The difficulty of assessing musical performance
Musical Performance poses many difficulties in terms of assessment. In a maths exam there is typically one answer to a problem but there are many ways to perform a Beethoven symphony, a contemporary song, a traditional tune or a jazz piece. Obviously basic concepts for a musical performance must be observed but each individual’s interpretation is likely to be different. Therefore one person’s assessment of a performance may differ to another’s. As a result a list of specific dimensions of the performance needs to be set up in order to achieve consensus and to avoid subjectivity. By following these guidelines an accurate and concise assessment can be made.
There are various factors that influence individual perceptions. Presentation is a key factor in musical performance. A musical performance is not solely what you hear; it is also a visual experience. This includes first impressions of appearance, expressions and movement which depend on the audience and the setting. It is essential to introduce your performance and give an in-depth description about your pieces. This will allow the audience to connect with you. If you are able to explain the piece to the audience and let them know what to listen for, they’ll be intrigued and engaged in the performance. In the case of classical music a prepared programme should be given to the audience prior to the beginning of the performance. The order in which you would like the audience to experience your pieces is very important as well. There doesn’t need to be an overall theme, but rather a nice flow from piece to piece. It is important to get a contrast between more traditional sounding pieces with more contemporary and newly composed ...
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...individually assess each other's contribution using a list of criteria. Due to the agreed marking criteria there is no confusion about the outcome of the assessments. There are many advantages to using peer assessment. Peer assessment encourages student involvement and responsibility. Students have to work out for themselves the criteria they need to use for grading a performance while in a monitored environment. As a result of peer assessment the students mind is focused on the aspects that make a performance good, bad or indifferent. Through doing peer assessment the student the student can work through their own performance using the same marking criteria as on their peers and are able to see their own difficulties and put them right. It also helps develop student judgement skills and provides more relevant feedback to students as it conducted by their peers.
During a musical performance many elements to be looked are not easily recognized by the average critic. A musical performance has multiple interactions taking place between the music, text, performers, audience, and space that all can contribute to a great performance. Overwhelming majority of the audience does not realize so much can be looked at during a single performance. At a performance by the University of Maryland Marching Band I was able to analyze the Musical Sound, Contexts of the Performance, and Interpretation of the Performance.
In conclusion I feel that using effective assessment methods throughout any course allows tutors to give feedback at the right time to allow the correct progress for the learners to achieve. I have experienced feedback many times as coach and more recently as a teacher and feel it has only helped me to improve and to keep wanting to improve so I can inspire others to achieve.
..., D. (1993). Music and the Mind. MENC, Retrieved August 25, 2003 from MENC, Academic Achievement and Music database.
Putman, D. (1990). THE AESTHETIC RELATION OF MUSICAL PERFORMER AND AUDIENCE. British Journal of Aesthetics. 30 (4), 1-2.
Assessment has been the greatest challenge in my development as a professional. My coursework as supported my growth in this area, especially in understanding the broad range of assessments used to support students’ growth and development. My courses have also supported my understanding of how ongoing observational assessment and standards-based measures can be used to inform instruction and support the cycle of observation, reflection and planning. Coursework
Pop. Traditional. Classical. These are all genres of music. These all serve a purpose. These are all important. Pop music has been used to help inform and motivate the general public during movements like environmental protection and gay rights. Traditional music has helped to guide us by telling us stories of the past from the church to the fields. Classical music has been played for royalty and help dancers spin a story. Some can be considered art while others can’t, but it often differs because the definition of art is in constant motion. The definition of art is a subject philosopher’s debate because it can be defined strictly or loosely. For the purpose of this essay, let art be defined as anything that can be touched or heard, and it causes a mental and physical reaction. Classical music is truly an art form because it invokes a mental and physical reaction from both the audience and the performers, and it has contrast to make it more dynamic.
There is a growing body of work in the philosophy of music and musical aesthetics that has considered the various ways that music can be meaningful: music as representational (that is, musical depictions of persons, places, processes, or events); musical as quasi-linguistic reference (as when a musical figure underscores the presence of a character in a film or opera), and most especially, music as emotionally expressive. Here I will focus on the last topic, for I believe it will be useful for researchers in music perception and cognition to avail themselves of the distinctions that aestheticians have worked out regarding the musical expression of emotion.
R.I.M. Dunbar and his team of researchers from the University of Liverpool and Binghamton University aimed to look at research in evolutionary psychology based on the historical presence of music as a facilitator for community and relationship building in small scale societies. Based on past research, the researchers knew that music creates a release of endorphins upon listening, playing, or singing. They aimed to isolate the most effective causal activity for this release of endorphins, listening to music or actively performing music. The researchers hypothesized that the active performance of music more effectively contributes to endorphin release and eventual euphoric, positive, and companionable feelings. They conducted four experiments to explore this question, of which I will only summarize the second experiment. The second experiment explored the act of singing, generalized to the overall performance of music, and how it varies the endorphin release as opposed to simply listening to music.
According to Merriam Webster Intelligence is "the ability to learn or understand things or to deal with new or difficult situations." Howard Gardener discovered the theory multiple intelligence they are musical, kinetic, linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial, logical, and existential intelligence. Unlike the normal school setting, Gardner’s theory helps with student’s learning abilities by focusing on their strengths. Gardner believes that understanding these multiple intelligent theories will help students strengthen their knowledge.
“Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.” Former US president Gerald Ford, said this in regards to musical education. He and many other people believe in having an education in music at some point in a student’s life. According to the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) says that Bill Clinton is a saxophone player (The Most Musical United States Presidents par 25)
In recent years, research has made connections between the intelligence of children and musical ability (Gershon 2014; Schellenberg 2011; Sherman 2011, Vitale 2011). Most researchers who believe in this theory argue that the millions of synapses firing during musical activity strengthens one’s cognitive abilities such as IQ, creativity, communication skills, problem solving skills, and memory. This is supported by the many research opportunities they have taken part in, the observations and experiments they performed, and their first-hand experiences (Gershon 2014; Sherman 2011; Schellenberg 2004; Vitale 2011). Some researchers even say it could prevent diseases such as
Cooperative learning and feedback are also key strategies within this instructional unit. Students will use rubrics, a form of feedback, to observe each other’s performance. Students will then discuss the rubric with the peer observed in order to praise correct techniques demonstrated. Likewise, the use of this peer observation will allow students to have an insight the techniques they are displaying that are improper and offer advice on how to correct these errors.
Musical expression might consist of one personality instead of multiple personalities. The concept is that music indicates a designated emotion. That is, if a particular listener listens to the music and hears the identity of a certain emotion. Musical expression has a wide variety of identities. People can take those identities and make them their own emotions.
Music and mathematics are incredible forms of art that have been apart of every day life for centuries and continue to do so. It seems that most people would not consider mathematics to fall under the category of art because generally the stereotypical thoughts of math consist of numbers and equations. However, art is defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. Math is a skill that humans have developed overtime and it is a prominent factor that is integrated in music. Though it is not literally seen or heard, aspects of mathematics are present in not only the physical sound but also in the theory of music.
...all group projects and learning activities into our daily practice. Some of the students require more descriptive and corrective feedback to meet their needs during individual and group projects. Those who are performing on grade level may receive more evaluative or improvement-oriented feedback. The higher achieving students may engage in the process of peer feedback to obtain ideas and suggestions.