Assessment of music students

Draft

Introduction

This entry should include various evaluation methods at some point. We also will be interested on how to teach music online and use technology for formative assessment (feedback that helps learning).

Some music educators believe that music teaching and learning are very difficult, if not impossible, to assess. Usually, such beliefs stem from an insufficient level of detail as to exactly what the student is to be able to do or know after music instruction. Well-specified learning targets inform the teacher and the student about what is to be learned and point toward specific means for assessingt he learning. For example, educators frequently use the term "musically" when describing how a student is to be able to sing or play. A learning target for the goal of "the student will be able to sing the phrase musically" could be "the phrase will be sung with appropriate use of breath, dynamics, tempo variation, and tension and release." The assessment would cover these specific aspects of performance.

(Edward Asmus, 1999)

Rubrics

Jazz piano students evaluation

• Bradley Sowash, in a forum message identified four big dimensions: Rhythm, Scales, Harmony and Play.

Links

• jazz piano lessons / new students Evaluation grid by Bradley Sowash posted on july 2011 at pianoworld.

• Various PHD thesis sponsored by SmartMusic

• Akron Public Schools 2011-2012 Music Handbook (Includes some lesson plans and rules/tips for assessment, use search and look at forms at the end)

Bibliography

(these are randomly found items ... really not complete - Daniel K. Schneider 17:35, 15 September 2011 (CEST))

• Asmus, E. P. (1999). Music assessment concepts. Music Educators Journal, 86(2), 19-23. JSTOR access

• Brophy, T. S. (2000) Assessing the Developing Child Musician: A Guide for Music Teachers

• Boyle, J. David, and Rudolf E. Radocy. Measuremenat and Evaluationo for Musical Experiences. New York:Schirmer Books, 1987.

• Colwell, R. (2003). The status of arts assessment: Examples from music. Arts Education Policy Review, 105(2), 11-18.

• Colwell, R. & Richardson, C. (Eds.). (2002) The new handbook of research on music teaching and learning. New York: Oxford University Press

• Edmund, D. C., Birkner, M. E., Burcham, R. W., & Heffner, C. J. (2008). Identifying key issues for assessment in music education. In T.S. Brophy (Ed.), Assessment in Music Education: Integrating Curriculum Theory, and Practice. Proceedings of the 2007 Florida Symposium on Assessment in Music Education (pp. 45-55). Chicago: Gia.

• Fisher, Ryan (2008). Debating Assessment in Music Education, Research & Issues In Music Education, September 2008 : Volume 6 : No. 1 HTML (open access, the initial bibliography items were found in this article).

• Gaffney, Valerie F. (2005). The development of an assessment tool to gather evidence and evaluate the progress of performance skills of students in the Edgerton High School Band. MA Thesis, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. (google this)

• Russel, Joshua, A. (2010). Assessment Practices of Secondary Music Teachers, Journal of Research in Music Education April 2010 vol. 58 no. 1 37-54, doi: 10.1177/0022429409360062

• Orzolek, D. C. (2006). The paradox of assessment: Assessment as paradox [Electronic version]. Research and Issues in Music Education, 4. Retrieved Sept. 2011 from http://www.stthomas.edu/rimeonline/vol4/orzolek.htm

• Sheldon, Deborah., Reese, S., & Grashel, J. (1999). The effects of live accompaniment, intelligent digital accompaniment, and no accompaniment on musicians’ performance quality. Journal of Research in Music Education, 47, 251-288.

• Sheridan, Mark and Charles Byrne (2002). Ebb and flow of assessment in music. British Journal of Music Education, 19, pp 135-143 doi:10.1017/S0265051702000220

• Stanley, Michael; Ron Brooker and Ross Gilbert, Examiner Perceptions of Using Criteria in Music Performance Assessment, Research Studies in Music Education June 2002 vol. 18 no. 1 46-56, DOI 10.1177/1321103X020180010601

• ????, Assessment in Instrumental Music: How can band, orchestra, and instrumental ensemble directors best assess their student's learning? Here are some evaluation tools and techniques to consider Music Educators Journal September 1999 86: 31-50, doi: 10.2307/3399587

Journals

• RIME Research & Issues In Music Education (open access journal), Archive (includes a search facility)

• Journal of Research in Music Education (Access restricted)

• British Journal of Music Education (Access restricted)

• Music Educators Journal (Access restricted).

• Research studies in music education (Access restricted)