How Can Elementary Teachers Measure Singing Voice Achievement? A Critical Review of Assessments, 1994-2009
Update 29(1) 40–47 © MENC: The National Association for Music Education 2010 Reprints and permission: http://www. sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/8755123310378454 http://update.sagepub.com
Karen Salvador1
Abstract The first content standard of the National Standards for Music Education requires that students sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. Although state and district elementary music curricula vary widely, many are based on the National Standards for Music Education and therefore include singing as a primary content area and method of teaching and learning music. However, classroom assessments of singing voice achievement and development vary widely, and information about reliability and validity of these assessments is rarely reported. The purpose of this article was to identify and discuss measurements of singing voice achievement for elementary aged students that have been used in research studies from dissertations and refereed music education journals since the publication of the National Standards for Music Education in 1994. The author describes each measurement tool, discusses its validity and reliability, and evaluates the practicality of each measure for classroom use by elementary general music teachers. Finally, recommendations for how one of these measures might be used to improve instruction in an elementary music classroom have been made. Keywords elementary music, singing voice, assessment, music education, literature review, classroom practicality From the time when Lowell Mason convinced the Boston School Board to offer vocal music, singing has been a cornerstone of public school music curricula (Mark & Gary, 1992). The first content standard of the National Standards for Music Education requires that students sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. The elementary achievement standard states that by fourth grade, students should be able to “sing independently, on pitch and in rhythm, with appropriate timbre, diction, and posture, and maintain a steady tempo” (Consortium of National Arts Education Associations, 1994). Although state and district elementary music curricula vary widely, many are based on the National Standards for Music Education and therefore include singing as a primary content area and method of teaching and learning music. According to MENC: the National Association for Music Education’s Performance Standards for Music Grades PreK–12: Strategies and Benchmarks for Assessing Progress Toward the National Standards (1996), the purpose of assessment is to improve learning. Furthermore, reliable, valid assessment in music is not only possible but also necessary. When discussing assessments, reliability refers to the consistency of results, whereas validity is the degree to which an assessment measures the skill or ability it was designed to measure. If an assessment is reliable, the same child would score nearly the same if the test was given again or if another judge evaluated her performance. Reliability is necessary for an assessment to be considered valid. For a
test of singing voice achievement to be deemed valid, it must actually measure the child’s ability to sing. Given the importance of singing in elementary music curricula, one may expect widespread reliable, valid assessment of students’ vocal development and singing achievement. In a survey of 200 elementary music teachers in Michigan, the 36 responding teachers reported low rates of singing assessment—from 40% in kindergarten to 13% in fourth grade (Talley, 2005). Those who assessed singing reported measuring singing voice development and pitch matching, and used teacher-designed rating scales or rubrics. Talley’s survey asked what areas teachers assessed at which grade levels and the methods they used, but did not address the reliability or validity of the measurements. Shih (1997) undertook a similar survey of fifth grade general music teachers in Texas. Of 59 respondents, approximately 63% reported “always” or “often” teaching singing objectives, and 33% “sometimes” or “rarely” addressed singing in the music classroom. Approximately 93% of respondents stated they assessed singing voice achievement. However, 65.17% of these assessments were “checking group performance,” which did not seem sufficient to provide diagnostic information for 1
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Corresponding Author: Karen Salvador, 612 S. Dorchester Avenue, Royal Oak, MI 48067, USA Email: huberkar@msu.edu
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