The purpose of this page is to be an index for the different abilities related to music teaching I have acquired during my time here at James Madison University.
Practicum Reflections
Professional Perspectives
Evidence of ability to plan and assess
- Designing a unit curricula for the Creative Kids Co-Op involved intentionally preparing goals, essential questions, methods of assessment, and understanding the context of where I was teaching.
- I developed a course proposal for a Secondary General Music Course called "Musical Responses" - this involved extensive planning, including a course outline, example lesson plans, and a proposed budget.
- Choosing a song to teach at the Creative Kids Co-Op involved planning slides, as well as determining benchmark standards that students would reach and how I would assess them based on these standards.
Evidence of ability to modify plans to improve student learning
- In my experience design for teaching using a book, I include extensions and modifications to accommodate for all learners.
- At a "Music Night" event, I had to modify my teaching to fit the needs of the learners based on the barriers I faced during the experience.
Examples of student work/learning
- My final Honors Capstone Project contains the progression of student work from their initial songwriting attempts to their final products.
- While "Adopting-a-Student" on the French Horn, I got to assess how my student had grown in their playing abilities.
Evidence of ability to develop a positive climate and manage behavior
- Facilitating a JMUke event at Court Square Theatre meant creating a positive environment where participants felt safe to engage in a new activity.
- I designed a movement activity - in order for this to be successful, the environment I created had to be encouraging so that students felt comfortable combining music with movement.
Evidence of ability to meet needs of diverse learners
- Walking around JMU's campus and identifying areas and their relation to access and inclusion during Disability Awareness Week enlightened me to ways that I can be better meeting others' needs.
- Practicing "winding it back" in this activity demonstrated how I can meet the variety of students' learning needs.
Technology projects and other evidence of ability to employ technology
- Utilizing the technologies, Scratch and Makey Makey, I co-developed a musicking activity called Draw Your Own Music.
- To create this podcast, I experimented with GarageBand to edit, splice, and combine audio files and music.
- Creating this song based on a picture required the use of Soundtrap to combine loops together.
Evidence of reflection/growth
- Learning how to play the banjo was a difficult experience for me, but I grew by recognizing ways in which I was uncomfortable and transferring those ideas and thoughts to how I would develop my future classroom.
- In my Honors Capstone Project, I video recorded, transcribed, and analyzed my reflections after each class period. Through this process, I was able to identify major themes in how I grew as a human being and music educator.
- Learning the ukulele has been one of the highlights of my undergraduate experience here. I documented and reflected on the progress I had made within the first three months of me picking up the instrument.
Evidence of ability to work with others: colleagues, parents, community
- Planning a music making and songwriting activity at JMU Bridges International's Thanksgiving Feast required communication with the organization and colleagues to ensure the event went smoothly.
- Collaborating with local community partners, as well as my peers, was required for a successful and fulfilling practicum experience at the Creative Kids Co-op.
- Designing and editing a musical experience with a peer, then implementing our activity at local elementary school's Music Night called for collaboration with the community around me.
Evidence of commitment to professional growth
- Attending and presenting at the Illinois Music Educators Conference, Virginia Music Educators Conference, and the JMU Teaching and Learning through Technology Conference, was a way for me to grow in my knowledge about the field of music education.
- Writing this research paper about multicultural music education expanded my knowledge about the topic and increased my commitment to including all cultures in the music classroom.
- Building my own instrument taught me how to challenge myself in an area of music making that I had never experienced before.
- In this inquiry project on team teaching, I reviewed resources that would help me better understand the benefits and deficits of working with another music teacher.
Appendices
Both solo repertoire and works studied within ensembles. Ensembles and locations where I have performed.