High School Chorus Adventures with Mrs. Branham

  Week of Reflection: Friday February 26, 2021 I will rank this week as a 4/5. While I have been quite busy with edTPA and have had to adapt my lessons again to schedule changes (a remote day added at the last second), I have felt so supported by my family, professor, and clinical educator/accompanist. I believe that I was an effective teacher this week, and have been so excited to be able to sing with my students in class now for the first time. This week, I had to rehearse my advanced group without my accompanist. They’re singing a piece that is rather challenging to play, so I was excited with how I was able to confidently lead them. Students in cohort A were a good deal more successful with sight reading this week than in cohort B, because cohort B students were absent one day last week due to weather. While I was a bit surprised that they were behind, it told me that my instruction was effective at helping students improve. I am still working toward encouraging student confide...

  Week of Reflection: Friday February 19, 2021 This week has been an… interesting adventure. I think I will rate it a 3/5! To start things off, we had a pipe burst last Friday afternoon which led to some interesting construction through Monday morning. Who knew pipes would smell so bad, haha! I have learned to be resilient through the changes in classroom location, not being able to sing inside still, and adapting my lessons due to terrible weather outdoors. It’s been a challenge! Through it all, my CE and accompanist have been the BEST team. I have really felt so comfortable with them this week and have been so well loved and supported by them.  I have been an effective teacher this week, with the exception of one lesson where I made SO many piano mistakes. Sometimes I just can’t seem to play when trying to focus on my students. Even though I was struggling, it was effective for my students. They are SO shy in that class, and letting them giggle at my mistakes actually helped...

  Week of Reflection: Friday February 12, 2021 This week has been a 4/5! This week, my community had some of the biggest heartbreak. A couple of my students have been sick/in the hospital due to COVID, and they lost their mom due to COVID as well. I have been devastated for my students, and it has been so hard for me to know that I can only do so much to help. However, I have been encouraged by the way that my CE has facilitated community and encouraged my students. She has established such incredible relationships in that class and all of the students wrote letters of encouragement to send them until they return to class. I write about this to ask for prayer from you all for these sweet students as well.  As for my practice this week, I conducted my BEST rehearsals yet! We had nice weather which meant that I was able to conduct more in-depth rehearsals that focused on more musical elements than I can do when it’s freezing cold and they’re distracted. I have been really focuse...

  Week of Reflection: Friday February 5, 2021 This week has been a 3/5! I have had a productive, yet challenging first full week teaching. Due to COVID cases in my classes, I had to adapt and problem-solve yet I think that I was able to be successful. I also finished teaching my edTPA unit, edited my video clips and wrote my entire task 2 commentary. I was pleased with the video clips that I was able to get in the end and I think that I have a really strong foundation going into the editing phase. Now, I am just checking my commentary writings with the rubric and the rubric level progressions to find places where I can add information that will help me get a 4 or a 5 in sections. I have grown even more in my ability to confidently lead my classes this week. Conducting and playing parts for students on the piano is something that has made me nervous so far, but I overcame a good deal of apprehension this week and really improved my skills as well. Students are also beginning to enga...