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ASSESSMENT IN THE COLLEGIATE CHORAL CLASSROOM

instead of figuring out the issue on their own, they wait PACKWOOD: If a student is in the most advanced choir,
to hear their part played on the piano. This passivity they must take at least a half hour voice lesson/week if
extends to musicality as well—marks of articulation, they are a non-music major. All music majors take les-
dynamics, diction issues, etc. sons; therefore, the entire ensemble is studying private-
Finally, what is the feedback from trusted colleagues ly. I sit in on the vocal juries each semester, which leads
in the field? to great relationships with the voice faculty. The jury
Objective assessments of the growth of the ensemble becomes a formal assessment that is a percentage of
include: Are interest and enrollment in the ensemble the students’ grade. This also allows me and the voice
and in the entire choral area growing or shrinking? Are faculty to collectively help singers with any vocal issues
we receiving invitations to perform at conferences, con- they might have.
ventions, with professional orchestras, and internation-
al competitions? When we do perform at these events, WEBER: Students in my choir are assessed daily as in-
what is the feedback? What are the results in terms of dividuals. They receive testing assignments a month or
competitions? so ahead of time. Ten singers are selected at random
during each rehearsal, and they sing in my office for
my TA. The TA videotapes these sessions, so if a singer
In what ways do you focus on assessing the growth of contests their score, I can go back and watch them. Any
the individual? person scoring below a B- is a failing grade. I do not al-
low second chances for my advanced choir. If a singer is
absent in class one day, they will definitely be up for as-
BJELLA: In terms of assessing individuals, I am very sessing at the next rehearsal. These assessments are not
rigorous on the front end of the learning process, then meant to be difficult. They are short sections of music,
we can relax as the concert approaches. Quartet assess- but they must be performed a cappella and often with
ments happen near the beginning of a concert cycle, a metronome.
not near the end. For solo opportunities I did an ini- I use a buddy system where the new members are
tial screening, then cut it down to a final two to three paired with an experienced member early in the year.
singers. The finalists would sing with the choir, and the If a new person fails one of these, I contact the experi-
choir filled out a template. This was eye opening for enced buddy to see what happened. Students grow indi-
me to get a glimpse of what students were and were vidually and show more ownership in the ensemble. In
not hearing. The students were required to sign these addition, the assessment encourages individual practice
templates for accountability. It is so important to know while providing solid data for assigning a grade. The
what students are hearing. I encouraged students who lower tier groups at UH do this as well, just not as fre-
did not get the solo to talk with me afterwards for com- quently, and they are also not graded as strictly. I did
ments. Then they could work out any issues I heard in this when I taught high school choir as well. Too of-
lessons with their voice teacher. Both this and my dress ten there is no accountability or data in choral music
rehearsal procedure were developed over many years in America.
and these practices culminated when I served as interim During the pandemic, we started using Sight Read-
director of choral activities at Carthage College in the ing Factory (sightreadingfactory.com) when everything
fall of 2021. went on Zoom. This is a practice we have continued.
I never put students on the spot in the full ensemble My students must pass level six of Sight Reading Fac-
if they were not ready. I only point out individual excel- tory for their final exam. Since using this program, the
lence in group settings. In the short run putting students students’ sight-reading ability has grown enormously. I
on the spot may work, but it is not good for their long- do this assessment once per semester as part or some-
term mental health. times all of their final exam grade. I often have my top
ensemble perform vocalises for a final exam to demon-

36 CHORAL JOURNAL February 2024 Volume 64 Number 6