Community Field Experience

Week 1

During the first week of my CFE (Community Field Experience) in Marlbourough Elementary, I had the opportunity to teach some classes and help in the organization of the spring concert. The teacher, Geraldine Lazaruk, made me feel at home in her classroom since the first day, and surprised me with the fact that the children had learn a cha-cha-cha step I showed them during my first visit and call it Mr. Nemcovsky Step. One of the things that surprised me was the amount of organizational work all the music teachers had to coordinate with the other teachers in order to make this concert successful. I realize that given the size of the school all these team work was needed to have a well done concert. Another aspect that I found very different from my experience with secondary schools is that the pace of the classes has to be faster, activities have to change every 5 minutes or so. Also during this week I had the opportunity to teach the Honour Choir some solfege, from this experience I learn that young children process these concepts in a different way; they need aural references that are in their voice range. In terms of applying my former experience in this new environment, I used similar techniques as the ones I use to fix a problem in a band setting.I separate the part that needs work and model how it should be done, this seems to be effective. By the the end of the week I was introduced to the staff and the whole school during an student assembly. I felt flattered by the reception I had and the applause I received after the whole assembly performed one of the numbers they will be doing in the spring concert, this was the first opportunity I had to conduct such a massive group.

Week 2

During this week we continue working with the choreographies of the groups and the organization of the spring concert. My school advisor and the other music teachers made maps to facilitate the entrances and exits of the groups, I participated in the confection of them and learn how important is to have a fluent communication with the teachers in charge of each group. Beyond teaching the movements and character of the music the students are dancing to, having the teachers and parents participating as vital parts of the show made me feel a sense of community in the school. Also during this week I had the opportunity to interact with the parents of some of the students and learned about their expectations and contributions to the class (the costumes the students are using for the show were made by parents that volunteered their time). Even though I am in the process of learning to be comfortable with the fact that I am doing something for which I do not have any formal education, the connections I made with students, parents, teachers, and staff members help me to overcome the new challenges and difficulties this work presents to me. Furthermore, I learn to first praise the hard work the students put into learn all the movements and then make correction. Instead of saying we need to fix this or that I would say something along the lines of: “That was good!! Now lets do it again and make it great!! At the end of the classes we congratulated every group for their improvement. Another aspect that added excitement to the classes was the fact that during this week students tried their costumes, I learn that students at this age feel very special when they have the possibility of transform themselves into somebody or something else. Added to all of these learning experiences, on Friday I was trusted with conducting the Finale of the show during a dress rehearsal.

Week 3

Due to the fact that Miss Lazaruk (my school advisor) had an illness that prevented her from coming to school, I had to take care of all her classes during the dress rehearsals. I was in constant communication with her through my cell phone and even though I had a great responsibility, I felt that I had the support I needed. This was a great opportunity to assume a leadership role and I am truly grateful for the trust Miss Lazaruk gave me also I would like to show my appreciation for the help I received from the other music teachers and the TOC (Miss Chim). Different problems arisen during this week: Students that did not follow the instructions, teachers that might not have understood my directions in terms of when and how to get their students to the stage, etc. What I learned from that experience is that beyond the reiteration of the instructions, explanations and written instructions, students and teachers listen when the body language and presence show a figure of authority. For example when I gave this instructions from the ledge, dressed with a suit and using a a loud and low voice (Miss Lazaruk called this sound, the authority voice), students and teachers followed my indications more effectively. Furthermore, in these kind of institutions in which a big number of students ranging from Kindergarten to grade seventh, I had to learn a lot about keeping students safe during the dress rehearsal; in contrast with a high school environment in which students are more aware of their surroundings, young children leave all that responsibility on the teachers and school staff; therefore taking care of taping cables to the floor, be sure that speakers and tree lights are securely put together, and stage is also safe, become a priority. Although this is a priority in high schools too, in these kind of institutions (high schools) the senior students-from my experience- help with these duties.

I feel that during these 3 weeks I grew up as a teacher and as a human being.