Zaffini, E. (2015). Using Informances in general music. General Music Today, 28(2), 13-17.

doi:10.1177/1048371314555221

Zaffini (2015) talks about replacing the performance aspect of music class with
informances" because general music teachers are incapable of running a band and choosing
suitable repertoire. Although an informance will demonstrate what children are learning in the
class, I fail to see how it is just an unprepared performance gift wrapped in excuses. There is no
reason not to polish a performance, and explain to your audience how you got there, rather than
present them something half-baked, and hard to sit though. Parents dont expect perfection of a
high school ensemble, nor can they hear it most of the time. Concerts are more of a heart
warming activity, that gives the parents confirmation that little Jimmy was indeed at band
practice after school not out smoking pot with the local hooligans and delinquents.

I think that the problem with taking performance out of the music classroom is that kids
actually like to perform. If nothing else in school, music class feels like theyre doing something
that isnt just writing papers about things they dont care about. There is a community feel in
band, and at the end of the semester when they perform, the students gain a sense of pride
knowing that they actually created something. If we take performing away from them, you
actually worsen the effect of having music being too theoretical and bookish. I believe it is
necessary to have real musicians teach music classes, and let the students do something practical
(music class is one of the only hands on things they will do in a day at school) instead of
becoming another boring book-based course. If students are allowed to apply the knowledge
they have gained in class to playing an instrument, it doesnt seem like a waste to learn it. So

before you tear out a fun, and important part of the curriculum out of music class, assess weather
or not it makes sense to have who knows nothing about music, teach it to children. Maybe an
informance would be suitable for a kindergarten class where the outcome of a performance is
unclear due to the age of children you are working with. But by the time they are high school
students, these kids are no longer helpless. The expectations of a performance will give them
something to work towards, rather than providing them with a lower standard and an excuse not
to practice. In my opinion, that is just lazy.