This collaboration plan outlines voice lessons for a student named Lindsey Smith between her teacher, Mrs. Fields, and Lindsey's mother. The plan involved three weekly 30-minute after-school voice lessons to improve Lindsey's vocal technique, have her self-assess her singing, and apply the lessons to her advanced choir class. Lindsey made progress in developing proper breathing, posture, tone quality, and becoming more self-aware of her singing. She was able to successfully audition for a solo by using what she learned in the lessons. The teacher was proud of Lindsey's growth and commitment to improving her skills.
Marion Verner of Florida – Inspiring Students to LearnMabyn1
Marion Verner of Florida is an elementary school teacher, and has been teaching for approximately 10 years. In her free time, Marion Verner of Florida likes to knit, crochet, and go to the movies. She is happily married to an architect, and has two children with him.
Marion Verner of Florida – Inspiring Students to LearnMabyn1
Marion Verner of Florida is an elementary school teacher, and has been teaching for approximately 10 years. In her free time, Marion Verner of Florida likes to knit, crochet, and go to the movies. She is happily married to an architect, and has two children with him.
1Music is my lifeIf there is one word that can summa.docxjoyjonna282
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Music is my life
If there is one word that can summarize my life and define its destiny, it is music. Every person on this earth was created for a purpose and I have a conviction that music was my reason for existence.
It was not easy being raised up in a middle class family. We had to stay with my cousins because their parents were unemployed and had no income. From the time I was young, I had been trained to accept and appreciate the little that came my way. It is significant to note that my parents were devoted Christians; thus, they emphasized appreciating the small things in life. Life in high school was not easy either and this led me to perform poorly in most of the subjects hence my grades were low. My parents were disappointed with my performance and they did not grant me free time to play. The reasons why my parents took these drastic actions were that the friends I was spending life with were failures in their own measure.
The confinement at home made me to have a self-search of my sole and it is when I realized that my talent was in music. It was indeed during this period that I later realized that I was wrong and that my parents were right. While I meditated, I thought of going back to school and start my studies with much exalted energies. At this time, I remembered the flute my mother had brought me. She plays piano for the worship choir in our local church and she is a great writer and composer of classical music. Whenever I felt low, I always played the flute and this cheered me up to a level that I developed immense creativity. During holidays, I teamed up with my mother and played music for the entire family. It was such a grand moment and everyone was filled with joy on such occasions. Every time I play the flute, I feel some sense of gratification which leaves me with much joy. Nevertheless, at no point had I thought of playing the flute or specifically music to be my future and only career had never crossed my mind.
It is true that music can be quite soothing and a good pass time activity that is not hazardous. As I started playing music instruments at a more serious level, I forgot my trials and tribulations for quite some time and I was able to experience a heavenly moment. However, my class teacher convinced me to go to the university and study music. I think as a mentor he had noted that I could make it in life if I concentrate in music. My application to the university in spite of my low grades was made easy by the awards I had attained in music under the guidance of my mother.
Despite the fact that my school teacher insisted that it was too late for me and that there was nothing that could be done, my parents were so inspiring. Back to the school, I started hanging out with likeminded brains and indeed realized that education was not as hard as I had previously thought. As I approached my second last year in high school, I was able to improve in my weak subjects and continued to perform outstandingly in music ...
Kristin Lems PCI at TESOL 2014 - Music and Song in Teaching ESLkristinlems
The powerpoint from Kristin Lems' Pre-conference Workshop, How Teachers can Incorporate Music and Song in Teaching ESL, TESOL 2014.
c 2014 Kristin Lems kristinlems@gmail.com
Also see: ESL Support Video Channel: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNILOFXqUb-YY4hhjV4cOog
A contest, sponsored by the Emmy-award winning PBS series Independent Lens, to honor those life-changing teachers out there. For more information, please visit http://www.itvs.org/educators
1. Collaboration Plan and Reflection: Drakes Creek Middle School
Names of individuals who are parts of the collaboration plan.
Student’s Name: Lindsey Smith
Teacher(s): Mrs. Fields
Parents: Mrs. Smith
Activities that are planned to improve the learning of the identified student:
1. Provide three one-on-one voice lessons after school.
2. Build a positive relationship with student and student’s guardian.
3. Help improve the student’s basic vocaltechnique
4. Have student self-assess singing during lessons (musical elements, technique, etc.)
5. Have student apply what is learned in voice lessons to choir rehearsals.
At Drakes Creek Middle School there are two choirs: 8th grade Advanced choir and 7th/8th grade Mixed
choir. During my first few weeks at Drakes Creek, I spent most of my time observing while the choirs
rehearsed. During this time of evaluation and observation,I began to consistently notice a young lady by
the name of Lindsey in the Advanced Choir. She was always actively attentive,always participating, and
seemed anxious to learn; ultimately, she was a leader in the Alto section. Out of curiosity, I asked my
cooperating teacher about her background and experience. In response,my cooperating teacher told me she
had evolved into a leader this year and continues to show great interest in choir class.It was at this moment
that I decided I wanted to work one-on-one with Lindsey; mainly because she reminded me so much myself
at her age.
In forming and executing my collaboration plan, I developed four overall activities/objectives that were
spanned overthe course of three weeks. I wanted to meet with Lindsey one day a week for three weeks and
provide her with a free 30-minute voice lesson after school.The first plan of action in executing this
collaboration plan was to communicate with her parents and teachers in order to establish a time and place
the voice lessons could occur. After emails with her mom and conversations with Mrs. Fields, it became
possible that Lindsey could stay after schoolon Mondays for 30 minutes and get picked up by her mother.
Mrs. Fields was also generous enough to stay after and let me use her room and materials (such as piano) in
order to run a smooth voice lesson.By being flexible and patient through the course of organizing this plan,
I was able to build positive relationships with Lindsey and her mother. My emails were always
complimentary of Lindsey’s work ethic and appreciative of her mother’s cooperation and res pect for me
throughout.
In my voice lessons I wanted to help improve her basic vocal technique and have her learn the constant
method of self-assessment when singing. Every week we talked in depth about the characteristics of proper
singing technique (breathing, posture,tone quality, etc.) and then used vocal exercises to learn how to
apply these characteristics. I used many of my past experiences as a vocal student to relate to Lindsey and
help her understand what to do. I also made use of my own voice and body in order to model for Lindsey
the correct and incorrect way to breathe, stand,sing,etc.
During every lesson,I also had her self-assess herselfafter each time she sung.I would ask things like,
“How did that feel?” or “Good, but what did you forget to do? How can we make that better” By doing this,
Lindsey was learning to become more aware of herself as a musician. For instance, she began to realize
what it felt like to use a head tone versus a throat tone. Her reaction/analysis: “One feels like a ringing bell
in my head and the other one feels like I’m pushing and it’s harder”
In the Advanced Choir, Lindsey was interested in trying out for a solo.Therefore, I used our voice lessons
as an opportunity to help her improve the solo line before auditions. We worked on phrasing,tone-quality,
text-meaning, etc. Lindsey took what she learned in our lessons and applied it in class when she auditioned.
She was awarded with the solo at the Spring Concert in May. I was very proud of her! I have no doubt
Lindsey will continue to grow as a musician and will always appreciate the voice as an instrument.