Thursday, December 12, 2013

12/12/13 - Day 75

Day 75 - York Community High School
Thursday, December 12, 2013
12/12/13 6:45

I was able to lead the jazz band in a song this morning and I felt very good about it. There are quite a few transitions and we made txt through the whole piece. I had some insights for the rhythm section and soloists and felt pretty confident leading the whole group. I'm going to lead the group on Tuesday as they play for students entering the commons. I had an observation today. Dr. Sinclair was there early and we had a chance to talk a little bit. The lesson went pretty well, we were able to run the entire Adler Concertino for the first time. I led them in a warm up and chorale with some rhythms from the Adler added in. I drilled some sections at A and solidified some rhythms and entrances. Dr. Sinclair had some useful feedback and some encouraging comments. I helped out a guitarist that wanted to learn some violin during 7th period. I took care of an interview during 8th. I stayed in the evening to 
Iisten to there choir concert. Some very beautiful singing! Lots of holiday songs.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

12/11/13 - Day 74

Day 74 - York Community High School
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
12/11/13 7:30

Faculty meeting this morning. Curriculum was on the agenda. There was a lot of talk about exam week. The fine arts department doesn't give final exams, but they are expected to procter exams. During first period I put all of the music from the last concert into the folders and back in the stacks. I ran the warm up with cadet orchestra. We did c major. We also played a chorale. Mr. O also tested them on their rhythm panels. Every student did well on the rhythm panel. During fourth period I entente some data for solo night and tuned the harpsichord. Mr. O tuned one of the 8 ft. strings and I tuned the 4 foot strings to the 8 ft. Later, we set the stage up for the choir concert. The auditorium filled with the choir, winds, and strings sounds beautiful. There are some festive lights and decorations on stage as well. The dress rehearsal went pretty well. There are more things that could be rehearsed and corrected, but at some point you have to accept it as it is.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

12/10/13 - Day 73

Day 73 - York Community High School
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
12/10/13 7:00

My mind is a little preoccupied with finishing up paperwork, edTPA, and my masters paper. I wish I could devote more time to lesson planning and score study, but the reality is that there are several things that need to happen in order for me to finish this semester. That being said, I think everything will come together. I was able to run a significant chunk of the Adler in with cadet orchestra. I had them clap rhythms and practice their staggered entrances several times.  With the concert orchestra, we were able to do a similar rehearsal. We also had time to run the entire piece at the end of my segment. Mr. O had the prospective student teacher for next semester in observing, so there was another set of eyes watching as I worked. I think observations are going to be one of the most difficult parts of teaching full time. Perhaps, I'll feel more comfortable and confident after I've worked with a group from the very beginning.

Friday, December 6, 2013

12/6/13 - Day 72

Day 72 - York Community High School
Friday, December 6, 2013
12/6/13 7:30

Mr. O handled the majority of rehearsals today. I helped him find some additional music for chamber ensembles that have a gig tonight. One student came in before school seeking help in finding music to supplement their gig folder. Quite a few of them are using the kaleidoscope Christmas collection for the Barnes and noble gig on Monday, and the quartet playing tonight was looking for additional copies of the books.  I was able to sit in on violin for some of the Hovhaness. After they finished rehearsing the choir pieces, several players were excused and I filled in. It's great to see how much collaboration occurs between the choir, band, orchestra, dance, and music tech departments. All of the directors seem to get along very well and it is understood that students are expected to participate in concerts for other ensembles. The top players in the orchestra have so many performance opportunities because of the cohesive fine arts program.

12/5/13 - Day 71

Day 71 - York Community High School
Thursday, December 5, 2013
12/5/13 6:45

I was excited and nervous to have the class to myself today. I arrived early to help out with the rhythm section sectional. I was able to give some suggestions that I thought were helpful, especially to the guitarist. They are doing some chritmas arrangements. Some of them are pretty cheesy, but tis the season. During first period, I had to reset the room because there was a meeting last night. We did a lot of Adler with both concert and cadet orchestra. We also did some of the Mendelssohn both periods. There was a sub in the room, but she mainly sat in the back and just observed. Mrs. M came in and ran the Vivaldi and o holy night for part of fifth period. For the second half of fifth period we played the Hovhaness. The kids begged me to play a game of hide the bow, so I indulged them. In other periods, I helped students pick out materialsf for solo night. The sub was late getting to the seventh period study hall, so I signed in kids until she got there. Overall, I thought I did a decent job of running the classes and I can't wait to have a classroom that I run on my own.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

12/4/13 - Day 70

Day 70 - York Community High School
Wednesday , December 4, 2013
12/4/13 7:30

Today started off with a faculty meeting. The pension bill was discussed and the meeting didn't last long because the choir director wasn't there and Mr. O had students coming in to pick out solos. There were two bassist and one cellist. Another cellist came in to play the Bb major scale. Mr. O is going to be absent tomorrow, so he handled the majority of rehearsal today. The orchestra also did some Vivaldi  with the choir. There were students popping in throughout the day to get help picking a solo. We basically take a look at what they did last year and recommend a few different options for them to play through and listen to on their own.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

12/3/13 - Day 69

Day 69 - York Community High School
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
12/3/13 - 6:45

I came in to observe and help with the jazz band. I feel torn between jumping in and just letting Mr. Riddle run the rehearsal. He does a nice job of asking me for input. I was also able to play some bass when Wes had to leave. I have a nice blister now. During first period we finished resetting the room for full orchestra. We brought the chairs and stands in from the atrium and grabbed a few from the band room. With the cadet orchestra I introduced the Adler concertino. It went well. They were able to read through the majority of the piece, which was more than I expected. I observed for concert orchestra and sat in with the symphony orchestra on violin. Mr. O left early for a doctors appointment so I had a chance to help some viola students pick solos for solo night. It was nice to have the place to myself for a while. I also worked on some cello and bass fingerings for the Mendelssohn.

Monday, December 2, 2013

12/2/13 - Day 68

Day 68 - York Community High School
Monday, December 2, 2013
12/2/13 7:30

I came in refreshed from the long weekend. Mr. O and the kids also seemed well rested and ready to go. Although, Mr. O and several kids are ill.  Luckily, none of them missed the chamber ensemble concert tonight. Before school, I prepared some parts to Bach's Little Fugue and looked over the scores to Hovhaness and Adler. During cadet orchestra, Mr. O led the warm up after an extended tuning. A lot of instruments, especially cellos that stayed at school over the long weekend, were extremely out of tune. We handed out more parts and collected all of the old music from the last concert. After dealing with other logistics concerning solo night and the February field trip, I ran the first 8 bars of the Mendelssohn. In concert orchestra we also handed pout and collected music. Mr. O introduced the Adler to them. We're doing only the first movement. All of the chamber ensembles found places to rehearse during fourth period and during 5b. For the first portion of period 5, they sightread through the Bach fugue. We also helped students find solos that came in looking for direction.