1. Assessment in the Choral Classroom A Presentation by Michaela Mondro and Lara Wolford

2. Introduction to the Choral Classroom Build skills in ear training, sight reading, vocal independence, vocal technique, performance etiquette Rehearsals culminate in concerts each season Choir functions as a group – teamwork and collaboration are a crucial part of assessing students

3. Auditions and Placement Usually consists of range-testing, sight-reading, and harmonization Often done one-on-one (ie director and student) Can be done in quartets (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) Used to determine what choir one is placed in and/or what voice part they will be singing

4. How are they Reliable and Valid? Test-Retest Reliability – everyone sings the same piece and does the same exercises Shows individual abilities Allows director to compare results Criterion Validity Predicts student’s ability to perform in ensemble and concert Content Validity Represents curriculum aim Helps us justify repertoire choices based on student’s ability

5. Vocal Assessment Also done in quartets Great way to check memorization of text and knowledge of notes Can be done in private or in front of group

6. How is it Reliable and Valid? Test-Retest Can be administered multiple times to show progress over time Internal Consistency Exercises chosen should be able to assess student’s progress Difficult exercises will be difficult for all Content Validity Allows us to determine that repertoire being performed is within the abilities of singers Construct Validity Levels of difficulty of each exercise should be about the same for the group

7. Participation Due to the nature of the choir room, decent part of grade is based on participation in rehearsal i.e. have all music, pencil, posture, singing when asked, not chewing gum Memorization checks – written or oral Either done as one final grade at the end of the semester or individual points per day

8. Written Assessment Selected to supplement the repertoire being sung Music Theory Ear training Larger-scaled projects (i.e. Composer project) Concert Reports Typically not the largest part of assessment

9. How are they Reliable and Valid? All forms of Reliability and Validity should be taken into account when writing tests, just as you would when writing a test for any other subject

10. Concerts Serves as exam Culmination of work in rehearsal and individual work of student Graded based on memorization, performance, and concert etiquette

11. Final Grades Breakdown of everything worked on during semester and concert For example… Participation in Rehearsal – 30% Memorization and Vocal Testing – 15% Written Work – 25% Concert Participation – 30%

12. Bias Just because we’re not a “typical” style of assessment doesn’t mean we can’t have bias! When choosing audition pieces, make sure it is something that is easily recognizable (i.e. not choosing a piece that is only recognized by one culture) Choose a piece that is difficult enough to test ability but not so difficult that it is unsingable by most students Offensive items Be wary of cultural groups and/or religious groups when choosing repertoire (ie don’t program a winter concert just full of Christian carols) Penalization This is difficult to avoid because of the variety of languages used to perform – there will always be students who have an advantage

13. Accommodation If bias is found (which it most likely will be…) take the time to use accommodations Choose folk songs that represent the cultures of people in the classroom Let students use facilities to learn music on their own after class if they don’t have the resources to practice at home Provide larger copies of music for those who have problems with their eyesight There are many ways to use accommodations in the music classroom