Nothing to report from teaching this week - I am on spring break! It feels great to relax after the stresses of finishing and submitting the edTPA. Although I didn't teach this week, I was able to take some time to reflect on my past experiences and make some plans for the upcoming week. Although there are only four weeks of teaching left, there is quite a bit to do. I spent the week planning rehearsals for our upcoming concert in April. To do this, I addressed standard 3 - planning for differentiated instruction. "The competent teacher plans and designs instruction based on content area knowledge, diverse student characteristics, student performance data, curriculum goals, and the community context. The teacher plans for ongoing student growth and achievement." When I return to school on Monday, I plan to engage students with a range of rehearsal techniques to maximize the effectiveness of our rehearsals. I am planning out sections of music to rehearse each day and strategies that will help students learn quickly. I don't usually plan rehearsals too specifically because students always have issues with spots I didn't plan to rehearse or perform my pre-planned spots with ease. I am making a plan to lay out our concert songs and address different sections in each rehearsal. I anticipate students won't like this because the songs will seem fragmented, but it is essential to our success. Now that the edTPA is submitted, I'm looking forward to returning to school with enthusiasm, and without that major cloud over my head!
Friday, March 30, 2018
Friday, March 23, 2018
Phil Kleven Week 11
Last week before spring break! This was a tough week for all my different classes. The students were already in spring break mode on Monday, and we had a lot of work that needed to be done. Although we just finished a concert cycle, students are already preparing for another performance two weeks after we return from break.
This week, I saw my cooperating teacher challenge students in pieces she is conducting. One of the high school groups is really struggling to perform, and she gave them some tough love. The first hour class has upwards of 70 students, and it is very difficult to support them all. After witnessing her strategies, I attempted to implement them in my own teaching with the piece I conduct. The biggest difficulty in this group is that the violins need so much support and attention that the other sections (violas, cellos, basses) become bored. I don't think they feel neglected, their music just happens to be easier to play. This is one unfortunate aspect of orchestral playing - the first violin section always has the hardest music, and the other sections aren't challenged as much. The reason for this is that the melody needs to be in the highest voice in order for the audience to hear it, and that is the violin section. When the first violin struggles, they eat up most of the rehearsal time. I believe daily sectionals with this group will be a positive strategy as we return from break.
My cooperating teacher demonstrated an ability to change gears quickly in rehearsal, and that is a skill that I'm still working on. She is quickly able to recognize when the group is not responding to instructions, and moves them to a different spot in the music. While I was conducting, I encountered a difficult section of music, and we became stuck on it. I tried to work on it for some time, and my cooperating teacher mentioned that I spent way too much time on it. I had no idea how long we worked! As a violinist, I am a perfectionist, and I really wanted the music to improve. In the future, I'll do a better job of time management to ensure the rehearsal doesn't become stale or too one-sided.
In my next teaching week (next week is spring break!) I hope to spend more time rehearsing efficiently with each group. I will try a new strategy - full week planning with specific sections in the music. I haven't done much of this, because when I did, the section I planned to rehearse ended up needing no work and I had to find other sections to study. I think the students would benefit from a rehearsal strategy that divides up the music. We wouldn't play the entire piece each day, but would work on a different section each day so we complete the entire piece over the course of a week. Back when I was doing observations, a middle school teacher used this strategy and it worked very well.
Due to the issues with rehearsal management, I chose to focus on standard 5 this week.
"The competent teacher differentiates instruction by using a variety of strategies that support critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and continuous growth and learning. This teacher understands that the classroom is a dynamic environment requiring ongoing modification of instruction to enhance learning for each student."
It's time for me to develop new strategies related to rehearsal management to better plan and execute my rehearsals. It is essential that I create a dynamic environment each day, and need to keep students engaged and ready to perform.
Goals for the upcoming week:
- Finish and submit edTPA tomorrow
- Relax over spring break
- Complete portfolio
- Finish job applications I've already started
This week, I saw my cooperating teacher challenge students in pieces she is conducting. One of the high school groups is really struggling to perform, and she gave them some tough love. The first hour class has upwards of 70 students, and it is very difficult to support them all. After witnessing her strategies, I attempted to implement them in my own teaching with the piece I conduct. The biggest difficulty in this group is that the violins need so much support and attention that the other sections (violas, cellos, basses) become bored. I don't think they feel neglected, their music just happens to be easier to play. This is one unfortunate aspect of orchestral playing - the first violin section always has the hardest music, and the other sections aren't challenged as much. The reason for this is that the melody needs to be in the highest voice in order for the audience to hear it, and that is the violin section. When the first violin struggles, they eat up most of the rehearsal time. I believe daily sectionals with this group will be a positive strategy as we return from break.
My cooperating teacher demonstrated an ability to change gears quickly in rehearsal, and that is a skill that I'm still working on. She is quickly able to recognize when the group is not responding to instructions, and moves them to a different spot in the music. While I was conducting, I encountered a difficult section of music, and we became stuck on it. I tried to work on it for some time, and my cooperating teacher mentioned that I spent way too much time on it. I had no idea how long we worked! As a violinist, I am a perfectionist, and I really wanted the music to improve. In the future, I'll do a better job of time management to ensure the rehearsal doesn't become stale or too one-sided.
In my next teaching week (next week is spring break!) I hope to spend more time rehearsing efficiently with each group. I will try a new strategy - full week planning with specific sections in the music. I haven't done much of this, because when I did, the section I planned to rehearse ended up needing no work and I had to find other sections to study. I think the students would benefit from a rehearsal strategy that divides up the music. We wouldn't play the entire piece each day, but would work on a different section each day so we complete the entire piece over the course of a week. Back when I was doing observations, a middle school teacher used this strategy and it worked very well.
Due to the issues with rehearsal management, I chose to focus on standard 5 this week.
"The competent teacher differentiates instruction by using a variety of strategies that support critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and continuous growth and learning. This teacher understands that the classroom is a dynamic environment requiring ongoing modification of instruction to enhance learning for each student."
It's time for me to develop new strategies related to rehearsal management to better plan and execute my rehearsals. It is essential that I create a dynamic environment each day, and need to keep students engaged and ready to perform.
Goals for the upcoming week:
- Finish and submit edTPA tomorrow
- Relax over spring break
- Complete portfolio
- Finish job applications I've already started
Friday, March 16, 2018
Phil Kleven Week 10
Has it really been 10 weeks? Time is moving very quickly. This would have the first week in my second placement, but I'm fortunate to be continuing in my first placement through the end of the semester. I'm glad things worked out this way, because I'm seeing the entire course of a semester with one group. The continuity and flow of classes are two things I hoped to gain insight into during student teaching.
This was another successful week for both the middle and high school students. The high school groups are working on new music in preparation for our next two concerts. We had a successful concert at the middle school on Tuesday night, and the students are now preparing for their contest performance tomorrow. We will be traveling to a school up north to present our program for a panel of judges, who will give us score and feedback on our abilities and preparation.
This week I really saw how to prepare a group for the contest. My cooperating teacher shifted into high gear, and the students focused intently. It was really nice to see how hard they could work. I wish they would work this hard all the time, but am still happy that they recognize the seriousness of this contest. Through my cooperating teacher's example, I saw how to run extremely efficient rehearsals, making the most of each second. These experiences provided insight into my own teaching methods, and made me reflect on my instructional pacing. When the pacing speeds up, students can become stressed, but it also helps them remain focused in achieving classroom goals.
In the week ahead, I hope to gain more insight into speaking with groups after performances. I had a chance to do this with both high school and middle school groups after the concerts, but it will be different after the contest. There is a delicate balance of criticism and positivity that needs to emerge in these conversations. Too much criticism will diminish student spirits, but a little is necessary to drive practice and improvement. Similarly, too much positivity will falsely inform students of success when it hasn't been earned.
Like last week, I chose to focus on standard 7 - assessment. "The competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student."Assessment is ongoing in the orchestra classroom, but students are not always aware of it. When we have major assessments like concerts or competitions, students become well aware of the circumstances, and often make major improvements right before the event. I'm learning how to strategically use assessments to drive student growth and progress.
Goals for the week ahead:
- Have a great competition on Saturday
- Finish edTPA on Monday
- Practice excellent teaching through new differentiation strategies (sectionals, individual lessons)
This was another successful week for both the middle and high school students. The high school groups are working on new music in preparation for our next two concerts. We had a successful concert at the middle school on Tuesday night, and the students are now preparing for their contest performance tomorrow. We will be traveling to a school up north to present our program for a panel of judges, who will give us score and feedback on our abilities and preparation.
This week I really saw how to prepare a group for the contest. My cooperating teacher shifted into high gear, and the students focused intently. It was really nice to see how hard they could work. I wish they would work this hard all the time, but am still happy that they recognize the seriousness of this contest. Through my cooperating teacher's example, I saw how to run extremely efficient rehearsals, making the most of each second. These experiences provided insight into my own teaching methods, and made me reflect on my instructional pacing. When the pacing speeds up, students can become stressed, but it also helps them remain focused in achieving classroom goals.
In the week ahead, I hope to gain more insight into speaking with groups after performances. I had a chance to do this with both high school and middle school groups after the concerts, but it will be different after the contest. There is a delicate balance of criticism and positivity that needs to emerge in these conversations. Too much criticism will diminish student spirits, but a little is necessary to drive practice and improvement. Similarly, too much positivity will falsely inform students of success when it hasn't been earned.
Like last week, I chose to focus on standard 7 - assessment. "The competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student."Assessment is ongoing in the orchestra classroom, but students are not always aware of it. When we have major assessments like concerts or competitions, students become well aware of the circumstances, and often make major improvements right before the event. I'm learning how to strategically use assessments to drive student growth and progress.
Goals for the week ahead:
- Have a great competition on Saturday
- Finish edTPA on Monday
- Practice excellent teaching through new differentiation strategies (sectionals, individual lessons)
Friday, March 9, 2018
Phil Kleven Week 9
The 9th week has come and gone. This was supposed to be the last week in my first placement, but I'm fortunate to be staying in my current school through the end of the semester. I've learned a lot so far, and I'm happy to be continuing with the same teacher and students. Compared to last week, this week was pretty calm. Our concerts at the high school are done, and now we are preparing new music for the next two performances. I can tell the students are starting to lose focus and are starting to stress about upcoming AP tests and finals. Spring break will be a nice time for them to recharge. I'm still busy as ever at the middle school. We have a concert next Tuesday and a contest next Saturday. The stress of these performances has really helped the kick the students (and instructors... haha) into high gear.
This week, I had the opportunity to work with students in small group sectionals by playing along with them. This has been extremely helpful at the middle and high schools, and my rapport with students has grown because of it. When we work in sectionals, the students see me as a leader working towards the same goal as them, rather than a boss barking commands at them all the time. I allowed different students to lead the sectional, and gave them time to make suggestions for improvement. This setting gave me insight into the power of student lead activities. They took ownership of their performance abilities and worked together to improve the sound of our group.
I also learned a new strategy this week as I introduced new music - less is more. When starting private students on new music, I tend to give them an overview of the entire song. This doesn't work with 70 kids in a class. My cooperating teacher suggested working on 8-10 measures of music and then stopping the group. This strategy helped me give simple commands and gave students short opportunities to practice them. We played one phrase of music and fixed it, and then went to the next and did the same thing. Soon we had roughly 30 measures of the song under control, and it was beginning to sound like music.
In the week ahead, I hope to gain insight into the mental and physical preparation for contests. We bring the middle school students to their contest in the next week, and this is a new experience for me and for some of the students. They aren't competing against other schools, but against themselves. We will be scored by a panel of judges in the areas of rhythm, tuning, articulation, and stage presence, to name a few. This type of contest helps students see the reason for all our preparation, and how we are working towards a common goal.
Given the nature of the upcoming week, I chose to focus on standard 7 - assessment. "The competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student". With our big assessments coming up, I will be able to monitor student progress, measure their growth, and see the effectiveness of my instruction. Teaching music is truly unique - we put our students on a stage for their summative assessments. Parents, administrators, students, and community members all come to watch. It can be frightening for some of the students, but I believe this shared experience is what creates friendships between students that last though high school, college, and beyond.
Goals for the upcoming week:
- Have a great middle school contest and concert
- Finish edTPA
- Remain focused for remaining concerts
- Practice excellent teaching
This week, I had the opportunity to work with students in small group sectionals by playing along with them. This has been extremely helpful at the middle and high schools, and my rapport with students has grown because of it. When we work in sectionals, the students see me as a leader working towards the same goal as them, rather than a boss barking commands at them all the time. I allowed different students to lead the sectional, and gave them time to make suggestions for improvement. This setting gave me insight into the power of student lead activities. They took ownership of their performance abilities and worked together to improve the sound of our group.
I also learned a new strategy this week as I introduced new music - less is more. When starting private students on new music, I tend to give them an overview of the entire song. This doesn't work with 70 kids in a class. My cooperating teacher suggested working on 8-10 measures of music and then stopping the group. This strategy helped me give simple commands and gave students short opportunities to practice them. We played one phrase of music and fixed it, and then went to the next and did the same thing. Soon we had roughly 30 measures of the song under control, and it was beginning to sound like music.
In the week ahead, I hope to gain insight into the mental and physical preparation for contests. We bring the middle school students to their contest in the next week, and this is a new experience for me and for some of the students. They aren't competing against other schools, but against themselves. We will be scored by a panel of judges in the areas of rhythm, tuning, articulation, and stage presence, to name a few. This type of contest helps students see the reason for all our preparation, and how we are working towards a common goal.
Given the nature of the upcoming week, I chose to focus on standard 7 - assessment. "The competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student". With our big assessments coming up, I will be able to monitor student progress, measure their growth, and see the effectiveness of my instruction. Teaching music is truly unique - we put our students on a stage for their summative assessments. Parents, administrators, students, and community members all come to watch. It can be frightening for some of the students, but I believe this shared experience is what creates friendships between students that last though high school, college, and beyond.
Goals for the upcoming week:
- Have a great middle school contest and concert
- Finish edTPA
- Remain focused for remaining concerts
- Practice excellent teaching
Friday, March 2, 2018
Phil Kleven Week 8
Week 8 was my biggest week by far. We had our first of two concerts this semester at the high school and all three groups performed 2-3 pieces. This was my first concert as a conductor, and it was a little weird driving to a performance without my violin. I remember joking with the students beforehand that it was easier for me to travel with my baton and scores! I did try to lighten the atmosphere with some jokes because many students were tense. One student had her first performance as concertmaster - the first or lead violinist. The concertmaster always enters the stage last to tune the orchestra after the audience has settled down. She was nearly crippled with anxiety over this. I took her aside right before the performance and offered advice from my own experiences as concertmaster. I imagine it helped a bit, because she took the stage with confidence and led the string sections very well.
I learned that putting a student in these types of positions can cause stress (one of my social emotional standards), but having these experiences encourages future student leadership in the group. I saw many of the concertmaster's peers excited by her new position, and many will attempt to rise to it in our upcoming auditions for the next school year. Although our class is almost entirely performance based, it is easy to forget that students are not just coming to it to learn how to perform. They are learning how to be musicians and the successful habits that lead to it. I strive to teach them as much about music as I can, but it is important to remember that there are aspects and qualities of music education beyond performance. This includes leadership, discipline, and routine/tradition. I will remember this situation as I place students in my future ensembles. I will need to take great care in the psychology of placing students in certain groups and positions, and the possible side effects of the competitive side of music.
In the week ahead, I hope to learn more about selecting music for my ensembles. So far, I've had a chance to hear auditions, prepare students for concerts, and perform with them. I haven't selected music for the groups though. This is a delicate process that must be taken with care. Selecting music that is too easy can affect the self esteem of a student and can help or hinder performance progress for a group as a whole.
This week, I chose to focus on standard 7 - assessment.
"The competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student."
I was able to see the effects of all my formative assessments as my students beautifully displayed their summative assessment for an enthusiastic audience. This type of assessment helps students connect and take ownership of their work because they must present it in public. The concert was wonderful in pushing students to practice. The closer we got to the date, the better my ensembles sounded. I was able to measure substantial student growth - from no ability to perform the music to playing so wonderfully that the audience erupted in a standing ovation.
Goals for the upcoming week:
Watch and discuss performance videos with students
Select new music with confidence
Finish edTPA task three
Apply to jobs (It's early for postings, but there are a few orchestra positions available right now)
I learned that putting a student in these types of positions can cause stress (one of my social emotional standards), but having these experiences encourages future student leadership in the group. I saw many of the concertmaster's peers excited by her new position, and many will attempt to rise to it in our upcoming auditions for the next school year. Although our class is almost entirely performance based, it is easy to forget that students are not just coming to it to learn how to perform. They are learning how to be musicians and the successful habits that lead to it. I strive to teach them as much about music as I can, but it is important to remember that there are aspects and qualities of music education beyond performance. This includes leadership, discipline, and routine/tradition. I will remember this situation as I place students in my future ensembles. I will need to take great care in the psychology of placing students in certain groups and positions, and the possible side effects of the competitive side of music.
In the week ahead, I hope to learn more about selecting music for my ensembles. So far, I've had a chance to hear auditions, prepare students for concerts, and perform with them. I haven't selected music for the groups though. This is a delicate process that must be taken with care. Selecting music that is too easy can affect the self esteem of a student and can help or hinder performance progress for a group as a whole.
This week, I chose to focus on standard 7 - assessment.
"The competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student."
I was able to see the effects of all my formative assessments as my students beautifully displayed their summative assessment for an enthusiastic audience. This type of assessment helps students connect and take ownership of their work because they must present it in public. The concert was wonderful in pushing students to practice. The closer we got to the date, the better my ensembles sounded. I was able to measure substantial student growth - from no ability to perform the music to playing so wonderfully that the audience erupted in a standing ovation.
Goals for the upcoming week:
Watch and discuss performance videos with students
Select new music with confidence
Finish edTPA task three
Apply to jobs (It's early for postings, but there are a few orchestra positions available right now)
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Phil Kleven Week 16
Week 16! The last full week! Although things are winding down for me, my classes are moving full speed ahead. All orchestras are preparing f...
