Observer’s Name: Hayden Klinedinst

Activities Instruction
List all the things that you see the teacher and List possible reasons for the activity that you
students do in class. observed. Why did the teacher or student do
this?
- Warm-Up Exercises: body stretches, - Body Stretches: stretching muscles to
melodic passages by step and leap, release tension in order to sing
sighing from top to bottom and healthfully
bottom to top of range - Melodic Passages by Step and Leap:
- Memorization Check: instructor had similar intervals and motifs are found
the students chant the text in rhythm in the repertoire
to check for memorization - Memorization Check: to ensure that
understanding; if a phrase did not the students are confident on the
appear memorized by most of the repertoire and prepared for an
group, the instructor clarified, and the upcoming rehearsal (assuming that
students repeated the phrase until the expectations were for the
having a majority understanding students to have the pieces
- Transition to Stage: instructor had the memorized for that rehearsal)
students walk quietly, in a single-file - Transition to Stage: having the
line, to their spots on the stage students remain silent and move from
- Rehearsal on Stage: instructor their seats to the stage in an orderly
rehearsed the pieces that were fashion assured focus for the students
checked for memorization with the - Discipline: having the student leave
accompanist (organ); instructor and and take a walk removed them from
accompanist both provided feedback the situation and allowed them to
to the students on how to improve reflect on their actions, while (most
their singing importantly) having a trusted adult
- Discipline: a situation occurred in there to talk to them
which one of the students was not
demonstrating proper posture and
was disrupting rehearsal; the
instructor had the student leave and
take a few minutes to walk with an
assistant instructor
What delivery skills (i.e., voice, body, face, gesture) did this teacher demonstrate in class?
What was the most effective moment you observed related to effective use of delivery skills?
The instructor demonstrated voice, body, face, and gesture delivery skills throughout this
rehearsal. The instructor used his falsetto voice to match the younger students’ voices, while
also showing proper singing posture and other body language movements to reflect healthy or
unhealthy (for teaching moments, of course) singing. The instructor’s use of his face and
large/small conducting gestures allowed for the students to have a confident, guiding adult lead
them through their repertoire.

What evidence did you observe that suggests this teacher focused on student learning?
The instructor constantly was “quizzing” the students on the material that was discussed. Many
times, the instructor would call on a student to repeat a motif or section of the repertoire in
front of the entire ensemble. This, again, kept the students focused, as if they did not know
where the ensemble was in the music, it could have caused other distraction issues with other
students. If students had questions, the instructor always took time to address them and
always ensured that the students understood what he was teaching – many times he would
finish with, “do you understand what I just shared with you?”

What evidence of diversity did you observe in this classroom? How did the teacher manage
the instruction to accommodate diverse learners?
The ensemble is comprised of (approximately) 5-year-old to 12-year-old young students, so
there is a lot of maturity between the age gap that is extremely diverse. There are students that
need more reassurance than others, especially the younger ones. The instructor would always
reassure those that needed it, while also providing more appropriate and “mature” feedback to
the older students. Aside from that, the instructor was very calm when dealing with disciplinary
action; he refrained from causing an embarrassing scene, as that could have led to further mind
set issues with the student.

What did this teacher do to establish or maintain rapport with the students in the classroom?
Prior to the start of the warm-up exercises, the instructor was asking the students how their
days were, what they might have learned at school, how their siblings and/or parents are doing,
etc. The instructor was very kind and respectful towards what the students had to share about
themselves, and always commented with something similar in his life that built a strong
connection between the student and instructor.

How did this teacher help students establish musical independence?

As mentioned previously, the instructor would have students sing excerpts from their
repertoire for the ensemble by themselves. This certainly established musical independence, as
the students did not have any resource other than themselves and their prior knowledge (or
lack thereof, if that was the case) of the repertoire to help them when singing.
What was your general impression of this class? Why?
I really enjoyed sitting in on this rehearsal. The students were very chatty, which is expected for
the age group. However, the instructor maintained a productive, but also supportive classroom
environment for his students. I learned a few elementary methods with regards to disciplinary
actions and how to keep a calm, yet stern attitude.

Please write a paragraph detailing any additional thoughts, questions, or concerns you have
after completing this observation.
I would like to watch another rehearsal of this ensemble where they are learning new
repertoire. At this rehearsal, it was closer to a dress rehearsal for an upcoming performance
than it was for a stereotypical choir rehearsal. I would like to see what methods the instructor
utilizes when teaching new music.