Assessment adjustments

A number of you are still having difficulty with the self-assessment process. While that is an important skill to learn, it is starting to detract from some of the music that needs to be at the center of our work. Thus, I am making some changes to the assessment system for this class, in order to focus our efforts on those things that are most important, and hopefully to give you what you need most to succeed on those things.

You will receive (or have received) an update to your assessment report in Google Drive. Below that, under “Old Report,” you can still see all of your reflection and our discussion about it from earlier in the semester. On that new report, you should see just six categories (updated on the syllabus, as well):

  • Strict voice-leading (two part)
  • Strict keyboard-style voice-leading
  • Harmony
  • Text-music relationships
  • Professionalism
  • Liberal-arts values

(I have dropped three categories relating to German art song in order to focus our efforts more intently, leaving only harmony and text-music relationships.)

We will retain self-assessment for the professionalism and liberal arts values categories. You will continue to reflect on your progress and assign yourself a letter grade for those categories as we go, and I will respond to your comments and “negotiate” the grade (if necessary).

For the categories besides professionalism and liberal arts values, grades will be assigned to you by me (based in part on feedback from our TA). In each case, when a final grade is assigned, you will have the opportunity to respond and “negotiate” if you deem it appropriate. I will take your responses to heart, and I am willing to adjust the grade if you make a strong case. However, you will not be producing grades from scratch for these categories.

Final grades for the semester will still be calculated in the same way.

I hope that will clear things up for some of you, allowing me to give you more specific guidance where you need it, to assess you fairly, and also giving you a more targeted area in which to develop your self-assessment skills. Please let me know if you have any questions about this updated arrangement.