Student Teaching in Music:
Tips for a successful
experience
Mr. Blair Chadwick, Henry County High School
Dr. Johnathan Vest, The University of Tennessee at
Martin
The success of the student teaching experience depends
on all its parts working correctly together. They include:
•
The Student Teacher
•
The Cooperating Teacher
•
The University Supervisor
•
The Students
•
The Administration and other teachers and personnel
in the building
The Basics
•
Punctuality
Early=on time; On time=late; Late=FIRED
•
Dress and Appearance
Be comfortable yet professional. Be aware of a dress code if one exists, as well as
tattoos, piercings, and hair length (gentlemen.)
•
Parking/Checking-In
Know this information BEFORE your first day
•
Materials and Paperwork
Contact your CT BEFORE the first day. Know what you need and bring it with
you on the first day.
The Student Teacher
Common Concerns
•
Will my cooperating teacher (CT) and school be a good fit
for me?
•
Will I “crash and burn” my first time in front of the class?
•
What if my CT won’t let me teach?
•
What if my CT “throws me to the wolves” on the first day?
•
Will the students respect me?
•
How will I be graded?
•
Will I pass the Praxis??
How do I start?
The student teaching experience can be divided into three
parts:
•
Observing
•
Participating
•
Teaching.
Observing
Take copious notes, but don’t write down everything. Write down
techniques, quotes, musical directions or teacher behaviors that
seem important. Better yet, have a specific goal for the
observation in mind before you begin.
Don’t be overly critical of your CT during the observation process.
Remember, they are the expert, you are the novice. Your
perspective changes when you are in front of the class.
Hand-write your notes. An electronic device, although
convenient, is louder and can provide distraction for your CT, the
students, and you. Write neatly so you can transcribe the notes
later.
An small audio recorder can be very useful in case you want to go
back and hear something again.
Participating
Be attentive to the needs of the students and your CT, if you
see a need that arises that the CT cannot or is not addressing,
then take action. Don’t always wait to be told what to do.
These situations may include:
•
Singing or playing with students who are struggling
•
Work with a section or small group of students
•
Helping a student with seat/written work
•
Attending to a a non-musical problem (student behavior,
other student or CT needs.)
Teaching
Your US and your Student Teaching Office will
probably instruct you on how much and when to teach,
but each school and CT is different.
In general, you should start teaching a class full time by
week 3 and have at least two weeks of full-load teaching
per placement. (This is not always possible.)
Remember that any experience is good experience, so
be grateful if you are asked to teacher early on in your
experience.
What the US is looking for
during an observation
The Lesson Plan
Lesson organization (components, logical flow, pacing,
time efficiency)
Required components included
National and State Standards Included—and these
have/are changing!!!!
Objectives stated in observable terms and tied directly
to your assessment(s)
What the US/CT is looking
for during an observation
Teaching Methods
Questioning techniques (stimulate thought, higher order,
open-ended, wait time)
Appropriate terminology use
Student activities instructionally effective
Teacher monitoring of student activities, assisting, giving
feedback
Opportunities for higher order thinking
Teacher energy/enthusiasm
What the US/CT is looking
for during an observation
Classroom Management
Media and materials are appropriate, interesting,
organized and related to the unit of study.
Teacher with-it-ness
Student behavior management (consistency, classroom
procedures in place, students understand expectations)
What the US/CT is looking
for during an observation
Student Involvement/Interest/Participation in the
Lesson
Student verbal participation
Balance of teacher talk/student talk
Lots of “musicing” (singing, playing, listening, moving)
Student motivation
Student understanding of what to do and how to do it
What the US is looking for
during an observation
Classroom Atmosphere
Positive, can do atmosphere
Student questions, teacher response
Helpful feedback
Verbal and non-verbal evidence that all students are
accepted and feel that they belong
Resources for Student
Teachers
A Field Guide to Student Teaching in Music, Ann C.
Clements and Rita Klinger
Teaching Music in the Urban Classroom, Carol FriersonCampbell, ed.
Intelligent Music Teaching, Robert Duke