Eryn Calfee

MUSED258

Sound Connections, Chapter 9: Assessing Literacy Skills

Dr. Don Ester
2010

Summary/Discussion:

At the heart of every educational effort that is made in the classroom comes the most sensitive
area for students and teachers alike: assessment. If done insensitively, students in music can
quickly lose confidence and might lose enjoyment in the art form. If an educator is not affective
in their assessment, however, they will not be able to gauge the progress of a student and what
steps must be taken next to continue their growth. The same situation is applicable especially
to music literacy as students must experience continual improvement in this to ensure a long
career of strong musicianship. While it would be best to assess music literacy on an individual
level, the means to provide such a deep process are simply not available in the public school
music classroom. Students must be assessed in smaller groups, vocal part sections, or in the
entire ensemble. Chapter nine of Sound Connections discusses the importance of assessment
and how to best go about making sure that students are progressing at the desired rate for the
goals of the teacher. Teachers can do as much preparation ahead of time from preparing data
sheets that are extremely simple and quick to complete, to improving aural skills and
knowledge of an exercise so that informal assessments can be done within an ensemble
rehearsal. If the teacher is not glued to the piano, they can use proximity to their advantage in
assessment. I have had numerous successful role models in the area of assessment throughout
my musical career and have gained the skills through MUSED258 to continue growing this skill.