Beginning Guitar Class - Eric Vincent

-warm ups, chromatic, 4 fingers 4 frets

-solos over a funk track in a circle -> stopping only to go over how to recover from a wrong note
in a solo (i.e. resolving the tension with a conclusive note in the scale)
-playing duets (2 ppl on part, I participated)
-went over song form (ds al coda, fine, single repeat signs)
-classroom management is not an issue in this class, they are all very focused and respectful
-students are very eager to learn and ask a lot of good questions, which the teacher is good at
breaking down for them in a way they can understand it
-lots of improv in this class, even from the very beginning, which I like a lot
-helps to warm the students up, as well as training their ears
-this inspires lots of questions
-asks students really good guiding questions in order to allow to figure things out themselves
-practical skills on the guitar! Great foundation!

Chamber Choir - Olivia Goliger

-working on “Stars”
-breaking down chord structure
-having whole choir sing chords
-fine tuning diction
-overtones in “ooh”, vowel shape making it sound the clearest
-control of vibrato -> discussing pros and cons of straight tones and vibrato in choir music (based
on context of the piece)
-has class answer questions about chordal analysis, rhythms
-classroom management is a little bit of an issue today -> students are frequently having side
conversations and are distracted by my added presence in the classroom
-she is very good at getting them back on track -> she puts her hand up and everyone stop
talking, or she sits in silence and looks at her students before their peers tell them to refocus
-the latter works shockingly well for this group
-part of warmups is mental preparation to sing -> SO important!! So glad this has been added
since I was there!!
-asking students to take a minute to collect their thoughts and think about the texts they
will be singing in the rehearsal
-imagery preparation

Jazz Improv Class - Eric Vincent

-song form
-roman numeral analysis as it pertains to standards
-categories including modal, blues, standard jazz, etc.
-calling tunes
-universal motions for the head, tag, key signatures, and solo sections
-class is very small and filled with the most passionate students in the most selective jazz band at
the school, so classroom management is not really an issue as a result of their dedication
-the students come in, get ready very quickly, and are eager to play with and learn from
each other
-students are very quick to compliment each other after each solo
-strong community in this class and ensemble

Concert Choir - Olivia Goliger

-working on “Hold on to Dreams” by Susan LaBarr (original text by Langston Hughes)
-diction
-maintaining pitch and breath support on high notes -> “up and over the pitch”
-speaking rhythms and lyrics
-planning out breaths
-part isolation, then adding others in part by part
-guides class along with rhythmic accuracy
-students are generally younger in this ensemble, mostly freshmen and sophomores
-have not been in this ensemble culture long enough to learn the behavioral expectations
-as a result, lots of classroom management and refocusing has to happen
-hand up, asking students verbally to focus, coming around the piano to
get physically closer to them so they will notice and stop talking

Camerata Choir - Olivia Goliger

-working on “Eurydice Walking Away” by Michael Kregler

-have class answer movies theory analysis questions -> chord outlines, rhythms
-pushes the importance of knowing what the other arts around you are doing
-part isolation, slowing adding in parts that will either be close to what they’re singing or will
supplement in a way that will present a fair amount of challenge
-a cappella breakdown of each part, only using piano part aid where it’s absolutely necessary
-making students figure it out on their own and correct pitches by ear
-discussing vowels and the importance of long, legato phrases
-warm, rich, “on the breath” singing -> engaging core for clearer tone with less of a
breathy sound
-hands on edge of chair, pulling up -> promotes sitting up straight and engaging core
-then remove hands and have them recreate the sound they just created
-little bit of a rowdier group, lots of chatting going on during rehearsal
-teacher will ask them to stop every few minutes, she says this class is usually not this
chatty
-same tactics as other classes to get them to quiet down, usually works for a few
mins before they start chatting again and the process repeats

Beginning Piano Class - Olivia Goliger

-running through previously prepared pieces individually in preparation for finals as a warm up
-answering one-on-one questions about finger placement
-running through finals song choices as a class, answering questions as we go along
-”Moon on the Water” once through while teacher is counting, once while teacher is not,
once while teacher plays duet line
-practicing ability to hold their own part with a contrasting melody present
-time to individually warm up on “500-Year-Old Melody”
-plays song as a class
-students observe and understand song form -> ex. repeats within the piece
-students observe dynamic and tempo markings
-spot checking certain measures, then beginning a few measures before to put it into context
-time to individually warm up on “Reville”
-teacher plays while students play in their headphones at a volume that the students can
hear in addition to their own
-helps students pinpoint exactly where their mistakes are
-more time to practice individually, then repeat above once through the piece
-finishes class with time for students to individually prepare for their final performances

-lots of teacher walking around the room to check in on students

-observing what they do and fixing things as she sees them
-one-on-one check-ins with each student
-answering questions as students have them
-has to have class refocus a few times, end of the day class is making them unfocused
-they usually refocus when she asks them to
-very helpful with individual instruction, she is very encouraging and kind with students when
they are struggling
-noticeably motivates students when she does this