Skip to main content

Student-Led Rehearsals: Student Feedback

So...what did students think of our Student-Led Rehearsals?


Wind Ensemble (1st hour; Audition-Only Group)

Generally speaking, Student-Led Rehearsals well-received in this ensemble. Many students expressed appreciation at building teamwork, and felt the topics they rehearsed "stuck" more quickly when they were able to direct their own learning. They also expressed a heightened accountability to self and one another, deeper engagement, and enjoyed giving/receiving constructive feedback to one another in respectful ways. Frustrations included lack of organization/unclear goals, time management concerns, starting/establishing procedures, and wanting more rehearsal time.

Question: Where did you hear our efforts pay off?

Question: Was there a difference between Student-Led and Director-Led Rehearsals? If so, what?

Question: Was there anything challenging about Student-Led Rehearsals?

Question: What are some of the ways we can improve rehearsals, no matter who is leading?

Symphony Band (2nd hour; Grades 10-12)

Student-Led Rehearsals in this group posed a number of challenges. Although many students appreciated the opportunity to take more of a lead role in their learning, there were a number of instances when norms were not followed, and conflicting visions/personalities got in the way of establishing objectives for productive rehearsals. Feedback was very diverse; some enjoyed the experience, while others did not. Having respect, trusting one another to do their work, and lack of direction were all contributing factors to frustration.

Question: What was the difference between Student-Led and Director-Led Rehearsals?


                   
Question: What were some of the challenges/benefits with Student-Led Rehearsals?
Question: What can be done to improve Student-Led Rehearsals? Director-Led Rehearsals?



Concert Band (3rd hour; Grade 9)

The Concert Band actually participated in a similar experience earlier in their musical careers, when in 8th grade, they selected a student-conductor to direct a piece on a concert. Although everyone agreed on their objectives many times, the decision-making process and greater freedom of running a rehearsal proved to be challenging at times for this group as well, similarly to Symphony Band. In spite of these challenges though, many students acknowledged that their Student-Led piece was the best of their three pieces performed for their portion of our Winter program. 

Question: What were some of the benefits/challenges of Student-Led Rehearsals?




Question: What were the differences between Student-Led and Director-Led Rehearsals?
 


Question: What would you do to change Student-Led Rehearsals? Director-Led Rehearsals?





Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Innovator's Mindset in the Band Room: Student-Led Rehearsals

It all started when this happened... George Couros came to Rochester Community Schools yesterday, inspiring hundreds of teachers in his wake. If you are not familiar with George Couros (@gcouros), he is the author of the widely recognized, highly regarded educational manifesto entitled "The Innovator's Mindset" as well regularly writing on his blog, The Principle of Change . There are many aspects of the "Innovator's Mindset" that I find appealing. We agree on many, many points: the power of positive connections, cultivating passion, and the need for teachers to give students space and voice to take charge of their learning. This tweet though, sums it up for me: When you have a compelling reason, you can learn ANYTHING. #RCSInnovate — Kristine Balinski (@MathTeacherMrsB) November 5, 2018 If students have a compelling reason to connect, they will put in the work. Teachers are the resource, students direct their own learning. As educators, espec...
1 comment
Read more

Student-Led Rehearsals Day 1: Identifying Potential Problems

Today I introduced the task at hand: Each class will be selecting, as a group, one piece to perform for our Winter Concert-- without my direction. The Goal: To perform this piece to the best of our ability; to make it "YouTube"/Social Media worthy, something that everyone at the end of the experience would be proud to share with their friends and social circle. Surprisingly, it did not scare them as much as it does me. But, I did see my fair share of skeptical eye rolls. The first step towards our goal was to identify possible problems/roadblocks in accomplishing our goal. Each class was asked to create a list on the board of potential challenges we may face before we begin. It was very interesting to observe the dynamic of each class as they navigated even this first step, communicating with one another to complete their list. Sometimes, they chose to continue the "teacher/student" paradigm where one person wrote on the board and called out to others with their...
2 comments
Read more

Remote Learning Idea #1: A (Virtual) Music Conference for Students

At the beginning of our remote learning this year, I asked students for input on the kinds of activities they most like to do independently as well as what topics most interest them. After getting a wide variety of topics, I wondered how I might be able to help address as many of them as possible in a short amount of time. The conundrum reminded me of an oft felt feeling when attending professional music conferences-- there are so many sessions I want to attend, but I can't possibly go to all of them at once.  via GIPHY OK, so follow me for a moment.... A Virtual Music Conference for Students. What if we created a music conference for students based around their interests in music? Much like a professional conference, students could choose different sessions that interested them and explore more in depth some of the topics in music we typically don't address. Would it even be possible? I think so. Here's what I think we're going to do.  First of all, it's worth...
Post a Comment
Read more