Student Teaching Tips

"There is really no need to fear the students because they are the same stereotypical band nerds that we were in junior high and high school." This quote came from a three part series from The National Association for Music Education on "How to Make the Most of Your Student Teaching." While the first installment has only three tips, I think the idea of not being scared of students is huge. I know that at times I am super anxious about stepping in front of an ensemble and having someone call me out on something that only a college music student would know or critique my conducting, but it's (most likely) not going to happen. The three main tips they gave were to observe and take notes on your mentor teacher's way of doing things (even if you don't like the way they teach you can learn about what you don't want to do in your classroom), to practice your lesson plans to get use to doing them before you are in front of a class, and to stay positive with an open mind. I will be student teaching next spring, and the idea of having my own class in a year and a half is both scary and exciting at the same time. I hope that my student teaching experience can be one I gain lots of positive knowledge from.