Artifact Reflection #6
Title of Artifact: “Music Family” PowerPoint
Date Experienced Completed: Spring 2005
Description of Artifact:
Education majors take a class called “Computer Applications in
Education”. In this class you learn how to use computer programs you will be
encountering when you are a teacher. You learn Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint,
Word, how to use a Mail Merge, how to create a calendar, and many other
applications. For this class, I made all of my assignments as if I were a music
teacher. One of the assignments was to create a PowerPoint of the topic of our
choice. I chose to make a PowerPoint explaining the different sections of a
band/orchestra. I explain them as a “Music Family”, and how each section is
unique.
I break them into the separate sections of a band/orchestra. I explain:
woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards, and strings. I took pictures of them
all, and compare them to each other within the respective “family”. An
example: When I explained the woodwinds, I divided them into “high winds”
and “low winds”. The high winds consist of: piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn,
Eb/alto/and Bb clarinets, and soprano/alto saxophone. Within this “high winds”
family, I show pictures of each one, and how they all differ, but belong to the
same family. A piccolo and a flute are both long, silver instruments that like to
play high, and have a beautiful tone. The clarinets are made from wood. They
all look a little different from each other. The clarinet is the “section leader” of
the band, meaning that they are the ones in charge of tuning, and they are the
section that usually gets the recognizable melody. The saxophones are made
from brassy metals. Like the clarinet, the bigger they are, the lower they sound.
Saxophones are used a lot in jazz. They have a very airy sound, and like to play
fast. Oboes and English horns are made from long pieces of wood, and have a
very nasally sound. If you hear an oboe, you can instantly tell what it is. It has
one of the most unique sounds of the band. I explain that although they are all
different, they are part of the same family. They are called “woodwinds”
because a long time ago, when they were first invented, they were all either
made of wood, or played on wooden mouthpieces. They all have a beautiful,
lyric sound, unlike the harsh brassy sound from the brass section. They all like
to play high, and they are some of the most popular instruments in the band.
This PowerPoint is full of slides just like the examples I have given. It is a
detailed, yet easy to understand breakdown of the instruments. It could be used
in elementary general classrooms to introduce the instruments to the students,
in a high school general music class to get more in depth when learning about
score order, or in a middle school to help the beginning band students choose
what instrument they might want to play. This PowerPoint is very versatile, and
is something I will use in my classroom.
Wisconsin Teacher Standard Alignment:
I believe this artifact best aligns with Standard Six: Communication:
Teachers Communicate Well. I aligned it this way because standard six talks
about using verbal and non-verbal communication as well as technology to
teach, and encourage interaction. To make this a fully successful lesson plan, I
would actually bring in the instruments or a recording of the instrument being
played. I would create a “musical petting zoo”, so the children would be able to
interact with the instruments, and see them up close and personal.
As for technology, I feel PowerPoint is a very effective use of technology,
and a very effective way to communicate everything that needs to be said,
while keeping it interesting, and actively engaging the children. This
PowerPoint can be given to any music teacher, and be used in any classroom,
and the information is still accurate, and timeless.
University Wisconsin Platteville School of Education Knowledge, Skill,
Disposition Statement Alignment:
My artifact aligns with KS3.a-Communicates Clearly and Accurately. I
chose this because the PowerPoint uses language accessible to the students.
Any new language introduced is clearly defined so the students can learn it, and
adapt it into their music vocabulary. By using pictures, sound, and text, you can
appeal to many different forms of learning. It has been adapted to that any
student can take something from it. Advanced student will walk out of the
classroom, and be able to describe each family in detail. Other students may
walk out and know that there are different sounds in the band, and instruments
all look different to get different sounds. The younger students will appreciate
the pictures and sounds, and the older students will appreciate the text and
content.
What I Learned from This Experience:
I learned that I love making PowerPoints! I feel it is a very efficient and
interactive way to make your lesson plan stick! They are easy to make, and fun
to share. They can also be easily changed and adapted to any need you may
have. You can also print them to hand them out, or send them to parents over
email. I feel PowerPoints are one of the most versatile technology options
teachers nowadays have.
What I Learned About Myself as a Prospective Teacher:
I learned that I can fully and clearly explain the sections of a
band/orchestra. Through my experiences in instrumental technique classes, and
being in a band and orchestra for many years, I can break down, and compare
and contrast the instruments all students of music should know. I also learned
that by making a PowerPoint, you learn the information better yourself. You
have to think critically about how you are going to project the information so
that all students can learn and understand. You have to take into consideration
anything that might alter the lesson, such as disabilities of students, or grade
level you are presenting to. I learned that when it comes to introducing
instruments, this multi-media venue is my lesson of choice!
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