Joli Reynolds

12/14/2023

Observation Reflection

Over the course of the Fall 2023 semester, I had the privilege of observing a multitude of

music classrooms in the Boston Public School system. Each of these experiences has put into

perspective what it is really like to facilitate the learning of a diverse body of students. At this

secondary level, highschool and middle school students are growing into themselves and

embarking on journeys of self discovery as people and musicians. With an array of different

needs, skills, and personalities in the classroom, the music teachers that I encountered were

committed to fostering their student’s potential.

One of the first things that I noticed when observing was the diversity in the classroom

and the ways in which the classroom environment was able to reflect that. This often presented

itself in small details, like a solfege hand sign poster representing multiple skin tones Though

seemingly small, I believe that it is even in the smaller details like this that make the music

classroom a safe space for students to create. On the note of environment, I think it is important

to mention that the two schools that I observed in, Needham High School and Boston Latin

School, had music programs that are well funded and supported by administration. I recognize

that this is not the case for many public schools nationwide. This administrative and financial

support, while not necessary, does contribute positively to the overall experience of a music

student. In instances where resources were not as plentiful as the number of students, the

teachers that I observed got creative. An example of this would be the keyboard class at Boston

Latin. There were more students than keyboards in the piano lab, and so, the teacher that I was

observing had students seated 2 to a keyboard as needed. I noticed that in doing this, he paired
students with less keyboard experience together to share the keyboard. The students had different

expectations set for them based on their level of experience with the instrument, and those

beginner keys players were only expected to be performing with one hand at a time - leaving

plenty of room on the keyboard to be shared. In addition to this I found that this promotes

opportunity for teamwork. Students can play together to hear coordination between two parts and

help each other grow when sharing a keyboard. For the most part though, students in the classes

that I observed had the materials that they needed for learning, and those materials were clearly

labeled and organized.

Additionally important for student success is the energy that the teacher exudes. This

manifests in overall outlook and attitude and also can be observed in the context of conducting

and leading an ensemble. The teachers that I observed ranged from being enthusiastic and

energized to being more subdued and stern as a bassline - and in each of these cases the teacher

had the capacity to modify their energy to suit what the students before them needed in that given

moment. In the ensemble setting, the band director that I observed expressed the musical feeling

that he wanted with his body to connect with his musicians. The choir director that I observed

did the same, showing energy in her face, voice, and body movements. I noticed that this concept

was exaggerated with the younger highschool and middle school groups, whereas the

upperclassmen in highschool possessed more musical independence. It was really interesting to

see the way that a teacher’s tone would change in moments where a student or group of students

were not following classroom expectations. Across the board, the teacher would maintain a calm

and respectful tone and simply just reiterate to the student the standard that they were being held

to. The idea of mutual respect was greatly emphasized in all classrooms.
 As for the instruction and instructional content itself, I was really excited to observe

sequence and pacing in the general music, theory, and ensemble settings. In the ensemble setting,

I was able to observe Boston Latin ensembles two weeks before and the week of their concert. It

was really cool to see how much progress can happen in just two weeks, and then how the pacing

of rehearsals adjusts accordingly. The attention shifted from technical aspects of a piece like

rhythm and pitch to expression and dynamics. In the theory classes, students were creating

composition projects to be a representation of their learning thus far. In all types of classes I saw

this as the teachers taking of the training wheels and watching their students take the reigns. It

was encouraging to witness the fruits of these teachers labor, and the success that each student

found spoke to the effectiveness of the teacher’s methods.

Finally, I had the opportunity to witness assessment in both schools that had me.

Funnily enough in both instances the assessment being done was in the keyboard classes, so it

was helpful to compare and contrast the different methods of assessment. One teacher had

students prepare a variety of different scales and sections of a piece in addition to a self-chosen

piece. Students sat as a class and listened to each other play as they picked randomly out of a hat

which piece they would be playing for their quiz. I really loved this opportunity for the sense of

community support. However this type of assessment is a bit more stressful and vulnerable than

the method that I observed at Boston Latin. There, each student also had two pieces prepared but

in different ways depending on their prior keyboard experience. Some students were preparing

examples with both hands while others were expected to play one hand at a time. It was

improvement, in this case that was being measured. Students also were allowed to choose which

piece they wanted to play for the teacher as he came around the room to listen to students play.

As one student was assessed, the others are still practicing which creates a low stress
environment for students to be given feedback and be assessed. Both ways of assessing keyboard

were valid and it just comes to show that there are many ways of achieving the same goal as a

teacher, and it will be the students that determine which path is best at that given time.

Overall, in my time observing, I was able to make connections between the methods that

the teachers use for their students. My observations only reinforced to me that the best way to

reach your students is to understand how they learn and be flexible as a teacher. Flexibility,

positivity, and a safe learning environment all contribute greatly to student performance and

feeling of accomplishment and success. These observations have given me more examples of

what I hope to strive for as a future music educator.