Maggie Rabe

4/19/17

Practicum Observation 1

Instructor/Teacher/Leader
The class I observed was a music technology class called Mac Music, and it
focused on using online programs and other technologies (Ableton Live, etc.) to create
popular music. The teacher was clearly very knowledgeable and interested in the subject
he was teaching. He had both a musical background and a computer technology
background, which made him confident in his teaching and his ability to help students.
He began the class with a lecture, about ten minutes long, introducing a new function on
Sonic Pi, a program the students had used before. He shows what the function is, how to
enter it into the program, and shows his example of how the function works in context of
a song. During his lecture, he had to stop several times to make sure students were
paying attention, but kept the same upbeat attitude throughout. Students then had the rest
of class to work on their projects that would be submitted at the end of the week, where
they were to use the new function they learned about. The teacher walked around and
gave help where needed, but mostly worked on keeping students on task. He encouraged
students to be creating music, and gave praise and advice to them as he listened to their
music.

Participants/Students
The makeup of the students in the class was mostly male students, and the class
was very racially diverse (Harrisonburg schools in general present more diversity than
some other school systems), and had more than half African American students. The
students mostly all seemed to have an interest in making music, or beats, but were not
always focused on the assigned task. For example, even though they were supposed to be
using Sonic Pi to practice the new function the teacher had lectured on, but many of the
students were on GarageBand instead, working on different projects. However, it was still
uplifting to see students who were not part of traditional ensembles interesting in making
music.

Environment
The atmosphere of this class was a little unfocused at times, because students did
not seem very interested in making music using the Sonic Pi program. The class also had
several students absent, which the teacher accredited to it being the end of the year, and
seniors who were close to graduation not putting forth their usual effort. However, the
students were supportive and friendly towards each other, and the teacher kept a positive
attitude which contributed to an overall positive atmosphere, despite the lack of focus at
times.

Content/Music
Students spent the majority of class using technology to create music. This meets
standards about composing and using music technology, which are part of a general
music class curriculum. Students were learning a lot of skills that they could use outside
of the classroom, and past their public schooling education. Most of the programs they
used can be assessed through an Apple computer or on the Internet, so students can
continue to create music past class. This helps promote a lifelong interest in music, and
helps foster creativity and expression in students who, for the most part, do not have
traditional music training.

Key Takeaways

My main takeaway from this observation is how important it is for a teacher to

not become too discouraged or frustrated with students while teaching. The teacher had to
stop a few times to ask the class to focus again, but he kept a positive attitude throughout
which helped keep a positive learning atmosphere. The teacher was also supportive and
encouraging to his students throughout the class. It opened my eyes more to the fact that
students may not always focus on the material at hand, but that doesnt mean they dont
deserve support, and they cant still be interested in creating and engaging with music.

Some questions I might have for the teacher of this class:

At what point is it necessary to stop and ask students to re-focus in a lecture?

How do you support students creativity while still encouraging them to focus
on the material they should be focusing on?