Brooks, Charlene CI 8149

February 26, 2013

Mr. Holland’s Opus Assignment Initial Notes Video 1:

The hallways are bustling The conversation between Mr. Opus and a woman in a pink suit are talking

off camera They enter in the screen from the left It is his first day on the job Mr. Holland is very honest that he only got his teacher certificate as a fall

back The woman in the pink is somewhat offended by the notion that he is

treating this like a drive through and that Mr. Opus isn’t really here to give students all that (oc) she thinks she needs.

They are walking through a narrow hallway with many students behind them I am assuming they are students, because this looks like a school setting Mr. Opus tries hard to reassure the woman that he wasn’t meaning to be

offensive The woman seems to be his boss considering that she establishes some

rather quick expectations on his including future lesson plans for several months and the establishment of independent meetings with students

He seems rather shocked by the initial work load It seems like he is rather new at this type of work and is walking into a

situation where he is unfamiliar with who is he going to be working with (oc) It seems as thought he has never taught before or at least not in this

school and is unfamiliar with how to manage the work load or the exact nature of the job.

He asks the woman if the class is any good and she says “they try” (oc) this implies that they may be lacking in some musical skill or orchestral

skill Mr. Opus peers into the classroom unsure of what to expect The students arriver and he begins to move to the front of the board where

he writes on the chalk board his name He becomes domineering within the first minute. (oc) he seems to try to

make the power dynamics between himself and the students very clear. Many of the students are still walking into classroom considering it has only been seconds since the bell rang.

Mr. Holland introduces the students to the musical theory class verbally and is very clear on what he wants to be called and what he will call them

This is a class on musical history. He asks they students to give them a definition and no one answers

(oc) He is rather quick to find an answer and tries to reword it in such a way that it might inspire an answer of some sort

The students just sit with their eye down Nobody answers and he has the students open the book to help provide them

with a definition of music The students follow instructions and open the book (oc) Mr. Holland seems prepared for the class considering he knew where to

lead to the students to a definition of music in the textbook for the course Some of the students already seem disinterested. One student appears to be

already falling asleep. Nobody has any questions when asked by Mr. Holland (oc) He doesn’t seem to be able to engage the students. He doesn’t seem

nervous, but rather offended by the notion that he is doing this for a class of students he perceives as uninterested or worse, not worth his time to teach because they are not an orchestra.

Narrative Video 1: It is Mr. Holland’s first day on the job in a high school, which is based on the appearance of the students’ age. He is being introduced by the principle (or head faculty member with administrative responsibilities) to the school, his students, classroom, and the expected workload. Mr. Holland makes it very clear that this position as a teacher, advisor, and orchestra conductor is a backup considering his comment about getting a teaching certificate as a backup. The school is rather busy with students buzzing all around the two adults talking. The woman is quick to point out that she is offended by anyone who thinks of teaching and students as merely a drive-through profession is repulsive,. She doesn’t linger on the subject long and moves onto allocating tasks. Mr. Holland arrives at the classroom. Before entering he peers into the classroom to see what it looks like. Moments after he arrives the bell rings and students start to arrive and he moves really quickly to access the classroom. Mr. Holland moves to front of the classroom and writes his name on the chalkboard. He seems rather annoyed that students are still arriving in the classroom although it’s only been a few seconds since the bell rings. He is quick to establish a sense of domination by articulating his name and what he expects to be called. He introduces the students to the music history class. Mr. Holland asks him what they think the definition of music is and nobody is able or willing to answer. The students aren’t engaged, although they open their textbooks when asked nobody is willing to participate. Some students are already falling asleep. Holland is rather quick and almost seems to refuse to go outside of his comfort zone to get the students thinking. He seems rather offended that he has to work with these students.

Initial Notes Video 2 It is the beginning of class and the students are arriving They are all seated by the time the bell rings The students are looking downward Mr. Holland doesn’t greet the students, but rather asks them a question about

music and nobody answers He has literally given them five seconds to answer before he adds a comment

that he “is confirming that he has had no impact on them in the last five months”

His body language and verbal cues suggest a sense of irritation He calls upon a male student who has a pen in hand and appears to be

writing Mr. Holland walks towards him and the boy looks up in a bit of shock and

fear. The other students look around to see how he will respond or react Mr. Holland asks him what kind of music he likes and tries to reassure the

boy to not be fearful. (oc) It appears that the teacher is aware of his own standing with the students and is attempting a different approach to elicit an answer.

The student answers “rock and roll”, a second female student asks the same. Holland is at the front of the class but he is moving around to get closer to the student he is asking questions of. (oc) He appears to be more willing to be engaged and is even comical when calling one student who likes classical “a brown-noser”

He asks the students about their interest in Johann Sebastian Bach and mocks the one student who raises his hand when asked who likes this artist. Mr. Holland then makes a statement that he suspects the students like this classical artist even if they don’t know it.

Goes over to the piano and begins to play a piece. It’s a contemporary piece that some of the student know. They are even familiar with the artist. Mr. Holland corrects them and shows how the musical piece is tied to Bach. He then plays a piece that Bach composed and highlights how the two pieces use the same musical scale.

He even sings a little to highlight how the scale proceeds (oc) possibly to make it more clear to the students

Some of the students seem be react in a surprised fashion to Mr. Holland’s revelation about Bach’s influence in the music they enjoy.

He then plays another piece that is rather active and many of the students are nodding their heads and smiling. (oc) They seem to be dancing, still restrained, but dancing in their chairs.

An adult heads down the hall and seems peeks into the classroom and sees Mr. Holland standing up and playing lively.

Mr. Holland is excitedly talking to another adult about the events of the day and the interest the students had in the music he was playing during the class

period. (oc) He seems to be very happy about the connection that he has made with the students.

Narrative Video 2 It is another day in the classroom and Mr. Holland is quick to answer the students a question. His body and tone of voice indicate irritation; he doesn’t greet the students in his class. None of the student answers his question and many seem to avoiding eye contact with him. Mr. Holland waits about five seconds before he says “it’s been five months and it’s clear that I’ve made no impact”. He approaches the students and begins to ask one of the male students what kind of music he likes. The student is writing something and looks up with a surprised expression. Some of the other students look at him in anticipation of his response. He responds that he likes rock and roll, but is still frightful of how his teacher is going to respond. This is the beginning of a conversation between the class and Mr. Holland. He makes a few comical jokes about a “brown-noser” and starts to understand what kind of music the students really enjoy. He asks the students what they know about Johann Bach. Only one student raises his hand indicating the he likes this classical artist; however, Mr. Holland is quick to help the students understand the initial question he asked by connecting a composition by Bach to a recent musical piece the students recognize and like. He plays a number of pieces and at one point, he is seen standing, while playing a very active and jazzy piece. Some of the students are dancing in their chairs, moving side-to-side, and smiling. Mr. Holland is seen later in the day in causal clothing speaking to another adult about his excitement and the way the students responded to his teaching in class that day. Interpretation of Video 1 & 2 The two distinct videos show a transition in how Mr. Holland learns to respond to the students he never expected or possibly wanted to teach. Initially he is using his teaching certificate to pursue a backup profession and he underestimates he amount of work that his position entails. His initial response to the students is rather domineering and aggressive. Mr. Holland appears to be a classically trained artist, who doesn’t know how to communicate to those outside of his initial vocation. He uses vocabulary that the students don’t seem to understand nor does it engage them. His seems rather frustrated that the students aren’t as interested as he would like. Some of the students are already sleeping and avoiding eye contact. By the second scene, which is five months after the first scene took place, Mr. Holland is still irritated with his role as a teacher. He doesn’t greet the students and once again asks them questions related to classical theories and premised. It’s clear that he has reached a breaking point and attempts to make a connection with the students based on their own interests. Mr. Holland realizes that he can help the

students understand musical history by linking classical composers to the rock-and-roll artists with whom the students are familiar. His body language becomes for casual and he is playing very spiritedly at the piano. There is a shared sense of excitement for him and the students. It’s clear that by the conversation he is having with another adult that he is becoming more willing to go the extra mile to connect with his students.