–EITHER– Project 1b: Plan for beginning band organization and instruction

Submit a detailed plan for the first three days of beginning band.  Assume the ideal: 6 8 middle school, 6th-grade beginning band, 45-minute daily class period.  Also assume two homogeneous class periodsone for beginning flute, clarinet, and sax; another for beginning trumpet, horn, trombone, and percussion.  Consider the following, but as guidelines.  Use your imagination; at this point, dont let your thinking be restricted. 

1. What information will you send to students and their parents before the first day of school?

2. Where and how will instruments be kept the morning before the first day of classes?  How will instrument storage be organized?  (Again, assume the ideal.)

3. Whats the first thing to happen when the bell rings signaling the end of the previous class period?  The next thing?  The next?  (Alternatively, what if one of your beginning classes is the first period of the day?)

4. What will you want your room to look like?  How will you establish seating for the first day?  Second day?  Third day?  How will you set up the room to assure that you can move around? 

5.  How will you manage instrument assembly (including teaching the proper names for the different parts of the instrument)?  How will you check to assure that the right accessories are in the cases?  Cleaning and disassembly?  Storage?  Dismissal?

6.  How will you assure that you get to actual playing on the first day?

7.  Assume no method book for the first several days.  How will you organize instruction?

8.  What are your expectations for behavior? How will you establish them from the first moment of the first class in a positive way?

9.  How will you expect students to sit?  How will you establish proper hand position?  Resting position with instrument?  Playing position?  Dozens of cases are in the room.  Where will they go?

— OR — Project 1b: Plan for beginning string organization and instruction

Submit a detailed plan for the first three days of beginning string orchestra.  Assume the ideal: 6 8 middle school, 6th-grade beginning strings, 45-minute daily class period.  Assume heterogenous class periodsviolins, violas, cellos and basses in one class (homogeneous classes will follow a similar plan but more quickly). Consider the following, but as guidelines.  Use your imagination; at this point, dont let your thinking be restricted. 

1. What information will you send to students and their parents before the first day of school?

2. Where and how will instruments be kept the morning before the first day of classes?  How will instrument storage be organized?  (Again, assume the ideal.)

3. Whats the first thing to happen when the bell rings signaling the end of the previous class period?  The next thing?  The next?  (Alternatively, what if one of your beginning classes is the first period of the day?)

4. What will you want your room to look like?  How will you establish seating for the first day?  Second day?  Third day?  How will you set up the room to assure that you can move around? 

5.  How will you manage the unpacking and repacking of instruments (including learning the proper names for the different parts of the instrument)?  How will you check to assure that the right accessories are in the cases?  Cleaning?

6.  How will you assure that you get to actual playing on the first or second day?

7.  Assume no method book for the first several days.  How will you organize instruction?

8. What are your expectations for behavior? How will you establish them from the first moment of the first class in a positive way?

9.  How will you expect students to sit?  How will you establish proper hand position?  Resting position with instrument?  Playing position?  Dozens of cases are in the room:  Where will they go?