don’t necessarily take place on a day- to-day basis, and are not specific to string teaching.


However, evaluators


should be aware of their importance and take note of how the teacher ad- dresses them.


Teachers often make


announcements regarding a wide array information related to orchestra activi- ties and events. The placement of an- nouncements is variable, but important for the successful flow of the lesson. Typically, it is best not to interrupt the flow of music making once a lesson has begun with a lot of verbiage.


reading new music, while an aspect of repertoire rehearsal, can be strategi- cally done for best results and a good evaluator will be watchful of when such an activity occurs.


While pitch and rhythm are also very important, and should be consistently refined and remediated, it is those fun- damental elements of string playing that should be emphasized over more complex issues (i.e., style, expression, etc.)


Sight-


In the middle school rehearsal, while the foundational elements of perfor- mance should be routinely reviewed and remediated when necessary, it is the basic musical issues of tone, into- nation, rhythm and ensemble that typi- cally occupy the largest amount of at- tention.


While attention may also be Regardless


of when sight-reading occurs, the ease and smoothness of the activity should be established and observable. Final- ly, many effective music teachers end class with some kind of activity that either summarizes the rehearsal (e.g., a play-through of the music rehearsed in a secondary school ensemble) or pro- vides an outlet of some other kind (e.g., music game reinforcing a technique or concept with elementary students). Again, the character of how these ac- tivities are led is crucial to the success of not only the activity, but the lesson as a whole.


Priorities – Diagnostic and Prescriptive Principles


Whether in warm-up, skill develop- ment, repertoire rehearsal, or perhaps even tuning, the string instructor should have an established set of priorities that govern any diagnostic or prescriptive remediation.


As outlined by Culver (1989) in his Master Teacher Profile the elementary orchestra lesson should be character- ized by an attention to the student’s physical development with the instru- ment and the basics of music making. An elementary string teacher should al- ways be addressing the foundational el- ements of posture, instrument position, left and right hand formation, and tone.


37


paid to issues of dynamics and style, time spent on these elements will be less when compared to the rehearsals of the high school ensemble.


In the high school rehearsal, remedia- tion of foundational elements and basic music issues are addressed by the ef- fective teacher when they occur. How- ever, it is at the high school level where more time will be spent developing the more complex musical issues of phras- ing, dynamics, style, etc.


Delivery Any effective music teacher will


thoughtfully utilize all the aspects of delivery to their advantage. While such elements as vocal usage (Can everyone in a large group hear the teacher?) and pacing (Are students actively engaged most of the time? Is there too much time spent working with one section of the ensemble?) are common concerns in any music class, there are some as- pects of a teacher’s delivery of instruc- tion that are unique to a string teacher.


Modeling is important in any music lesson. The root meaning of the word teaching is “to show,” and therefore showing the students how to play or sing is crucial to any music classroom. However, unlike the choral or band class, the technique of string perfor- mance is perhaps more external. Be- cause most everything regarding string technique can be seen, it is imperative


Perhaps most important in a perform- ing arts class, there should be some kind of data reflecting growth of the en- semble as a whole and the students in- dividually. The manner in which this is done should have some flexibility (au- dio only, audio/visual, live tabulation). When assessing an ensemble’s perfor- mance, in addition to common musical goals, these string specific goals should also be considered: uniformity of bow- ing, including bow placement & usage; musical style with regards to such tech- niques like spiccato and martele; and, any aspects relevant to historical style and period practice. When examining a student’s individual performance, an assessment at any grade level should include


foundational elements (pos-


ture, instrument position, right and left hand formation), basic musical elements (tone, rhythm and pitch) and


that the string teacher -- particularly at younger levels -- always have an in- strument available to show the students how to play. Furthermore, the quality of the demonstration must be musically accurate.


The other aspect of teacher delivery that is crucial to a string class, particularly a beginning string classroom, is the teacher’s need to put hands-on-hands and mould the student’s instrument or bow position.


It is important that the


teacher’s proximity and pedagogical touch be employed in a supportive and non-aggressive manner. But there is no more direct substitute to fixing a prob- lem than walking around the room and directly fixing a poor bow hand or im- proper left arm and wrist.


Assessment of Student Growth Perhaps the hottest topic teachers are concerned with currently in Michigan is the measurement of student growth. The evaluator’s job is no longer just observational, but also encompasses the review of student growth. Whether the measurements are prescribed or chosen by the teacher, some important factors should be considered.


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