Ali Hersi

Professor Steegmann

English 210

8, April 2019

 

Field Notes/Observation

 

Was there a hobby you enjoyed at a young age that slowly evaporated? Your love and passion for it didn’t decrease but it didn’t feel the same as you aged. For me this was music, musical instruments that is. I played the cello in elementary school and loved every second of it. It was hard to continue playing in middle and high school because my school did not have an orchestra and my parents were not willing to pay for music classes. I slowly forgot about those experiences until this assignment came up. This observation allows me to revisit my past through the actions of music students at CCNY.

I walked through Shepherd Hall towards room 190 as my mind wandered, thinking about how the music classroom looks and what to expect during class. I knew I was early so I sat on the brown wooden bench in front of room 190. The brown, blue and green walls provided a dark and gloomy scene. Some students approached the bench with instruments in a case wrapped around their necks. I looked at my phone and the time read “1:56”. I got up and opened the wooden door to enter the classroom. As I placed my hand on the doorknob I had a sudden flashback to the doorknob I’d always open on the 3^rd floor of my elementary school when entering my orchestra class. I walk in and see some students chatting cleaning the violin’s and violas on their laps. I look up to view the walls and construction of the classroom. It is a medium sized amphitheater looking room, with a large wooden floor and steps with chairs to sit and watch the floor which is where the band is set up. I turned around and greeted my friend Aaron with his trademark twisted moustache, who helped orchestrate (no pun intended) this observation.

I continued to get a glimpse of the classroom and locked my eyes on the drum set in the back next to a grand piano. The guitarists and brass are in front of the piano and the saxophone section is in the very front. My eyes continue to wander and notice that only two of the four walls have windows looking out at the park. I asked Aaron what the foam was used for pointing at the ceiling and walls. He said it is soundproofing with a confident grin on his face. The door opens, and the air is sucked out of the room. I looked in that direction and saw Professor Holober, he is tall with straight black hair and a full moustache. His black glasses have a rectangular frame. As Holober walks toward the center of the room I take a seat in the middle of the floor to get a bird’s eye view of the students and teacher. As the class settles down, I estimate the gender ratio as they hold their instruments and look at their notes. 60 to 65 percent were male and 35 to 40 percent were female. Unlike my previous classroom observation there weren’t a lot of students with dyed hair. Also, about 60-70 people were in the classroom. Both genders were diverse in terms of ethnicity

There were a handful of instruments used by students including violins, violas, cellos, basses, saxophones, guitars and a piano. All the students and Professor Holober were wearing a variety of sweaters during class. Everyone was upbeat all throughout class. I never got the intention that the students didn’t want to be there. Professor Holober doesn’t speak much during class. He mainly communicates with his hands when the students are performing much like my conductor in elementary school teacher, Mr. Tech did. Holober’s hands go up, sideways, up, down and up again. This cycle continues all throughout class. The students don’t pay much attention to me and don’t question why I am there. They’re probably used to being observed as they are during live performances. I looked at Aaron a few times comparing Aaron the humanities student to Aaron the musician. His facial expressions stay the same per usual. The space outside of room 190 is dark and gloomy but when you enter the classroom the lights and fresh air quickly changes the mood.

I looked down at my phone and the time read “3:34”. Despite class not being over I had seen enough and enjoyed this therapeutic observation. My stomach let out a light grumble and although I was hungry for food, my hunger to rekindle some of the lost love of musical instruments was served.

 

 

 

 

• Record: Middle of the classroom.

Respond:  Do these students notice that I’m not a part of this class?

 

• Record: Observing the students, there are more males than females. I don’t see any friends in the area.

 

Respond: Is there a mystery friend hiding in plain sight?

 

• Record: Professor Holober points at a student for about 10s

Respond:  What does that mean? Is that a common symbol?

 

 

• Record: A student walks in at about 3:00 and people don’t react.

 

Respond:  Is it normal for students to come an hour late?

 

 

• Record: A student sneezes.

Respond:  Should I yell out “bless you”?

 

• Record: I exit the class at about 3:40 and some students wave at me.

Respond:  Why are they so friendly?