The Yellow Board

Grading playing tests

Posted by Obi Ron Kenobi on 11/28/2022, 10:18 am

Over 20 years teaching band and I still struggle to grade playing tests.

See if this sounds good to you.

40 This grade or lower isn’t worth talking about.

50 It is clear you have some experience with this instrument but you lack enough control of it to do anything a person would want to hear.

60 It appears you understand what should be done. It also seems you know how to do it and are capable of doing it. However, this is not something we want to put in front of an audience.

70 This performance has quality tone and all the pitches are correct. Most of the rhythms are correct. This is bare minimum for a performance that would be acceptable to put in front of an audience.

80 All rhythms are correct and the entire performance has a steady tempo.

90 Articulation is correct throughout the performance and several dynamic changes can be heard.

100 Tone, pitch, rhythm, tempo, articulation, dynamics. A mistake in any of these is rare.

Re: Grading playing tests

Posted by Use this on 12/6/2022, 8:06 am, in reply to "Grading playing tests"

If you don't have this, merry christmas!

LD Bell Performance Standards

Re: Grading playing tests

Posted by Jeremy on 11/28/2022, 5:32 pm, in reply to "Grading playing tests"

I grade in this order (each out of 10)

Posture
Hand Position
Foot Tap
Breathing/Blowing (Air)
Tonguing
Pitch (not tuning)
Rhythm
Tone Quality

I can raise or lower any of the above to place (or remove) emphasis from that particular part of playing.

I use an excel spreadsheet that adds the scores in real time AND sorts the class by chair order based upon who scores the highest. If there is a tie, the best tone quality score is the tie breaker.

This has worked very well for me.

Jeremy

Re: Grading playing tests

Posted by Suggestion on 11/28/2022, 2:38 pm, in reply to "Grading playing tests"

Use a set-in-stone rubric. Everything you've listed there is entirely subjective. It's very possible and feasible to create a rubric that scores your kids FOR you, essentially.

What I use:

Four main categories are graded. Tone quality, notes, rhythms, musicality. Tone is worth 40%, each of the others is worth 20%. Grade each 1-10.

A kid with great tone (9) with mostly right notes (8) and rhythms (8), with attention to dynamics (9) earns an 86. Done.

Re: Grading playing tests

Posted by well..... on 11/29/2022, 1:02 pm, in reply to "Re: Grading playing tests"

2 of your 4 main categories are subjective......

There will never be a way to completely objectify music. It's the best thing about it!!

Re: Grading playing tests

Posted by Perhaps on 12/1/2022, 12:19 pm, in reply to "Re: Grading playing tests"

I use a similar rubric and include things like "tone" or "dynamics."

While, yes, it's subjective, I tell my students that it's "acceptable" tone (i.e. it's recognizable as said instrument) and "presence" of dynamics (i.e. don't play everything the same volume).

Re: Grading playing tests

Posted by Me on 12/3/2022, 8:28 am, in reply to "Re: Grading playing tests"

Tone:

"Plays with a characteristic tone quality appropriate for the age of the player."

Musicality:

"Observes and demonstrates appropriate marked dynamics, style, tempo, and other musical marks within the selection."

That's much less subjective than it could be.

Re: Grading playing tests

Posted by Big Red on 11/28/2022, 8:35 pm, in reply to "Re: Grading playing tests"

Whatever one does, I would suggest GIVING IMMEDIATE feedback to the students...either right after they play or after the entire class plays. If it's an assignment you have posted online then type feedback for them.

Also, allow students to come replay tests for a higher grade and improvement.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Re: Grading playing tests

Posted by WTX Retiree on 11/29/2022, 11:20 am, in reply to "Re: Grading playing tests"

Giving feedback to student....START WITH SOMETHING POSITIVE! "Great job on your posture". "Excellent hand position". "I really like your attention to playing notes accurately". Note the words great job, Excellent, I really like.

THEN ask them to tell you what they think they can do to improve and make your own suggestions. Finish with "remind me what you are going to do to continue improving". High five, fist bump. "I'm proud of you".

Re: Grading playing tests

Posted by agree on 11/29/2022, 8:10 am, in reply to "Re: Grading playing tests"

playing tests in person are far superior, because you can and should immediately give them an understanding of what went wrong, why and how they can fix that. Recordings are fine and you can type back a comment or two but its not the same. Anyway, I have found that when I sit with a kid and say "do you understand all these things that we discussed? Do you (now) understand how to fix them? Great, then work on that and come do it again when you are ready to raise your grade." That usually goes over so much better.

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