Eastridge High School Classroom Observation

On the sixteenth of November, I observed the Eastridge High School Concert Band, under the direction of Mr. Jeff Hoffman. It is important to mention that the piece being rehearsed have been worked on for around a month and a half, with Mr. Hoffman around half the band for forty minutes a day. The concert was a little less than a month away.
The rehearsal, which began at seven-thirty am, started off on a great note. Mr. Hoffman did not say a single word or give one direction. He just put his hands up in rest position and started conducting. The band responded by quickly stopping the chatter and by playing a warm up sequence. The sequence, which I talked to Mr. Hoffman about later, was set for each rehearsal and focused on tuning and playing scales. It gave the players a chance to tune and listen for balance and intonation. This type of rehearsal practice is a great classroom management technique as well because it reduces

At the beginning of the rehearsals period, there were many run-throughs and small sections to work on. The next few weeks were more in depth and only focused on small sections. When Mr. Hoffman would run through a larger section, or the whole piece, the difference could be heard exponentially. Now in the weeks leading up to the concert, Mr. Hoffman is focusing on larger pictures and ideas while still stopping to fix small sections. It was interesting to see the transitional period from start to finish. I have been present in Wind Symphony for this to happen and have noticed great achievements, but it was interesting to see it as a bystander and a whole picture.
Again, it was great to see these rehearsal techniques from a bystander point of view. It is interesting to sit and think through the choices the director is making rather than think a little than play, like an ensemble setting I am use