MUSIC 23241
March 8, 2011
Designing Substantive Playing Tests
The article's main point is to describe and show the significance of an effective playing tests for bands and orchestras. The main ideas in the article can be adapted to other sorts of ensembles as well to help with the assessment and improvement of the students. A music teacher must think about the musicality and measurement issues to create the ideal test to inspire higher thinking for the students. A teacher must also have a main goal in mind to help guide the student to the proper outcome. The article then talks about what to look for in an accomplished learner and then he talks about how to assess the students when using the tests periodically. He then lists some outcomes of using his methods and some concerns that teachers can work on and improve in the development of the tests.
The majority of the article discusses how to adapt the playing tests to an instrumental group so I don't have much experience with this form of assessment because I have never been in an instrumental ensemble. I can generally relate to being able to assess where my progress is by testing myself musically, but I have never been tested by a teacher. This article didn't really relate much to me and it was difficult to read most of it.
I agree that having your students take a playing test on occasion is an effective way of figuring out how the students are progressing and figuring out what you need to change to help the learning process. One thing I do not agree on is how often Byo said the students should be tested. I feel that at the high school or middle school level, the students don't have enough in class time to really learn the music and giving them only two weeks to improve major issues is not reasonable in this situation. Maybe a test a month is more realistic, and definitely can be highly effective.
Byo, James L. (2001). Designing substantive playing tests - a model. Music Educators Journal, 39-44.
Great personal statements at the end!
ReplyDelete