My in-class microteaching was over the piece Rosymedre by Ralph Vaughan Williams. I started off the lesson with a rhythmic warm up that was based on the common rhythmic pattern in the melody. This was the first time this 375 class was going to play the piece, and I knew it was much more difficult than Dance Episodes for many reasons. I wanted the class to be ready for the piece through the warm ups that we had at the beginning of class.
The next step was a warm up on the instruments in the key of F major, the key the song is in. Again, this is a different key than what the class had become accustomed to playing in the class, and I wanted them to be ready for the piece. I also wanted to start introducing the concept right away. So, to do this, I started to have the students watch me as I shaped the scale they were playing with my conducting.
The third step was to jump right into the piece. We started from the beginning and I signaled for the students to watch me because I was going to conduct the shaping and phrasing of the piece. And, as I suspected, the students had a hard time playing the piece at first, but we were able to manage.
The first three steps of the lesson were done with as little talking as possible. I wanted the students to play more than listen to me talk about something they would learn better while working it out on their instrument. And it was a success in my opinion; we were able to get through a lot of music in a very short amount of time.
The rest of the lesson involved the students playing on and shaping the piece themselves. I stepped back from the podium and did not conduct for one of the run throughs to give the ensemble a chance to shape and phrase itself. And, as I predicted, leaders in the piece took charge and shaped the piece, while the others followed. And in real life, this is what happens. The most prominent part in the music at that certain time should become the leader and help the conductor shape the piece to make it more interesting, while the other sections blend with the leaders.
I really thought that the lesson was a success. I thought that the concept was broadcasted throughout the lesson, and that the students took something from my episode. I think that with some minor adjustments, this is a lesson I would take out into the field with me.