High School Jazz Observation

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The Derby High School jazz band was observed as a social group throughout the course of a month. This group consisted of just under 30 people, and all students were chosen to enroll the class upon request of the instructor. A majority of the students were musically advanced and had already been playing for several years. This group was picked to be observed due to the constant stress that students go through and the variety of tasks that were asked of the students.
The group also consisted of goals they wished to accomplish, such as proficiently preparing music to play at their November and December concerts. One value that the jazz band possessed was success. All members of the group were working towards the same goal, which was to perform to the best of their ability. It was evident that the instructor constantly pushed the students to focus on playing as a group or …show more content…

An example of this was when students failed to mark their music with visual reminders throughout rehearsal. Stand partners felt that the other person would remind them how the music was and thought they wouldn't be heard in the case of a mess up. Only a few people in the entire band brought a pencil to class, and would often rely on other students to take the lead. It occurred again when new sheet music was passed out. Students relied on the person next to them to play the correct rhythms and notes. Some people did not participate in playing their instrument during this time. Diffusion of responsibility was lastly recorded when most students returned to class without practicing. This upset the instructor because students were specifically told to practice between the days of rehearsals. The group felt less responsible for accomplishing the task since it was shared among the band. All of the examples above show that people have the tendency to feel less responsible for accomplishing tasks when the effort is shared among a

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