Most school music teachers at one time or another have had an administrator who has no musical training and doesn't fully understand what we do as music teachers. Unfortunately, these are the people who are in charge of evaluating us.
If your administrator struggles to understand how you're assessing students, it's probably because they don't understand what you're listening for. To some non-musically trained people, it either sounds good or bad and they can't explain why.
When they ask "where is your data on whether or not the students have mastered the material?" and you say "I can hear it" they can't really grasp what that means, because they're accustomed to having tangible, written evidence of learning. Confusion about aural assessment can lead to frustration and misinterpretation.
To avoid this, it's helpful make your assessment methods transparent. Having a translation guide to share in pre-evaluation meetings can help administrators understand what you're assessing and how you tailor your immediate feedback to help students master skills.
As an example, let's take a look at this concert band score.
This is a page from Michael Sweeney's Celtic Air & Dance No. 2. The score has been marked up to show some things I would be assessing as the director, including correct pitches and key, tempo and dynamic changes, and overall balance.
This is an example but you can use any choral or instrumental score that your ensemble is currently learning.
Celtic Air & Dance No. 2 by Michael Sweeney
Along with a score page, include a numbered or color-coordinated key so that someone with no musical training can see how many and what concepts you're assessing where.
This doesn't need to be really in-depth. The audience is someone who doesn't know much about music, so keep it simple.
Walking your administrator through these is a great opportunity to ask them if they have questions on any vocabulary or concepts. This preparation for an observation in your classroom helps give them the background knowledge they need to better understand the decisions that you make while rehearsing and the feedback you give out while assessing student learning.
Immediate and specific feedback is the gold standard of formative assessment, and using a tool like this with your administrator can go a long way toward demonstrating how much formative assessment music educators do (all day, every day). The fact that you use your ears instead of written student work to determine your feedback doesn't need to be a stumbling block for your evaluator if you can preemptively translate.
Next time your evaluation is coming up, I encourage you to take a page from your score, a couple of colored pencils, and put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't understand what they're hearing - it can make a world of difference in how your administrator views and values your program.
Jill Dobel is a 17-year veteran of the music classroom, having taught instrumental music at varying levels in grades 5-12 during her tenure. She is a former Chair of the Iowa Bandmasters Association Middle School Affairs Committee and a founding member of the Iowa Women's Jazz Orchestra.
She's currently the Music Education Marketing Specialist with Sheet Music Plus and is an active performer, clinician, and private studio teacher in Iowa.
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