2019 Kayla's Blog

The music lesson plan went extremely well! Everyone presesnted their parts of the lesson to perfection and adapted to any hitches that may have come up. During the presenting for my task I was flooded with anxiety, however my group members were able to calm me down afterwards and after watching the video of our lesson that we got someone to record, I felt much better about my execution. With regard to the written part of the music lesson plan, I contributed a large portion of it. Before the other members of my group even began to start writing notes on the google docs we had made, I had already typed out and covered all the bases on the criteria and rubric sheet we were given about what information to put on it. That is not to say my group didnt contribute, I just did majority of the heavy lifting which I didn’t mind since I wasnt particularly musically talented so I hoped that the other would contribute in other ways (which they did). Each group member also provided their own task and part of the lesson that they were going to teach so that was nice to have your own part designated to yourself with the help of the rest of the members, peer editing and adding suggestions. We all came up with the idea about linking music to famous paintings as we knew the audience we were about to be teaching would have recognized each of these pieces and or bands/artists that we used. It was amazing how engaged the students in the class were, even to go as far as wanting to do the ‘next’ lesson we would teach if this were a real grade 6 class. As for the reflection on my teaching, I think I need to get out of my own head because often times I manage to stress myself out before I even present the work I had prepared. I think that also has something to do with the lesson we taught was to our peers opposed to a group of harmless and less intimdating grade 6 students. All the same though, I bring the anxiety upon myself for no reason, especially after watching the video as it showed that I did do well and the shakiness of my voice that I was hearing was again in my head. I also had the flu when I presented my the lesson which was not ideal and if I was in better condition I would have brought much more energy to the activity. I was pleased that the whole lesson came out cohesive, each one linking and connecting to the next and can’t wait to hopefully use this lesson plan in my own classroom in the future. As for the FPPL that we incorporated, that also flowed smoothly into the activity as there was a band that was perfect for the integration of it. We brought a bit of their culture into the lesson plan and I do believe we did it justice. We were able to use the following FPPL ideas.

Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).

Learning requires exploration of one’s identity.

Learning recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge

Each of these were demonstrated through our building of trust, engagement, and connecting one thing to an even bigger picture with a larger message. Overall the class only reconfirmed that we had done well with their enthusiasm and great engagement. 

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As the semester has come to an end it was time to finally put to the test what I had learned. I currently have a week until the end of the semester is approaching and I have learned a great deal with regard to music knowledge thanks to Anita. With the help from her criticism I was able to adjust the way I held my guitar and properly tune it for when I was to film. Even with my practice regime staying on track I still couldn’t quite get a grasp on switching from the D fret to the G fret with island in the sun.  However, I do think I have improved, I also thoroughly enjoy playing so I hope to continue practicing even when I finish this course.
For the second song I tried mastering, “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith has probably been my favourite song to learn. I discovered that when learning one of my favourite songs, it makes it more enjoyable when practicing and wanting to get better as you want to be able to do the song justice. I was able to keep a steady beat by the end, as that was a problem I noticed I had when reviewing the video updates from the midterm. I also was able to play more fluently and gracefully which was exactly the goal I had set up for myself in the final musical growth plan.
As for “Counting Stars” by One Republic, I also felt like I improved a lot since the midterm. I was able to keep the beat more consistently, and was able to memorize the chords. This therefore led me to playing each chord transition more fluently which is seen by the video.

Overall I believe I met nearly all the goals in my musical growth plan which I am content about. I will definitely be incorporating music/singing/playing an instrument in my own future class as a teacher.

During the music class observations taken place at Tillicum Elemntary school, I was able to gain a lot of valuable information to take onto my future class as a teacher.

There was different content and skills  we witnessed such as exploring the elements, materials, movements, and techniques of music (clapping along to songs, dancing, playing discussing instruments, practicing beat/rhythm, brief introductions to music symbols). It also incuded exploring artistic expression through creative processes (dancing to songs, making music using their bodies)

As for the pedagogical strategies for each class the teacher usually demonstrated the activity alone first, then do the activity and have the students repeat it after, then do the activity with the students, and occasionally have the students do the activity alone (Gradual Release of Responsibility). The students would also always sit in a circle on the carpet where they can all face the teacher and each other

With regard to adaptations made by the music teacher, one student has some behaviour issues (ie. is known to run out of class and hide – although this has yet to happen during music class, has a hard time paying attention/staying engaged, has a hard time keeping their hands to themselves – always wants to sit on your lap, wants hugs, kisses people on the cheek. While another student has some sort of learning/development delay (possibly autism), has a difficult time paying attention, has a difficult time waiting their turn, gets fixated on certain things – like a specific spot they want to sit on but weren’t assigned, has an abnormally difficult time resisting using the instruments before instructed to do so, has a difficult time keeping on beat with the song/teacher when playing an instrument, is always in a great mood though!

Overall this teacher that my teacher partner Emma and I observed seems to have created a very positive, engaging, classroom environment with fun and educational lesson plans