Student A

13 Years Old, 7th Grade, Percussion

Observation

Student A is a relatively quiet student who does her best most of the time. She loves

playing percussion and is even taking drumset lessons. She often practices on her own when

other students are being addressed and is always prepared. Aside from musicianship, she is also

a caring person who puts others before herself. She has given her drumsticks away to other

students who cannot afford them. She also challenges other students to be better but in a positive

way. She always does whatever is asked of her with no questions asked and often does things

such as stack chairs without help or prompting. This trait comes from her passion to help and

her want to please. She is an active learner and will ask questions whenever she has them, and

that knowledge stays with her.

From Record

Student A’s record only supported what I observed in class. All of her grades since

elementary school lie within an A/B grade range, and all of the teacher comments refer to her

quality work. She has exceeding marks in English and Pattern math (statistics, probability)

which I found very ironic regarding the instrument she chose. She has no documented

disabilities or accommodations on file. The only thing that did stand out in her record is

attendance record. She has between fifteen to twenty-five unexcused absences every year she

has been in school. These could be due to frequent family trips, sickness, etc. The causes are

not documented since they are unexcused absences.

Modifying Teaching

Student A does really well when she is given her own time to practice. What I have

found to most effective is to give her something more advanced to work on while I work with the

three other percussionists in the percussion class. When it comes time for me to check up on her,

sometimes she is ready to go, and I can move her on to the next thing in her packet. Other times,

she will show me what she has so far and will ask for more time to prepare. This is making her

into a more advanced, independent, and aware musician. She then takes these traits and teaches

them to the other percussionists. She also really enjoys one-on-one time as opposed to doing

what the others are doing. She is patient when she is participating with the other students, but it

is obvious that she enjoys moving at the faster past during independent practice time.
 Student B
11 Years Old, 6th Grade, Trumpet

Observation

Student B outwardly talks about his dislike for band and frequently brags about not practicing.

His range is very limited, and for four of the eighth weeks I was at Peter Muhlenberg, could only

play five notes. He has been playing trumpet since August but struggles to identify notes on the

staff even when they repeat. He outwardly rolls his eyes and mumbles under his breath when

instructed or addressed. There are two other sections in his section: one very strong student who

practices everyday and one sits between the two and relies on the strong player for pitch.

Because Student B does not practice, he often only gets middle C’s out which frustrates the

middle trumpet player because it is harder for her to find the pitch. This often leads to many

squabbles which ultimately result in Student B snapping at the other two trumpet players.

Student B’s mother has requested that he be pulled out for one-on-one instruction by Mr. Mrosko

in order to improve his grade, and this has led to another conflict. Student B does not like

attention to be drawn to him, so pulling him out of class often leads to more negative behavior.

During this one-on-one time, it has been made clear by Student B that he was made to play

trumpet by his mother; he really wanted to play percussion, but he was not allowed. This

provided for more background and perspective. After a couple pull-out sessions, Student B had

improved enough to keep up with the rest of the trumpet players in class and was left to fend for

himself in the normal classroom environment. His behavior did improve mildly, and he did

seem more content to be with the rest of the class. He still struggles to take class time seriously
at times, but he knows that if his behavior and performance does not improve that he will go

back to pull-out sessions. This incentive has seemed to keep his behavior at bay.

From Records

Student B does relatively well in school overall with grades staying in the A/B area. His

problem area seems to exist in math, but his skills in that area have been improving since he has

begun middle school. There have been other comments made by other teachers in other areas

about his rudeness and negative attitude, so this negative behavior spans further than just the

band room. He does have an IEP but does not need an aid. Please see details below about

Student B’s IEP.

IEP

Student B struggles with speech fluency and communication and is pulled out of class six times a

month for thirty minutes at a time to work with a speech pathologist. Student B has been

struggling with his speech since kindergarten and therefore has had an IEP since kindergarten.

His annual goal is to communicate more effectively by employing strategies he has learned in

speech therapy to monitor his speech disfluencies. Student B does not need accommodations in

class and is able to participate fully in class. He is able to use his speech strategies during his

therapy sessions, but they have not become habitual enough for him to use them during class

time. Student B’s speech disfluencies tend to become more pronounced when put on the spot or

made to feel nervous or rushed. Teachers have made comments about Student B being afraid to

voluntarily answer questions in class because of his speech disfluencies but will answer when

called upon. Student B much prefers to communicate on a one-on-one basis whenever he has

questions.
Modifying Teaching

Student B does not like attention drawn to him unless he purposely draws it to himself, so I feel

that pulling him out, though effective, made him feel embarrassed. Ideally, I would like to create

an inclusive environment where he can get better without feeling embarrassed or singled out. I

think one of my first steps toward modifying my instruction would be to move the stronger

trumpet player in between Student B and the other student. This way, Student B has a good

source of pitch from the more advanced player and the other trumpet student is still able to use

that same more advanced trumpet player for pitch reference. This could also help Student B’s

motivation towards getting better and practicing. Although pulling the student out embarrasses

the student, it would be a disservice to him if I allowed him to fly under the radar. Another

alternative to pulling him out is having him stay after school for thirty minutes or so. Mr.

Mrosko already does this for seventh grade student, so it would work with Student B as well. I,

personally, also do not see the issue of moving him to percussion. There would be a steeper

learning curb just because he did not start with the other percussionists, but there is a better

chance that he would be more motivated to improve. This, of course, would only happen with

his mother’s approval.

 Student C
18 Years Old, Senior, Percussion,

Observation

Student A is a rambunctious student who struggles with focus and controlling his energy.

He has many friends and really enjoys being around his fellow section mates but often causes

many distractions. This student often acknowledges his documented disability as being

“retarded,” and when corrected, gets very offended. This student, despite his abundance of

energy and lack of focus, is a very talented student. He has perfect pitch and has performed as a

lead in the school’s musical which caused him to later be awarded a scholarship to his dream

college for his stellar performance. When this student experiences emotion, he experiences them

fully. When he is overcome with sadness, he will break into unconsolable tears, but when he is

happy, his energy goes through the roof. Despite his erratic and sometimes disruptive nature, the

other students in his section love him due to his tendency to boost morale. He is the class clown

and has a relatively positive outlook in all that he does. Though he is usually the root of many of

the disruptions, he is the glue that holds the section together.

From Record

Student B’s grades range from A to D, and he has never had a consistent baseline.

Teachers have commented on his endless energy and lack of focus. He was give a Cognitive

Abilities Test where he tested well in his verbal and nonverbal reasoning skills, but he did poorly

on his quantitative reasoning skills. This student has referred to his IEP numerous times, but it

was not available in his records for me to access. I do know that he has accommodations for
testing where he is allowed extra time, but as stated, his other accommodations were not

available in his file.

Modifying Teaching

I have found that proximity really helps Student B be successful with his focus, however,

I am just one person, and I am often needed in other places at the same time. It could be helpful

for me to have another student that shares the same part to serve as a helper. In one of the pieces,

a student has already taken over that role on his own, and it has proven effective for Student A. I

could also try to arrange parts so that the others who tend to trigger his disruptions are away from

him to limit any potential distractions. Another idea is to establish an instrument rotation so that

he is playing different instruments for every piece instead of the same one. He has grown bored

of playing triangle everyday for three of the four pieces, and I think it would benefit him to play

timpani or bass drum from time to time to prevent any boredom. I have also found that he gets

distracted when his part involves a lot of downtime, so I should try to put him on parts that

involve more playing and less of counting rests.

 Student D
19 Years Old, Senior, Guitar

Observation

Student B is a quiet student who usually keeps to herself. She only interacts with two

other students on occasion and will not interact with me whatsoever despite the efforts I have

made. She does not welcome new faces well and often ignores their presence. She will interact

with the main teacher but only when he initiates the interaction. She struggles to play guitar both

physically and mentally. She has received one-on-one instruction but is unable to retain the

information or fine motor skills from one class to another. She has, however, begun to initiate

attempts on her own, though, which shows that she is interested. However, she often becomes

frustrated or disappointed with her attempts which overwhelms her emotionally which leads to

intense emotional fits that she is unable to control. In attempts to avoid this, my cooperating

teacher will often preface the class with having a conversation with her about the art she is

currently working on; Student B takes great pride in her art and is very passionate about sharing

it with others. These conversations have proven to build a trusting relationship, and this

relationship is key when teaching her guitar. Student B can become overwhelmed by her

environment at times. Other students in class can sometimes become excited or loud which can

launch her into an emotional state that she is unable to control.

From Record

Student B was born in Chicago and has moved several times since then. She has school

records from a school in Illinois, a couple schools in Michigan, a charter school in Virginia, and
now this current school. In all of her report cards since kindergarten, teachers have commented

on the same behavioral themes. Her documented weaknesses include lack of self-control,

expressing her emotions appropriately, verbalizing her needs, participating in group settings,

listening and following directions, managing her time on her own, communicating with others

especially in a social setting, and demonstrating an understanding of proper social etiquette such

as eye contact. As she has progressed through grade school, more teachers comment on her

tendency to become lost in her daydreams which causes her to get off task and keeps her from

completing assignments. She struggles to stay seated in class and prefers to leave the classroom.

As she reached middle and high school, teachers have admitted to trying to help her stay focused

and on task, but even with help, she is sometimes unable to complete an assignment.

Modifying Teaching

This student does not respond well to me, so I need to establish a relationship with her

first before I try to teach her anything. I could start by just having conversations with her about

her art because I know she is very passionate about her artwork and loves to talk about it. After

this relationship is established, I could find ways to involve her in guitar that revolve around

something other than playing it since she struggles to mentally and physically process guitar.

Maybe I could have her listen to music that centers around guitar and then have a conversation

with her about it. This way I could still introduce concepts and techniques used in guitar without

adding the stress or emotions associated with the physical act of playing guitar. I could also find

a way to link her art with guitar music or even music in general. An idea that I have could be to

use a Makey Makey and modeling clay or graphite pencil drawings. With this technology she

would be able to create the art she loves while also creating music. This could create a positive
relationship with music which could eventually lead her to explore more things on her own. I

think starting Student B off with baby steps into general music is the key to her success.