students is crucial in withengaging them, and educating them. The students themselves were a fantastic group of children. They wereattentive, creative, and excited. It was such an interesting group of children. Each of them connected with themusic, and enjoyed doing so. It reminded me of why there should be music education in schools. As I have saidmany times before, this was a wonderful lesson, and its delivery was witty and successful. I believe it helped thestudents grow as musicians. Not only did they glean understanding from this lesson, but they also enjoyed it. Thelesson proved to be effective for the students in the class.

Drew Brennan Suburban Elementary School Observation

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