Jacob Morese Observation Paper

I observed Stall Brook Elementary School in Bellingham, Massachusetts for a

total of 15 hours. The music educator there is a knowledgeable and dedicated

woman named Kaitlyn Braman who I observed teaching grades K-3, but who also

teaches at the middle school in Bellingham. In the time that I observed her teaching,

she was mostly rehearsing for the winter/holiday concert that was approaching,

however, I also got a glimpse into how she normally goes about teaching a regular

music class. This was an incredible experience to watch a skilled music educator

teach students in a productive and efficient manner. I learned an abundance of tips,

tools, and tricks to be an effective and influential music educator, as Ms. Braman

seems to be.

There is a decently sized general music room where the regular classes take

place. It was filled with instruments such as djembes, congas, bongos,

matallophones, xylophones, auxiliary percussion, recorders, and even a keyboard

for Ms. Braman to use as pitch reference or accompaniment. The walls were also

covered with music terms, famous composers, solfege syllables, and more. Over all,

everything in the classroom seemed to be organized and set up in a way that made a

very positive learning environment for the students. When rehearsing the music for

the winter/holiday concert, the students were brought onto the stage in the

auditorium for rehearsal. The auditorium was equipped with high quality speakers,

which the accompanying music was played off of for the students to sing along to.

Plenty of space, in addition to new risers for the students to stand on, made for a
good learning environment in the auditorium as well. There was an inviting and

relaxed feel in the classroom, however the students were always kept constantly

engaged and participating in each lesson. Ms. Braman treated every student with the

upmost respect, but also wasn’t afraid to be stern with students who were fooling

around. There was a system in the classroom in which the students who behaved

exceptionally well were rewarded with “music notes”. These music notes acted as a

point system where if a student received five music notes, they would have the

ability to choose a prize from the prize box. This did a good job in incentivizing

students to be well behaved and remain participating in every lesson.

Ms. Braman seemed to know exactly how to interact with her students,

showcasing a deep understanding of effective teaching techniques to get the

outcomes that she desired. Class would often begin with her instructing the class on

what they were expected to do. Then, she would proceed to take attendance by

singing a greeting to each student, and then having them each sing back “Hello Ms.

Braman”. I found this to be a very unique and an inventive way to hear the student’s

singing voices and to keep students constantly engaged in music from the very

moment they enter the music classroom. Throughout the lesson, the students were

frequently asked questions to keep them on their toes and learning. Much of the

teaching was done in a call-and-response type manner so that Ms. Braman could

demonstrate an activity or song before the students tried it. This seemed to work

well in ensuring that students understood the material and weren’t left behind.

Visuals were also set up all around the classroom, which the students were

encouraged to reference. Her approach to teaching changed slightly when

rehearsing in the auditorium. The material that they rehearsed for the concert

entailed singing jazz versions of winter/holiday songs along with specific motions.

In teaching this, Ms. Braman would demonstrate exactly how she wanted something

sung or choreographed. Then, when the students performed the material on stage,

she would mirror the motions that they were supposed to do. This was in an effort

to give the students a visual reference and reminder so that they could perform the

material well. These teaching techniques proved to work well in teaching students

the material in a productive manner.

Ms. Braman was also successful in communicating in a way that was received

well by her students, while also maintaining seriousness and an intensity that the

students seemed to respect. With a music theatre background, Ms. Braman would

regularly incorporate movement into almost every lesson. This seemed to be a

positive thing for most students, however, I noticed that an abundance of motions

would sometimes detract from the music and singing aspect of the activity because

students had to focus their concentration on their motions. This was especially

noticeable when the students rehearsed on stage for their upcoming concert. The

near constant barrage of motions sometimes made some students not sing very

much due to them trying to remember what motions would come next. This

problem was mitigated by Ms. Braman mirroring the motions along with the

students so that they could put more focus and effort into their singing. She would

keep a bubbly and energetic personality that kept her students engaged and

interested in what she was saying. Every student who talked to her was met with

eye contact, an inviting smile, and plenty of positive reinforcement. When a student
would misbehave, Ms. Braman would talk to them with intensely and with a

sternness, which almost always corrected the problem right away. The use of non-

verbal communication was almost exclusively used when she wanted her students

to quiet down. Most times, they would notice her serious, unhappy facial expression

and begin to quite down. This made it so that she didn’t have to constantly quiet

down students, giving them a little independence to sort out their own misbehavior,

subconsciously promoting more respect for Ms. Braman and her directions.

Ms. Braman also exhibited great musicianship when teaching and rehearsing

with her students. A wide range of genres and musical concepts were explored just

in the 15 hours that I observed. The repertoire for the winter/holiday concert that

they were preparing for included jazzy holiday songs with an equal mix of both

Christmas and Hanukah music. It was very tasteful that she included songs from

both holidays, and that she used the concert as a way to introduce swing to the

students. In the classroom, students were instructed to listen to a song and write

what they noticed or liked about it. A couple guided questions were also proposed to

help students think about specific elements in the music such as dynamics and feel.

When rehearsing or singing songs, she would point out and correct a student’s

mistake usually right away. This way the student understood what they did wrong

and was able to fix it with a little guidance. The students were always reminded to

project their voices and to put exemplary effort into getting the best tone quality

possible. After a concert, Ms. Braman would ask each one of her classes what they

thought about their performance. She would get input from a large amount of

students, covering the well-done parts of the performance first. This seemed to be
very effective positive reinforcement that allowed for the students to be more open

to then discussing what they could have done better. This second part was filled

with constructive criticism from students who had well thought out points of how

they could have performed the music better. I was impressed with how Ms. Braman

was teaching her elementary school students to use their ears and pick up on not

only what went well, but also what they could put more work into as young

musicians.

Each one of her classes were instructed to put forth their best effort and to

participate in every activity. There wasn’t one student who participated more than

others, as the entire class was kept constantly engaged and focused. There were a

couple students who struggled in an activity where the class was asked to repeat a

three note melodic line that Ms. Braman sang. This call-and-response exercise was

done over and over until the struggling students showed a better understanding of

the material by singing it with improved strength and intonation. Another effective

exercise involved the class sitting in a circle and playing a game of rhythmic

telephone. Ms. Braman would whisper a rhythm to the student next to her, and each

student would then whisper the rhythm to the next in the circle. This would

continue all around the circle until the last student spoke aloud the rhythm that they

heard. This required the students to listen and internalize the rhythm, all while

working with each other to ensure the last student spoke the correct rhythm. One of

the more effective exercises in the class was one in which the students had to

interact with what Ms. Braman was singing. She would sing a series of three or four

solfege syllables, which the students then had to sing back the relative “Do” to what
she sang. I found this to be very impressive, as this exercise was essentially an

introduction to ear training. She did this exercise in some fashion for every one of

her K-3 classes. This will put her students drastically ahead of the curve when it

comes to certain concepts like finding the “Do” of a song.

This observation of Ms. Braman’s teaching at Stall Brook Elementary School

was an unforgettable experience where I learned an abundance of methods to use as

a music educator. Prior to this experience I may not have known how to teach or

interact with students that age, as well as not knowing much about what kind of

material I should cover with them. Now, having completed the observation, I feel as

though I am considerably more knowledgeable in this area and no longer have many

of the concerns I had before. There is a lot to learn from watching a highly skilled

music educator go about their day. Every music educator has their own unique way

of teaching, however there are many ideas that I would take from Ms. Braman to

incorporate into my own classroom someday, such as the inventive and very music-

oriented way she took attendance, as well as the way she introduced ear training at

such an early age. There are many other methods and ideas that I took away from

my observation of Ms. Braman, and I hope to be just as talented and effective as her

becoming a music educator in the future.