While working on my Capstone project I decided to continue reading Patricia O'Tool's, Shaping Sound Musicians. I've learned a lot so far and I'm not even through the chapter yet! I'm going to share some quotes and elaborate on personal feelings and ideas that relate to those quotes.
"Music teachers are good at assessing, but we need to improve at providing students with systematic feedback, involving students in assessing their own learning, and developing meaningful criteria for grades."
This hits the nail right on the head. I have found that I'm okay at identifying problems and assessing what students are doing well, or could improve, but I still struggle with providing that feedback in a meaningful way. I also, need to allow students to express their feelings in a way that they use music specific vocabulary and are sharing in a positive environment. In the past, I've had students perhaps say, "that sucked", or perhaps something that pointed out a specific student. While attempting to address that, I need to teach how to properly assess inward and outward.
Music courses are typically assessed through attendance, attitude, and behavior. Our focus should rather be gaining musical knowledge, growing as a performer, and performing with understanding.
This is a loosely taken and is a paraphrased quote, but it's a true statement. How do you assess a class that is performance oriented? Typically the practice has been to assess students on whether or not they were in rehearsal, trying their best, whether or not they had their instrument, and a slew of other factors. After thinking about this issue, the challenge is going to be assessing these important factors that help students remain successful in rehearsal, but also, making sure that that "grade" is effectively communicated with the parents. Typically, if the issue with the student's success is behavior, parents can be a driving force to help that behavior improve.
The second sentence refers to the content knowledge that students should be able to demonstrate. This is when Comprehensive Musicianship can help students and music educators make amazing music. The CMP project, is designed to prepare students for lifelong music making. This has been a something that can be achieved through standards-based grading. By using national standards, and the CMP project, music educators can develop a well-rounded curriculum, rigorous learning targets, and better musicians.
Assessment:
"Music teachers are good at assessing, but we need to improve at providing students with systematic feedback, involving students in assessing their own learning, and developing meaningful criteria for grades."
This hits the nail right on the head. I have found that I'm okay at identifying problems and assessing what students are doing well, or could improve, but I still struggle with providing that feedback in a meaningful way. I also, need to allow students to express their feelings in a way that they use music specific vocabulary and are sharing in a positive environment. In the past, I've had students perhaps say, "that sucked", or perhaps something that pointed out a specific student. While attempting to address that, I need to teach how to properly assess inward and outward.
Music courses are typically assessed through attendance, attitude, and behavior. Our focus should rather be gaining musical knowledge, growing as a performer, and performing with understanding.
This is a loosely taken and is a paraphrased quote, but it's a true statement. How do you assess a class that is performance oriented? Typically the practice has been to assess students on whether or not they were in rehearsal, trying their best, whether or not they had their instrument, and a slew of other factors. After thinking about this issue, the challenge is going to be assessing these important factors that help students remain successful in rehearsal, but also, making sure that that "grade" is effectively communicated with the parents. Typically, if the issue with the student's success is behavior, parents can be a driving force to help that behavior improve.
The second sentence refers to the content knowledge that students should be able to demonstrate. This is when Comprehensive Musicianship can help students and music educators make amazing music. The CMP project, is designed to prepare students for lifelong music making. This has been a something that can be achieved through standards-based grading. By using national standards, and the CMP project, music educators can develop a well-rounded curriculum, rigorous learning targets, and better musicians.
Assessment:
- Can serve as a means of advocacy
- Is imperative for recruitment of lifelong musicians
- Music can teacher concepts, skills, attitudes, and appreciation for basic human interaction
- Can demonstrate to students that they're growing as musicians and that they possess the skills and knowledge to develop musically throughout their lives
The first bullet point holds true for me. If you have high, yet achievable standards, then you'll have the potential better program, and a sense of community pride. Assessment provides opportunities that will give students the skills to make music for the rest of your life. These thoughts are pretty cool, thinking that assessing with students can help musicians perform better!
"Grading has posed many problems for ensemble directors. It has not been a part of the year culture of ensembles to collect "evidence of learning", but rather collect "evidence of participation"... "Letter grades can seem weighty and formidable, sometimes using a more casual system of feedback is less threatening and yields a better learning process."
As I shared above, we too often focus on behaviors rather than content knowledge. I believe that moving to a SBG framework, we can focus on music making, rather than behavior. Creating standards and learning targets that promote a focus on music will allow for music educators to do so much more! I'm excited to see what implementing SBG next year can hold. The letter grade can have an extremely negative stigma attached. In a podcast created Eric Townsley and Matt Townsley related to SBG, Matt brings up a great point, "What does the letter grade mean?" He gave a specific grading example, but nevertheless what does that letter grade mean? Even through the use of rubrics, does the letter grade (just the letter grade with a percentage) effectively communicate the knowledge possessed by a student and whether or not they can demonstrate their knowledge?
These are just simple musings, but they raise some really good questions - How do we effectively communicate how our students are doing in our courses? Are we assessing behavior or content knowledge?
Please feel free to check out the book - Shaping Sound Musicians by Patricia O'Tool and the Townsley podcast.
Townsley, E., & Townsley, M. (2015, March 15). SBG Podcast. Retrieved June 12, 2015, from http://sbgpodcast.blogspot.com
Toole, P. (2003). Shaping sound musicians: An innovative approach to teaching comprehensive musicianship through performance. Chicago, Ill.: GIA Publications.
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