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Sarah Wagner

Outside Observation

Over fall break, I visited my first year band director Mrs. Danley at Ludwig Elementary.

The class met before school on Friday for 40 minutes. The band room was still in the same

hallway that I remember, but with much more technology. The whiteboard had a smartboard and

a laptop cart was in the room. The walls were still lined with jazz posters, Orff instruments, and

boom whackers.

As the students walked into the set up band room, they sat in their assigned seats. They

put their instruments together while socializing with others. The trumpet cases stayed under the

students seats, but every other instrument had a locker assigned to it where the cases sat in front

of. The 5th Grade brass section had 15 trumpets, 10 trombones, 2 euphoniums, 3 tubas, and 2

horns. I was surprised to find that the section is around the same size that it was when I was in 5th

grade. The class sizes and middle school bands had gotten larger in recent years, but maybe the

incoming students are mostly woodwind and percussion.

The lesson started with the teacher greeting the class. She mentally took attendance by

counting the amount of each instrument and marking who was missing on her class sheet. To

warm up, the brass students began by buzzing on their mouthpieces. First, they buzzed sirens,

then arpeggios. The students put the mouthpieces on their instruments and played the same

arpeggios. Then, they played a C major scale in half notes. As the students ascended, the teacher

stopped and discussed air and maintaining a proper embouchure.

After warming up, the students worked on Dragonfly. The piece uses a majority of

mouthpiece buzzing to create the effect of a dragonfly. In order to match pitch, the teacher had a

student play the starting pitch while the rest of the brass matched it on their instruments. She
focused on a proper buzz. To create a clearer buzz, she demonstrated on her own mouthpiece.

She emphasized tight corners and a frown with lips. The beginning students main problem

was producing air for prolonged phrases. Mrs. Danley worked on in for 4, out for 4 exercises

until the students tone was better.

Because it was early in the morning, the students were not distracted out of exhaustion.

There were a handful of talkative students, but mostly the students were attentive and listened to

instruction. It was evident which students were struggling because their faces showed frustration.

The classroom was set up in two curves rows with the teacher in the middle. All students could

see both their music and their director. Mrs. Danley did not pause during the lesson, but rather

continued rehearsing the melodic buzzing pattern until the students needed a break. The exercise

was efficient because the passage sounded more connected and had direction to it.

My favorite observation of the lesson was that the lesson did not stop. Though only a 40-

minute rehearsal, the young students needed a break from their mouths. The teacher occupied

their break time by either doing breathing exercises, counting rhythms, or identifying notes in the

piece. I believe it is crucial to occupy all time during a rehearsal. I talk faster than I should, so I

usually have extra time during my lessons. Mrs. Danley showed that planning small, basic

exercises in between specific passage work is efficient.

Overall, I observed a similar lesson to one taught in my Brass Techniques class. Mrs.

Danley focused a majority on air and embouchure, which is something all brass players can

improve on. I enjoyed the nonstop lesson and the simple warm up techniques. In my future

lessons, I will emphasize the importance of warming up efficiently. Also, I aspire to have a

classroom emit safety and comfort, as Mrs. Danleys does.

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