Writing Rubrics for the Music Classroom - Whitcomb

Britt Beil
MUSIC 23241
March 8, 2011

Writing Rubrics for the Music Classroom

               This article is spent describing what a rubric is and does in the classroom to help benefit the teacher and the students. According to Whitcomb, the music educator should also have a general understanding of the standards and knowledge level of students in the language arts and writing classes and of course other subjects, but these are crucial for writing papers in the music class. Whitcomb talks about creating a rubric with both musical categories and writing requirements and she also discusses how to compose a rubric for performances. She also feels that the students should have some say in what is put into the rubric that they would also find interesting to write about.

               Generally, I never really had to write a paper about music until I got to the college level, so I didn't need any rubrics in my music classes. However, I did have rubrics in my English classes and it was definitely significantly helpful when writing a paper because it told me the information needed to make an efficient paper and get the grade I wanted. In college, we have used rubrics in several of my classes and it definitely helps in case you don't have a firm grasp of what to write about so it gives a bit of an outline of what you need to know.

               I agree with the benefits of a rubric, it is a flexible tool for assessment of music and communicates the goals for the students given by the teachers. I also agree that the students should have some input in the rubric the teacher creates for them because it is important that the students decide what they would like to write about and are interested in so they will succeed. I also agree that by handing out the rubrics early it helps the student feel more prepared when they know exactly what the teacher is looking for in advance. I feel that the rubric is definitely beneficial for the students and the teacher and an effective way to assess the comprehension level of the students.

Whitcomb, Rachel. (1999). Writing rubrics for the music classroom. Music Educators Journal, 26-32.