Elementary Observation

Dear Me,


Hi. Observing at Irving Elementary was a great experience. The school was way different from what I was expecting. Not that I was expecting it to be terrible, but it is a little foreboding looking in my opinion from the outside. Anyway, everyone was so nice and extremely helpful to me. There was artwork everywhere and it was clear that the students were proud of what they were learning.


I was led up to the one of the 5th grade classrooms where band would start shortly. The orchestra met in the band room so the band needed to meet in a classroom. They pushed the desks out of the way and made room for their stands and chairs.


From my seat in the back, it occurred to me just how far back percussionists are. No wonder there are problems with their attention span and following directions. It is hard as a director to give your attention to all the sections in the beginning band that need it I would suppose. There's so much to cover and a limited time to do so. 


At the end she came up to talk with us again and answer any questions we had. Turns out she's primarily a choral person. This is her 3 year directing band. I thought she was doing a great job seeing how it wasn't her primary area and all. She is SO extremely patient and passionate about her job. I get so annoyed with beginning bands as it just is hard to listen to and they have a hard time listening too.


She told me that I looked worried and that I can call her with questions any time. Maybe it was that it was so early in the morning and I couldn't control my facial expressions as well. It's good to know though that I have so many people that I can get in contact with to learn and ask questions.


Sincerely,
ME