Blog 14: Independent Component One

Literal:
(a) I, Samantha Torres, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
(b) Billy Rugh at Creative Planet School of the Arts
(c) linked on the side under Independent Component Log
(d) I used my mentorship as my independent component so I worked with kids from Creative Planet of the ages 5 to 14 as they prepared for the annual winter show. I got to look in on classes as well as watching over and helping with rehearsals.

Interpretive:
My Independent Component helped me look deeper into my topic and spend more time with my mentor. I got to watch rehearsals and work with the choir and soloists as they prepared for their show.

I watched the whole show being performed full out without costumes, I got to help with the numbers that weren't completed at the time and prepare the soloists as they were about to perform. 

This was a view I often saw, I sat in the back of the class so I didn't distract or with the class occasionally as they rehearsed for the show. I also got to sit in on classes where it was simply music being taught or practiced.

This was a music class I assisted, they are in groups to start practicing the recorder and learning new songs from the workbooks in front of them.

Applied:
This helped me understand the foundation of Music Instruction because I got to witness first hand what it takes to teach every type and grade level of a child. No one class is the same every class has their ups and downs but the teacher is what keeps it together. For example in the Music I class there are a lot of pictures, and games to keep the kids attention since they are the younger of the school, where as in a Music II class the children are expected to be able to do work from a book and practice among each other. they work as teams to achieve the next song or next level of difficult in the piano books it just depends on the class.

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

1. How can music instruction most influence a child’s ability to perform publicly?

2. What does a person need to gain from a choir experience to be able to perform?

3. How can a teacher best aid a person in developing skills to be able to perform publicly?

4. What is necessary in a teacher or a teacher’s instruction to help a person perform?

5. Do you feel or have examples of an experience where music instruction has been able to help in other aspects than just performing (public speaking etc.)?

6. How does music instruction help in other aspects along with increasing a person’s ability to perform?

7. Since you work with children, where do you see the benefits of music instruction in your kindergarten classes and your performing art classes?

8. Performing publicly isn't for everyone, but can music instruction help this? 

9. How does early music instruction help a child opposed to instruction at adulthood?

10. What does music instruction mean to you?

Frozen: Let It Go!

I told a few people I would post a clip from one of the numbers "Let It Go" so here it is.

This is from the rehearsal! 

Show days!

Lasst weekend Friday and Saturday were the show days, and boy what a weekend it was! Being a teacher's assistant/ teacher to the students is very tasking ( props to all teachers out there ) it seemed like such a long weekend, but it felt so amazing to see the kids so happy and joyful at the end... Even if the road there was extremely stressful!

These are from the rehearsals on Monday the 6th they had the set for the play set up in the fellowship hall so the kids could practice on.

This is a picture of the set, which is always amazing! There is more to it, like the floats on the right had side and other windows and signs that are able to be seen because they can only work in the theater itself.

This is a video of the boomwhacker number. (not the full thing of course) 

This is one of the rehearsal pictures when we were at the Baldwin Park Performing Arts Center, Mr. Billy is in the middle directing the kids as the three "Divas" sing "Let It Snow" on the floats (a part I once did *tears*) and the younger kids dance in front of them.

Rehearsal is an important aspect of performing, especially when working with younger children,  so there was a lot of it! Sadly I had to work backstage helping the kindergarten through second graders change and get on stage for their numbers, the teachers really needed help and they were thankful for me, so I wasn't able to see the show or get good video of it but I did ask a friend in the audience to get some clips so I'll be posting those shortly!

 

These are the kids I helped backstage; they are in their bird costumes,which they couldn't hang or put on for themselves, but how could you not help those faces. They opened the show! 

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours

1. Creative Planet School of the Arts

2. Billy Rugh
3. 10 Hours
4. I worked closely with the students of Creative Planet and my mentor Mr Billy. I assisted and also participated in choir, solo voice, and music/musical instrument classes. I helped answer questions as an assistant and ran warm up exercises for choir classes; as well as warmed up, sang songs, and filled out worksheets as a "student" or observer in the classes. 

Blog 10: Senior Project: The Holiday

1. Over break I wasn't able to work directly with my mentor or at my mentorship because they were on break as well since its a school but I finished completely reading a book I use for my research called "Nurture Shock".
2.  I simply re-read the chapters I had already read and I read the chapters I didn't use in my research. "Nurture Shock" is about child development and gives pointers on teaching and parenting.It teaches about the negative power of praise, why children feel the need to lie, why some kids don't get along and how to make it easier for them, and other small things that teachers and parents should not do in order to better a child.I had already absorbed the knowledge from doing my research, but re-reading it made it clearer.

3.  If I was going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to my EQ answer I would talk to the principle of my middle school and mentor Mr. Billy because he has worked with children for so long and has seen them transform and grow over the years. I could also interview my middle school music teacher Mrs. Amy Rodriguez because she has also been there for children from young ages teaching them music, instruments, and even facilitating in teaching some kids voice. Either of them would be very helpful in answering my EQ.

Monthly Post

Well this month was a busy one for the kids at my mentorship because of the big show that was supposed to happen on December 20th but because of all the things that have to get done in the month school wise it was pushed back to January the 10th! Which means more time to rehearse but also much more stress for the teachers who now have prepare for another week of "hell". We call it hell week because of the back to back dress rehearsals the kids will have and all day rehearsal so yes that means starting from about 10 am to 6 pm with breaks to do school work in between. I won't be able to attend all rehearsal of course, but i get to help the younger kids back stage and watch over them during the show madness! That's going to be my main responsibility and I'm very excited to see all the kids so proud and excited during the show, I'll post the dates and times when I know them, right now they're up in the air. But mentorship has been going very well so far.