Artifact 10 (written while student teaching)

Artifact Reflection #10


Title of Artifact: Solo Ensemble Preparation
Date Experienced Completed: January-March 2008

Description of Artifact:
In spring 2008, while I was pre-student teaching at Platteville Middle
School, I got the experience of helping plan for this event. I had no idea what
kind of preparation has to go into planning a huge event like this. I was given
many tasks. One of these tasks was taking the students participating in solo
ensemble, and setting up times to work with their piano players. I had to take
the schedules from the orchestra teacher, and choir teacher, and make sure
student’s lessons didn’t overlap. This was challenging as many students are in
multiple events for each area (voice, band and choir)! Students were to meet
with their piano player two-four times before solo ensemble. What made the
job even more difficult was the fact that the piano players had only certain
times they could be there. My artifact is the actual schedules I made with the
student’s lesson times, and a note that was to be sent home with the schedule to
the student’s parents. Students were responsible for their own lesson time. So I
hung copies of the schedule all over the band area.

Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment:
I believe this artifact best aligns with Standard Ten: Collaboration:
Teachers are connected with other teachers and the community. I chose this
because during this planning process, I had to be in constant communication
with the students, teachers, and parents of Platteville Middle School. Each area
of music had its own room where it was to be performed. This way, a judge
who plays saxophone could judge the saxophones, and know what he/she is
talking about. The rooms were divided as follows: all vocal solos, all vocal non-
solos (duets, trios, quartet, and chamber works), all string instruments,
clarinet/saxophone/flue, trombone/euphonium, tuba/trumpet, percussion, and
piano solo/duets. In order to get all the rooms straight, we had to talk with all
the other teachers in the school and make sure it was ok to use their rooms for
the day. We had to take everything out of their rooms, and mark it with the
appropriate signs. This required mass collaboration with not only the teachers,
but also the custodial staff, and principal.
There also has to be constant communication with the other music
faculty. We are all planning this together, and all arrangements and changes
need to made public so everyone involved can keep up with the most up to
date corrections.
We also got the task of conveying all the information to the participating
schools. For Platteville’s district, this meant Belmont, Lancaster, Richland
Center, River Valley/Spring Green, and Bluff View Middle Schools. I personally
didn’t get to send information to these schools, but I got to witness all the paper
work that was constantly being shipped there.
And lastly, I got to communicate with the community. They are always
looking for helpers for these events. Someone to watch the doors, quiet people
in the hallway, hang up scores, and many other tasks that need to be filled that
day. I got the assignment of contacting the college community and looking for
volunteers. It was a hard assignment because most college kids don’t like to
give up their Saturdays. We also asked for help from the music boosters, and the
parents of the students (as you can see from my artifact).

University Wisconsin Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill,
Disposition Statement Alignment:
My artifact aligns with KSD4.c.-Communicates with Families, because
we are continuously updating the parents on the student’s progress, and when
the student’s next lesson is being held. We also need to convey the specific
details for the day so parents know when and where their children need to be to
be heard by the judge. SD4.d. -Contributes to the School and District, because
one of my tasks for this artifact was finding and arranging volunteers to work
this festival. It also involved organizing different school districts, teachers,
parents, and students to come together for one unified event. And KSD4.f.
Shows Professionalism, because it was my duty to help prepare the student to
the best of their abilities. By working with and preparing these students, they
gain not only a good learning experience, but also confidence to know that they
can succeed in other aspects of life. They also learn time management, and
good practicing technique, which will serve them for their future in, and outside
of music.

What I Learned from This Experience:
I learned a lot about organization! You have to have everything in order
for this to run smoothly. I learned that not everyone is as flexible as they expect
you to be, and you have to be ready for that. By planning as many scenarios as
possible, you can best prepare for the unexpected. I observed how a community
can come together to help host an event that means so much to the students.
Most importantly, I learned how much work it takes to get something like this
together, even if the event only takes eight hours to complete.
It was such a wonderful experience! I had been to solo ensemble so
many times myself as a participant, that it was nice to see it from a different
perspective. I now have a new found respect for all the hours and organization
that goes into planning such a large event.

What I Learned About Myself as a Prospective Teacher:

I learned that students can improve greatly with motivation. By having
this deadline, and the goal of getting a good score, children that don’t excel
above average in band, found themselves practicing everyday, and striving to
always be better. It is my personal philosophy that this is how students should
always feel. Many of the students did really great, but nerves got the best of
some of them. It was a really good learning experience for the students, and I
am really glad I got to observe it from a “teacher’s” perspective. Getting to
watch the students from the very beginning when they picked out their solos, to
the very end when they did their best for the judges, was something just short of
astonishing to me. I can’t wait to have students of my own, and watch them
grow and develop into young musicians!