- Write down your top three management principles in an instrumental music classroom. What are the essential principles you want your students to understand and follow? Share these principles in small groups or as a class. Where do you and your classmates differ? Why did you choose the principles that you did?
- Teach a brief lesson in class using modeling and visual cues, i.e. no speaking. How did your peers respond? Were you able to communicate your ideas? Reflect on the limitations of this approach as well as the potential benefits.
- Write a short lesson plan for a brass class using good construction principles in objectives, procedures, and assessments. Exchange lessons in small groups and discuss.
- Write a lesson plan that includes concise scripted feedback statements. After teaching, reflect on the effectiveness and efficiency of the statements. How did they differ from statements you might have otherwise used?
- Write a set of procedures for how students will choose brass instruments. Will you proceed purely on the basis of their interest? Will you utilize any sort of assessment or discussion? Will you use an interest sheet? Do parents’ have input into the process?
- Discuss your ideal scheduling system for beginning, intermediate, and advanced instrumental music. How do they differ? Why do you believe these schedules work well? What was your own experience in school regarding schedule strengths and limitations?
