Music class in examples of ZPD

What would it mean to say that a concept or skill that you had not yet learned was in your zone of proximal development (ZPD)? Can you give an example from your past school experience of a situation in which either:
- a teacher appropriately chose a task within your ZPD to work on with you, or
- a teacher inappropriately chose a task for you that was above or below your ZPD?


If a concept or skill I had not learned yet was IN my zone of proximal development, it would mean that I would not be able to perform that skill on my own however with enough support in a social setting I would be able to complete this task. 

A past experience from school, where a teacher appropriately chose a task within my ZPD was in music class in middle school. After learning how to read sheet music, and understanding how to play single notes, the teacher asked us to play scales. Sometimes when asked to play scales in different octaves or different keys I would not be able to play the scales with confidence despite knowing the finger placements on the instrument. My music teacher would assist by sometimes playing the scale on different instruments so I could hear what the scale should sound like, or sometimes play along with me using a similar instrument. With the support of my teacher, I understood what each note was supposed to sound like, was able to play the scales in the right key, and eventually learned how to play them on my own.

An example of a task that was above my ZPD involved my music teacher again. In grade 8 my teacher asked me to be part of the jazz band last minute because they were lacking numbers for an upcoming school concert. The jazz band was known to be more challenging than the regular music class and typically reserved for the more musically inclined. I was by no means musically gifted but I accepted because I thought I could get away without any embarrassment by hiding amongst the rest of the trumpet players, not playing too loud, and mainly avoid sticking out. Well, the concert was a few weeks away and for some reason, my teacher tasked me with a solo in one of the songs to be performed. On top of the anxiety of playing a solo in front of your peers, the jazz band only practiced the song I was set to play a solo in twice. I requested that we practice the song more but because we were short on time, we couldn't. The concert came, my solo was atrocious, and the rest is history. This example illustrates me being assigned a task well above my ZPD.