Journal #4 of Student Teaching
Feb. 6-10
Curriculum
Mrs. Castonguay’s classroom incorporates the teaching of basic musicianship skills along with the application of these skills to sing appropriate literature. Each student is expected to attend performances, including the Holiday Concert, Spring Concert, Choral Assessment and the singing Valentines (only for the auditioned Concert Choir.) Students are also prepared by their teacher to audition for Choral Festivals including the District Choral Festival and All-State Choir. Even though not all students go to the optional events, each student is prepared as if they were all going. This means that there is practice every few days in sight singing (always on solfege) as well as rhythmic exercises (using takadimi). Students also learn proper rehearsal techniques, from keeping conversation limited to the music to proper posture while singing and effective breathing techniques. Students in her middle school classes are given basic training music symbols and are quizzed weekly on symbols. Those who receive a 75 or lower are given a few days to study and then an opportunity to retake the quiz. This accounts for a portion of their final grade in the class.
Rehearsal is segmented into warm-up’s, which reminds students of proper posture, breathing, tone, among other things, depending on the warm-up. If sight singing exercises or a music quiz is in the lesson plan, it happens after the warm-up. Either the sight singing example is handed out to students, they are given “Do”, then a triad of the key they will sing in, twenty seconds to look over the excerpts and then, as a class, they will go through it after the teacher counts them in with a slow, steady tempo. Typically, as a class, they will slow down the tempo, and the teacher will snap her fingers to remind them of the tempo originally set. After they finish, there is discussion of where there were problems and given tips on what to do to make their sight-reading more effective the next time. If a concert is not in the near future, only a piece or two will be focused on so that small portions can be discussed and drilled. This involves a conversation between teacher and class on musical devices used in the segment or the teacher will go back and have the students apply the devices. For example, if students do not do a crescendo, the teacher will stop and show them what she wants, or ask what they could have done to make the phrase more musical. Note issues are also addressed in a variety of ways. Sometimes, students are called upon to solfege the phrase, slowly (this is for her more advanced classes) or the students are called upon to see where else the note occurs, whether it is sung by another voice part or if they had sung the note shortly before. The phrase will sometimes be played by the piano as they sing it. The student’s grades, outside of test scores, are based on participation: how good of a choir member are they? Are they respectful to those around them? Do they follow directions and come to class prepared with music, a pencil and a good attitude? Do they do their best to improve the sound of the choir as well as their own voice?
Curriculum
Mrs. Castonguay’s classroom incorporates the teaching of basic musicianship skills along with the application of these skills to sing appropriate literature. Each student is expected to attend performances, including the Holiday Concert, Spring Concert, Choral Assessment and the singing Valentines (only for the auditioned Concert Choir.) Students are also prepared by their teacher to audition for Choral Festivals including the District Choral Festival and All-State Choir. Even though not all students go to the optional events, each student is prepared as if they were all going. This means that there is practice every few days in sight singing (always on solfege) as well as rhythmic exercises (using takadimi). Students also learn proper rehearsal techniques, from keeping conversation limited to the music to proper posture while singing and effective breathing techniques. Students in her middle school classes are given basic training music symbols and are quizzed weekly on symbols. Those who receive a 75 or lower are given a few days to study and then an opportunity to retake the quiz. This accounts for a portion of their final grade in the class.
Rehearsal is segmented into warm-up’s, which reminds students of proper posture, breathing, tone, among other things, depending on the warm-up. If sight singing exercises or a music quiz is in the lesson plan, it happens after the warm-up. Either the sight singing example is handed out to students, they are given “Do”, then a triad of the key they will sing in, twenty seconds to look over the excerpts and then, as a class, they will go through it after the teacher counts them in with a slow, steady tempo. Typically, as a class, they will slow down the tempo, and the teacher will snap her fingers to remind them of the tempo originally set. After they finish, there is discussion of where there were problems and given tips on what to do to make their sight-reading more effective the next time. If a concert is not in the near future, only a piece or two will be focused on so that small portions can be discussed and drilled. This involves a conversation between teacher and class on musical devices used in the segment or the teacher will go back and have the students apply the devices. For example, if students do not do a crescendo, the teacher will stop and show them what she wants, or ask what they could have done to make the phrase more musical. Note issues are also addressed in a variety of ways. Sometimes, students are called upon to solfege the phrase, slowly (this is for her more advanced classes) or the students are called upon to see where else the note occurs, whether it is sung by another voice part or if they had sung the note shortly before. The phrase will sometimes be played by the piano as they sing it. The student’s grades, outside of test scores, are based on participation: how good of a choir member are they? Are they respectful to those around them? Do they follow directions and come to class prepared with music, a pencil and a good attitude? Do they do their best to improve the sound of the choir as well as their own voice?