Student Teaching Reflection
Student Teaching Reflection
Student Teaching Reflection
I started my student teaching experience and Tamaqua Area School District in January
truly petrified about everything happening. It took about two weeks to feel generally comfortable
in this new setting and environment as both a learner and teacher. I observed students who were
excited and energetic about learning, and their devotion to music making fueled my own desire
to make music with them. I found that once I got over myself and my own nerves that true music
discipline and still having fun making and learning about music. Although I did pick up some
things that were useful and effective, there is still much I have to learn about classroom
management. One of my most eye-opening classes was with fourth grade musicians during a
recorder class. When I couldn’t get students to stop talking or stop playing during rests, I
completely changed my approach and did the entire lesson in a whisper so students would be
forced to not talk, and really focus on what I was saying. This was genuinely a spectacular
experience, because as the students really started listening, they became more focused and
Area School district during a seventh grade rehearsal, when I asked the students to focus
specifically on one aspect of the music, in this case moving through ties over a bar line, their
playing changed, as did my podium personality. Once I found that students could respond to my
direction and conducting on something so small, I was able to command both classroom and
rehearsal with much more ease, and, the students were able to trust me in my own musical
decisions.
Clarissa Budd
Teaching lessons has been by far the most rewarding experience of student teaching,
seeing music making in students from 4th to 8th grade. I struggled philosophically with lessons
during my first half of student teaching, as my cooperating teacher ran things differently than I
was comfortable. I continued following her lesson structure, but I wish I had changed things
sooner because when students played with each other, they responded much better to my
direction, and also told me that lessons were much more fun! Even if we only played a warm-up
together, the students clearly enjoyed playing together, which I should have incorporated more
during my time at Tamaqua. But knowing thing, my lessons at State College were structured
much better, having students play together much more of the time in warm-ups, repertoire and
chamber music.
lessons and from the podium. In conducting, I have found that specifically asking students for
feedback is the best and most useful way to gain feedback for what is or is not working. I also
want to challenge my students to think critically more about music, which can be done through