The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage learners in their own growth, to document learner progress, and to guide the teacher's ongoing planning and instruction.
It is necessary for music teachers to assess students in many different ways on a regular basis. Music teachers need to perform assessments that are not only performance-based, but everyday aspects that allow the teacher to assess their students on the musical aspects they do every single day. Assessment should be based on what will improve the abilities of the students and how the teacher can help them along without telling them everything. Teachers need to take Formative and Summative assessments as well as formal and informal assessments of their students throughout the time they are in the classroom together. Students should be assessed on standards, which is Formative Assessment as well as how they do during a performance or test, which is Summative Assessment. A teacher who has mastered this standard would know how to assess their students in a variety of ways. These ways can range from a simple check to see if the students can match pitch while singing, or the intonation is correct on their instrument to how well they can sing in front of their peers or for a playing test at the end of the year to help determine a final grade. Teachers have many ways to choose from, and once they can figure out what ways work for them and their students, their students can succeed and make themselves better by receiving feedback and understanding the assessment they are undergoing.
Since I am just beginning the music program, I do not believe I have much experience at all when it comes to the assessment of students. I know that for peer teachings in Music Education 100 and 150 I have had the chance to see how my peers respond to my teachings and how they sing when I ask them to, but beyond that, I do not have that much experience. I feel that there are many aspects of assessment that we have briefly discussed, and I have ideas on how to implement them into my teachings, but until I get the chance to teach in front of an ensemble, I have the feeling I will not totally understand the best way to assess students.
In order to achieve mastery of this principle, I know that I will have to continue taking my Music Education courses at Ball State and obtain the knowledge I need to know what sort of assessments there are for students. I will also continue participating in the choirs and will observe how my teachers teach me and assess all of those students in our choirs, and note what I can take from them. I know that from taking into consideration of these things I will learn and witness being a student myself, I will become a better teacher to know what sort of assessment works for me and adapt to those changes the students I will have may bring to my teachings.
MUSE 150- Artifact:Reading Log 8 Rationale: Here is an artifact that I am beginning to understand in music education that shows different ways of assessment. This artifact reflects how teachers, such as myself, can learn what types of assessment are effective for students, as well as how students can improve by receiving these assessments themselves.
MUSE 258- Vocal Techniques Artifact: Case Study Rationale: This study done in my vocal techniques class allowed my to assess the growth and development of a student. I took them through exercises to examine how they have progressed as a singer, and therefore allowed them to see how much they have grown through the years. This study gave me the opportunity to understand the importance of assessing my students and allowing them to evaluate themselves in the process. I will be able to see how well my form of instruction is working for my students, and will assess them to see if I need to change my approach.
MUSE 356- Choral Methdos 1 Artifact: Psychomotor Rubric Rationale: This artifact is a skill-based rubric to assess students in their singing abilities of specific sections of music. I have learned throughout this course about the necessity of the varieties of assessment, and the tools used to carry out the assessing. During teaching lessons to my peers and middle school students, I have found myself assessing their abilities of learning the music I am teaching them, and their overall abilities to sing, read, etc. With more practice in teaching, I will develop my assessing strategies and skills.
MUSE 376- Choral Methods 2 Artifact:Unit Curriculum Plan Rationale: This artifact is a plan that I produced for a unit when teaching a piece of music to a classroom. This plan I developed has three assessment tools that evaluate student performance. This plan is a basis for the plans I will produce in the future. It is a good plan to follow for my future units as an educator. This unit curriculum plan is a complete overview of the process of teaching a unit throughout several weeks time. I produced this plan in my MUSE 376 course after learning how to teach high school choir. I feel that if I were to teach high school choir in the future, I would be able to have this plan as a guide.
Student Teaching Artifact:First Grade Singing Assessment Rationale: Throughout student teaching, I have had to assess students on how well they learned different concepts in the classroom. This artifact is a rubric from my first grade LAMP project in which I assessed their ability to sing a solo to a piano accompaniment. The students learned the song by rote, and then they stood in front of the classroom and sang the song in front of the class. This assessment helped me to figure out who was doing well in their ability to sing, and who needs more practice with those songs we learned in class. I will use rubrics like these in the future to let me know where students are in their skills in singing, playing, listening, etc. Making rubrics such as these can be used for a variety of ages and can be changed to fit the needs and abilities of the students. With small changes and grading scales, I can use these rubrics to aid me in assessing all grades I will be teaching.