Second Practicum Reflection

This week I had the opportunity to observe a concert band for the second time. This is the first time in my practicum experience that I have been able to watch the same class more than once because I am able to see how the teacher adjusts to different situations. Since the band just performed at assessment they didn't have a lot to work on. There ended up being a guest who came in today to talk about music and playing after High School. They ended up going over some of the music they had just performed and he gave them feedback and going over some of the stylistic aspects of the pieces. 
One thing I noticed throughout the class was how talkative the students were. Even with the guest talking there were groups that couldn't stop their conversations, and there were even ones who were sleeping. This made the instructor frustrated because no matter how many times she told them to stop talking, they continued their conversations. They played while she was talking, and they were on their phones constantly. To me, it made it seem that they didn't care and they didn't want to be there. If the students had put more effort in to pay attention and waited to have their conversations at the end then they would get much better. I also think the teacher needs to do more for her classroom management. Maybe setting expectations that students don't use their phone during class, or talk unless its pertinent to the music. I also think she needs to reinforce these expectations during class. Instead of just shushing the class, she should use other ways of communication to reinforce her expectations. 
There were a lot of things the instructor did that I thought were effective. While students were playing, the teacher went around and listened to individuals and gave them feedback. This was good because she didn't call attention to individuals in front of the class. In addition, by putting herself in the ensemble instead of in front of it she shows herself as being  approachable instead of the just someone giving all the instructions. Overall, I enjoyed this practicum because it gave me ideas for teaching and managing my own classroom.