According to the rubric, I didn't do well. Is it true?

What a question. Unfortunately, it is a question that is asked every day, in every school, by almost everyone. Alfie Kohn poses an interesting opinion to rubrics in his article, Trouble with Rubrics. In it, he discusses the reasons why he feels that a rubric may not be the best way to assess how well our students are learning.


In the article, Kohn writes of a conversation that he had with a high school English teacher who had just handed out the students' next assignment. During the conversation, the teacher states that because the students are presumably used to working from rubrics, they are "unable to function unless every required item is spelled out for them in a grid and assigned a point value." She adds that what is even worse is, “they do not have confidence in their thinking or writing skills and seem unwilling to really take risks.” Although I do agree with these ideas sometimes, I also feel that a rubric is a way that we can help to lay some of the groundwork for what we expect from our students. 

While we do highly value creativity and risk taking in music, it is also very important that our students understand the fundamentals so they are able to take those big risks. Without intonation, tone quality, tempo, note accuracy, articulation, and phrasing, it is very hard for us as musicians to be successful in our risk taking endeavors. 

By creating a rubric that lists these expectations, we are simply reminding, especially our younger and more immature students, of what is needed to produce a successful sound on our instrument. 

I propose that we create a rubric that looks something like this:

Playing Test Rubric

1 = Fair    2 = Good    3 = Excellent    4 = Outstanding    5 = Superior

Scales:

Intonation                                                                      1  2  3  4  5

Student demonstrates ability to keep notes in tune with

each other

Tone Quality                                                                  1  2  3  4  5

Student produces a full, rich, open quality of sound

Tempo                                                                             1  2  3  4  5

Student maintains a steady beat throughout

Accuracy                                                                         1  2  3  4  5

Student plays written pitches accurately

Articulation                                                                    1  2  3  4  5

Student uses clear articulation. Notes are even and separated.

Follows all articulation markings in music

Phrasing                                                                          1  2  3  4  5

Student makes strong breathing choices. Refrains from taking

breaths in awkward/unusual places

Sight Reading I:

Intonation                                                                       1  2  3  4  5

Student demonstrates ability to keep notes in tune with

each other

Tone Quality                                                                  1  2  3  4  5

Student produces a full, rich, open quality of sound

Tempo                                                                             1  2  3  4  5

Student maintains a steady beat throughout

Accuracy                                                                         1  2  3  4  5

Student plays written pitches accurately

Articulation                                                                    1  2  3  4  5

Student uses clear articulation. Notes are even and separated.

Follows all articulation markings in music

Phrasing                                                                          1  2  3  4  5

Student makes strong breathing choices. Refrains from taking

breaths in awkward/unusual places

Sight Reading II:

Intonation                                                                      1  2  3  4  5

Student demonstrates ability to keep notes in tune with

each other

Tone Quality                                                                  1  2  3  4  5

Student produces a full, rich, open quality of sound

Tempo                                                                             1  2  3  4  5

Student maintains a steady beat throughout

Accuracy                                                                        1  2  3  4  5

Student plays written pitches accurately

Articulation                                                                    1  2  3  4  5

Student uses clear articulation. Notes are even and separated.

Follows all articulation markings in music

Phrasing                                                                         1  2  3  4  5

Student makes strong breathing choices. Refrains from taking

breaths in awkward/unusual places

Notes:

By creating a rubric like this, we can clearly define what is expected from our students on regular playing tests. We want our students to be excellent! That is our base line. If our students are playing at the level we expect them to play at, they will receive an excellent. For example, if a high school freshman is playing at the level where we expect a freshman who has been playing for 4 or 5 years to be, they will receive a rating of excellent (equivalent to an A). this means that if they average 3's across the board, they receive an A for that playing test. If, however, they are not where they need to be, or they are exceeding where they should be, we can score that accordingly as well and recognize what needs improvement or what the student is really successful at. After filling out the rubric, we can also provide specific notes to the individual on what they should truly be focusing on or what they did really well. 

I feel that a rubric like this is not really an issue because it is kindly reminding our students what they should be focusing on each and every day of a standard rehearsal or practicing block. Yes, it still does tell the student whether or not they are doing well, but it also shows them that with improvement, they can truly excel.