ECA731 Teaching Arts Education: Middle Years

PART A

Introduction

Assessment is essential as it forms a foundation for teaching to be targeted to student needs, maximising their potential for optimal growth. It is also the way teachers can make informed and consistent judgement of student progress against curriculum standards (Joseph, 2026). There is also a minimum obligation in relation to assessment in order to maintain school registration (Victorian State Government Department of Education, 2025). Formative and summative assessment is important in music teaching because it ensures rigour and accountability against curriculum standards, legitimises music as a subject equal to all other subjects and helps motivate students through regular teacher and peer feedback. Assessment is important because the more a teacher and student know about the student’s learning, the more effectively the teacher can deliver the learning and the better a student can acquire the learning (Wesolowski, 2012).

Body

The use of rubrics in summative assessment engages students in the learning and evaluation process. Students who work with and are assessed using rubrics in music are less surprised or puzzled by a result. Hickey (Hickey, 1999, p.32) argues that rubrics are superior to arbitrary letter grades. Breaking a composition assessment into components such as ‘suits the instrument’ or ‘contains correct number of bars’ or ‘clearly in rondo form’ is an authentic and honest way to assess composition activities and gives the least subjective feedback. Wesolowski (2012)  agrees that subjectivity can be an issue in music assessment, rubrics give music teachers and students a clear and fair measure of progress and mastery. Rubrics also act as a form of accountability as students’ progress is clearly and accurately recorded. The use of rubrics as a quantitative means to evaluate qualitative performance-based tasks is an effective way to collect data for fairness and teacher accountability. This recorded data can then be used to legitimise music in the curriculum and to ensure music instruction time remains in the timetable (Denis, 2018). Quigley (2020) agrees that assessment in music education is important to show music’s validity to those outside the music discipline. She also argues that music assessment is not too rigid or mechanical, as some teachers in her study report, but that it has a positive impact on student learning as it is an opportunity for all students to succeed in their music learning goals.

Wiliam (2016) discusses the importance of formative assessment as a way for teachers to know what has been taught has been learned. Regular assessment – minute by minute through a lesson – allows teachers to reflect on and improve their practice. Teachers use information about student achievement to make adjustments to student learning that improve achievement. Hattie & Timperley (2007) state that feedback through formative assessment is essential so “the next teaching act can be matched to the present understanding of students.” When students and teachers use the feed up, feed back and feed forward dimensions, discussing where they are going, how they are going and where to next, learning and understanding is enhanced. Peer feedback is also important. It involves students giving and receiving information about performance or understanding in relation to learning intentions, success criteria or rubrics. It encourages collaborative learning and builds student capacity for judgement, while detecting errors and providing suggestions for improvement (AITSL, n.d). Daniel (2001) describes self-assessment as important in music as it leads to greater student independence as they assess and reflect on various aspects of their own performance including presentation, accuracy, progress (from previous performances) and plans for improvement. Daniel believes these self-reflective skills are important life skills, particularly for students with professional music career prospects. Haning (2025) argues that measurements against clear learning goals are an important motivating part of music education. Carefully designed assessments demonstrate growth as musicians and provide an encouraging path forward. Assessment can also act as a way of moving learning along as it is an iterative process that measures, assists, measures, celebrates achievement, measures and so on.

Conclusion

Assessment is essential in music education. Masters (2014) stresses that the purpose of assessment is to establish and understand where learners are in an aspect of their learning at a given time. He points out that assessment can vary but maintaining this purpose at the core of assessment is when it is most effective. Formative and summative assessment in music can vary from self-reflection, peer feedback, group work, informal teacher feedback and rubrics. All of it is important to ensure rigour, consistent links to curriculum and teacher accountability in music teaching. Well-planned assessment can be used as important data in the on-going advocacy to legitimise music as an essential part of a student’s overall education.

‍ Part B Lesson 1

Year Level‍ ‍
Levels 5 and 6

Strand Content descriptor
Students learn to develop listening skills and skills for working with elements of music to achieve expressive effects when composing, singing and playing instruments. VC2AMU6D01 Students learn to work with elements of music and use compositional devices to communicate ideas, perspectives and meaning when composing and practising music for performance, and, as appropriate to the style, document and/or record the music they compose. VC2AMU6C01 Students learn to rehearse and perform music in a range of forms they have learnt and/or composed to audiences in informal and formal settings. VC2AMU6P01 Responsibly designed products and services aim to minimise the human impact on the environment and restore the quality, ecological integrity and diversity of economic, social, environmental and cultural systems. VC2CCPSRD1

Topic /Music concepts

Listening critically to music. Practising and performing rhythms. Creating sounds using junk percussion. Composing and performing in groups.

Brief overview of the lesson.‍ ‍

Students will listen to and discuss audio and video excerpts of Scrap Arts Music. Students will explore junk percussion. Students will use rhythm cards to create a four-bar rhythm composition. Students will discuss and create physical movements to accompany their rhythm compositions. Students will rehearse and present their compositions to their peers. ‍ ‍Materials YouTube clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-reaqN8UWU TV Screen Whiteboard Junk percussion (buckets, pieces of wood/metal, plastic containers, large plastic pipes) Cards with rhythms – ta/titi/tikatika/za Drumsticks/mallets ‍ ‍Prior learning Students have learned about tuned and untuned percussion, materials used for instruments and mallets, rhythm (ta/titi/tikatika/za) and technique. ‍ ‍Activity Classroom is pre-set with junk percussion instruments. Without introduction, teacher plays Scrap Arts video, pausing at pre-determined intervals. These questions are discussed: What materials are being used?‍ ‍Tuned or untuned?‍ ‍What do you notice about the way they are playing the instruments?‍ ‍What techniques are they using?‍ ‍Why do you think they use recycled junk? (*Link to cross-curriculum priority: Sustainability)   Teacher shares information about Scrap Arts Music, including their biography (see Appendix 1).   Think Pair Share: Students discuss what instruments and materials used and types of movements the percussionists performed. Students share answers and examples written on the whiteboard.   Teacher introduces junk percussion instruments and discusses materials with students, and why it is sustainable to use junk percussion instruments.   Teacher introduces rhythm cards. Each card has equivalent of one beat (eg. tikatika). Teacher demonstrates using the cards to make one bar of music. Teacher chooses titi-ta-za-ta and blu-tacs to whiteboard and demonstrates rhythm on junk percussion instrument. Teacher demonstrates how to use a za to jump. A student is asked to demonstrate for the class.   Group work: Divide the class into six groups (4 per group) and allocate instruments according to material (Appendix 2). Each group will get 20 cards (rhythms and rests) and arrange cards to create a 16-beat rhythm plus at one movement. Teacher moves between the groups to provide feedback.   Students perform rhythm composition to the class. Discuss peer feedback and its purpose for improving compositions. Use the ‘two stars and a wish’ method (show worksheet and blu-tac to whiteboard). See Appendix 3. Teacher directs conversation to how elements of music (eg. dynamics, texture) and repetition can be used to add interest to compositions.   Students rehearse their compositions, adding dynamics/texture/repetition, and perform them again for the class.

Create and describe a formative or summative assessment strategies‍ ‍

I have used the following formative assessment strategies in my lesson plan: ·      A ‘check-in’ during the early discussion about Scrap Arts Music. In a group discussion, review and check for understanding of definition of tuned and untuned percussion. Ask for students to provide definitions and examples. Shape and refine their answers as required. ·      Group work: Think, Pair, Share activity where students discuss instruments and movements in the video. Answers written on the board for later reference. This is a form of assessment ‘for’ learning as teachers and peers check for understanding and progress. The teacher can also use this to inform future learning. ·      Group check-in: A simple thumbs up/down feedback exercise after explaining the composition task to check for understanding. If too many thumbs down, ask students to explain the task. Refine and shape the answers as required to ensure clarity for the task. ·      Gallery walk: The teacher walks around the classroom to check on student progress during composition phase of task. Teacher provides feedback to ensure progress and that students are meeting required curriculum learning goals (eg. VC2AMU6C01). ·      Peer feedback: Constructive feedback is provided by peers using ‘two stars and a wish’ method. This is an example of formative assessment ‘as’ learning. Students lead the discussion and use informal feedback and self-assessment to understand the next steps in learning. To ensure fairness and engagement from all students, each group is assigned one other group to provide feedback using the ‘two stars and a wish’ worksheet that they will fill out (Appendix 3). The group shares their specific feedback to the other group in front of the whole class.

Part B Lesson 2

Year Level‍ ‍

Levels 5 and 6

Strand Content descriptor
Students learn to explore ways that the elements of music are combined to communicate meaning in music across cultures, times, places and other contexts including from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. VC2AMU6E01 Students learn to work with elements of music and use compositional devices to communicate ideas, perspectives and meaning when composing and practising music for performance, and, as appropriate to the style, document and/or record the music they compose. VC2AMU6C01 Students learn to rehearse and perform music in a range of forms they have learnt and/or composed to audiences in informal and formal settings. VC2AMU6P01

Topic /Music concepts
Listening critically to music from different cultures. Practising and performing rhythms. Playing variety of percussion instruments. Composing and performing in a group.

Brief overview of the lesson.‍ ‍
Music of Congo, Africa Students will listen to and watch music from Congo. Students will learn how Congolese music reflects everyday life, ritual, culture and environment. Students will learn about ‘call and response’ and drum circles. Students will participate in a drum circle using percussion instruments. Students will create their own call and response rhythms using words/syllables, and perform them to the class. Students will be assessed using a rubric and complete a reflection survey.   Materials Audio clips (1) Chant de Louange, (2) Danse du Lion & (3) Dance of the Young Men. YouTube clips: Video 1‍ ‍Video 2 TV Screen Whiteboard Percussion instruments (djembes/woodblocks/claves/tambourines/shakers) Paper, pencils Rubric (printed) Online reflection survey link.   Activity Classroom is pre-set with percussion instruments. Teacher plays Song 1. Discuss instrumentation and purpose of the song (celebration for tribe chief). Show thumb piano picture (Appendix 5). Introduce music from Congo and show map (Appendix 4). Explain traditional Congolese music reflects everyday life, culture, environment and ritual and is written and performed for a purpose.   Play Song 2. Discuss instrumentation (slit drums, balafon/ndara, ngoma, tam-tam drum). Show students instrument pictures (Appendix 6). The significance of this song: to celebrate lion’s strength.   Play Video 1 (0:10-1:10). Ask students What do you notice? Direct discussion to communal playing, dancing, energy, singing.   Play Song 3. Discuss instrumentation (rattle/musambo). Show instrument pictures (Appendix 7). Ask students What do you notice about the way they are singing? Discuss call and response.   Play Video 2 (0:00-1:30) Ask students What can you see that we have discussed? What instruments/activities? Discuss instruments and call and response.   Introduce call and response/drum circle. The drum circle is considered a scared part of African culture and they are present at important events. Call and response is when a musical ‘call’ is made often by a single person and it is directly answered by a group, like a musical conversation between two groups. The call rhythm is often based on rhythm of speech.   Check-in formative assessment: true/false quiz. Questions based on information learned so far. Put questions on screen, ask students directly for answers (Appendix 8).   Drum circle activity: Ask students to sit in a circle. Hand out one djembe, plus woodblocks, claves, tambourines and shakers. The djembe is placed in front of a chair. Sitting at the djembe, teacher demonstrates rhythm call using a short sentence – I Like Eating Ice-cream – and makes the syllables into this rhythm: Teacher plays rhythm, students respond with their instruments. Students take turns to be the ‘call’ on the djembe using sentences for the rhythms.   Group activity task: Split students into groups of 4. Students will work together to create a call and response composition. They will decide what type of ceremony the music is for, and write four sentences linked to the ceremony. Each student will take it in turn to lead with their sentence.   Teacher demonstrates the task, choosing birthday as the celebration: - Today is my birthday. All my friends are coming. I’m having ice-cream cake. I will have lots of fun. Teacher asks three students to demonstrate with them. Teacher calls, three students respond.   Discuss summative assessment rubric (Appendix 9). Hand copies out.   Groups compose and practice their call and response compositions then perform them to the class. Guide students giving feedback to use the rubric.   Students refine and practice their compositions using the peer feedback.   Students present their compositions. Teacher assesses students using rubric.   Students complete this online reflection survey at the conclusion of the activity.

Create and describe a formative or summative assessment strategies‍ ‍
I have created a rubric (see Appendix 9) to assess the final performance of the rhythm ‘call and response’ compositions. There are five components, including task completion, accuracy of rhythm, technique, group skills and presentation. Accuracy of rhythm and technique are skills that are progressing each year so there is some expectation of prior knowledge but an expected higher level than previous levels. Task completion is included to make sure each student is responsible for listening to the task and finishing the task in a dedicated timeframe. I want to see positive interactions in the groups when composing their pieces, where students give ideas but also allow others to give ideas. This will be assessed as I move around the room during the creative process. In terms of presentation skills, I am assessing students on appropriate behaviour while performing in front of their peers and they are able to perform with confidence. The latter may be a work-in-progress for some students so I am looking for improvement from previous performances on an individual level not a collective benchmark.