Meaningful Learning Experience Essay, Research Paper

Throughout my years in elementary and high school, I am able to recall numerous experiences which ?stand out? in my mind as meaningful. Certain teachers had different methods of making their lessons effective and easy to understand. However, in all of my memories, a single day in fifth grade is remembered as an exciting day that literally changed my life.

I can vividly remember my first band lesson. The anticipation and excitement I felt as I opened my new saxophone case for the first time was simply inexplicable. I had never held an instrument before; it was all new to me. Yet, slowly, my band director began to instruct me on how to hold the instrument and the fingerings of basic notes. By the end of the lesson, I had learned to play ?Mary had a Little Lamb? and ?Hot Cross Buns.?

At the time, I did not realize what made that lesson so memorable. As a 10-year-old child, I knew that I liked this new ?toy.? I also felt that I was a good player. After all, I had learned to play two songs on my first day! In retrospect, however I realize that this positive experience can be attributed to more than just first-time excitement. My teacher had developed a lesson that was comprised of distinct and meaningful components. She began by introducing me to this new instrument, instructing me on basic techniques. This basic introduction was followed by a developmental period. With my teacher?s help, I began to learn beginning notes and note values. Together, we worked to develop my skills. The lesson was concluded by putting together all of the information that I had worked to develop. The random ?sounds? that I made throughout the lesson became ?music? as I performed my first songs. This gave the lesson a sense of closure, as well as a sense of accomplishment.

This memorable learning experience was extremely valuable to me in the fifth grade. Ironically, it is also valuable to me now. I have reached a point where I can see the strategy my instructor used to make me excited about music and eager to learn more. Today, I am still excited about music, and this can be largely contributed to this influential experience. I feel that the techniques used by this great teacher may help me to impact a future student in a similar way.