Field Placement Experiences
Kentwood Public Schools
In March and April 2015 I student taught with Peter Conniff at Discovery and Southwood Elementary Schools in Kentwood, MI. I taught K-5 elementary general music for 8 weeks before I graduated in May. 1st-5th grade students had music for 45 minutes once a week and kindergarten had music for about 20 minutes twice a week. It was a huge learning experience to figure out how to plan for classes that only meet once or twice a week. While I only saw most of my students seven or eight times, it was a difficult goodbye at the end of my placement.
Northview High School
In January and February 2015 I student taught with Greg Wells at Northview High School in Grand Rapids, MI. I taught three 9th-12th grade band classes, a guitar class, and Jazz Band. I helped with two concerts and a Jazz festival with these students. While my placement was only eight weeks long, I feel that I really connected with the students and enjoyed my time with them.
Holland Christian High School
The semester before I started my student teaching, I was placed with Scott Vandenberg in his band classroom at Holland Christian High School in Holland, MI. I spent time observing and teaching the zero hour Jazz Band and the 1st hour Concert Band that consists of 9th and 10th grade students. This placement helped prepare me for student teaching by giving me many hours of teaching and lesson planning. Out of the many lessons I taught, one of the most memorable was actually when I unexpectedly had to lead Jazz Band rehearsal while my teacher was out. It gave me much needed experience of teaching on the fly.
Cityside Middle School
My junior year of college I was placed with Aaron Good at Cityside Middle School in Zeeland, MI. Here I worked with 6th grade beginning trumpet and clarinet students, along with the 8th grade full band. I spent quite a bit of one-on-one time with struggling students and also was able to lead some full-length classes. I also conducted the first two movements of Courtly Airs and Dances by Ron Nelson with the 8th graders during their December concert.
Ready for Life
I took a class on special education during my sophomore year. I had the unique opportunity to work one-on-one with a college student through the Ready for Life program at Hope. This program is for students with disabilities who are college-aged and have recieved a Certificate of Completion from high school. The student I worked with had a special love for music, so I taught voice lessons to him twice a week. We worked on hearing and hitting correct pitches, singing from the diapragm, and rhythm. Over the course of the semester we also worked on one song that he enjoyed and picked out for himself.
Holland Heights Elementary School
During my freshman year I was placed in an elementary general music classroom with Jim DeBoer at Holland Heights Elementary School. While most college freshman usually observe for the majority of this placement, I was actually given small lessons to plan and teach. I taught lessons on the oboe, piano, and a computer music program. One memorable moment from this placement was when I was told by my teacher the night before that he would be gone at the beginning of class and I had to start the class of first graders. While it was a bit nervewracking as a college freshman full-on teaching with no safety net of a mentor teacher, it was an amazing experience and reminded me of why I want to teach.
