I am officially finished with my first day of elementary student teaching! I’ll save the reflections on my elementary placement for another entry, though… this entry will focus on my last few weeks at Miami Coral Park Senior HS.

Wind Ensemble Assessment

As I mentioned in my last post, I had the opportunity to conduct the Wind Ensemble in their Concert Band Music Performance Assessment (MPA) at the end of my seventh week at Coral Park. I conducted Sousa’s “The Fairest of the Fair” march, and the band also played Holst’s “Second Suite in F” and Gillingham’s “Council Oak.” The ensemble played extremely well on all pieces, and earned straight “Superior” ratings – enough to qualify them for the state competition later this Spring!

I was thrilled to have had the opportunity to perform with the students; it was an incredible learning experience. Their hard work on the march was evident in their performance, and it was a thrill to see the look on their faces when they found out what ratings they had earned. Here’s a video of the march, from my perspective (any comments/suggestions regarding conducting are welcome!): [Read more...]