MUSIC 232: Fundamentals of Music Teaching

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

Class Observation Log
Your name: Garrett Prall
Time: 11:30
Location: Kirmser Hall
Subject: Music of the World

Draw a diagram of the room.

List resources used by the teacher/instructor.

 Projector/Screen
 PowerPoint
  Recordings of course material

List resources used by the students.

 Notebooks
 Laptops
 Cellphones

Give a detailed account of the sequence of instruction. How was the lesson introduced? How was the
lesson developed? How was the lesson concluded?

The instructor began the lesson by reviewing material from their last class period and asking the students
questions on what they remembered. Afterwards she began instruction by introducing a new style of music
from China. She explained in what settings the music might be seen or performed and played audio
recordings to show the class what it sounded like. Afterwards she began instruction on Chinese opera and the
characters involved in each production. After explaining the kind of rolls that are involved in Chinese opera,
she asked the class for movie characters that would fit the description of the role. The entire time she added
humor to the lesson to lighten the mood and keep things interesting. Finally, she played video examples of
Chinese opera as the class finished up and as the students left.

Name and describe the instructional strategies employed by the teacher/instructor (e.g. cooperative
learning, “think, pair, share,” lecture, group discussion, modeling, etc.).

The instructor used different instructional strategies during the lesson. The majority of the class was a lecture
style of lesson, where she spoke and the students took notes. Throughout the lesson she asked questions and
asked the students to make connections based on their knowledge of the subject. In addition, she included
many aids, both visual and audial, to model the content for the students.

Describe the presentation of the lesson. How did you perceive what went on?

The class was orderly and set up like a lecture hall. All of the students faced the instructor and the projector
and watched the lesson. Students occasionally whispered but stayed quiet for the most part. A class policy is
that students must answer questions to get participation credit so student involvement in the lesson was high.
Many hands were raised to answer questions or provide examples when the instructor asked. The modeling
presented in the lesson helped the students understand what they were learning about. There was dynamic
learning in the classroom, students were involved in the lesson and contributed to their own education.

On an additional sheet of paper, describe the learning that took place.

As I stated previously, dynamic learning took place. The students answered questions, provided examples,
listened to/saw examples of the content, and were asked to compare the music to that of what they were used
to. The students contributed to their own education by providing insights to one another. All in all, it was an
effective way for the students to learn and retain the course material.